Thankfully, Mix Magazine has updated their master list of schools that offer college degrees in Recording, Production, Orchestration, or other music and audio engineering fields.

Note: Mix Magazine is the reference magazine for the Recording Industry, comparable to Guitar Player for guitarists. There are others which have different specific specialties, but the first one to get is Mix. I also like OnStage magazine for their coverage of real-world live-on-stage sound engineering.

Some things to consider:

Size and Facilities: Some schools have very small Production departments, attached to their Theater or Music schools. Some schools have limited equipment. However, look closely, as small can be good. For example, the Hartt School at University of Hartford (CT), only has 30 students in their Production program, but they have 6 state-of-the-art studios, and they interact with the Yale theater department. These students spend a lot of time doing live and studio recordings.

Solo vs. University:

Some schools are dedicated to Music and Video Production (ex FullSail), while others are part of a bigger campus. If you are positive that Production Engineering is your only option in life, then the dedicated schools may be best for you. However, if you are a musician first, looking to augment your career with Production skills, then going to a respected Music school that also has a good Production department may be better.

Alternately, you might want to get a degree in Economics or Marketing, just in case you ever need a “real” job. In this case, look for a Production school that is part of a bigger university.

Location:

It used to be that you had to be in New York or Los Angeles to get anywhere in the Music, TV, or Movie business. This is no longer strictly true, as Chicago and Memphis and other cities have built strong reputations for the work they do, and many people don’t like being a small fish in a big pond. So long as the school offers many chances for real world experience and has a good job-placement program, the specific location shouldn’t matter.

Reputation:

When all else is equal, a degree from a better school is worth more. However, rarely are things equal, and this “tie-breaker” is used less and less. So long as the school you attend has excellent equipment and staff, lots of hands-on class work, and good opportunities for summer jobs and internships, you should be fine.

Your resume and personal demo discs will determine how employable you are. And of course, who you know (or who knows about the school) will weigh heavily. Check the alumni lists for those who have”made it.”

And given that half the band are grandparents, and they all have serious day jobs, they definitely qualify as one of our Working Bands.

The majority of the songwriting and singing is done by guitarist Kent McCabe and bassist Lesa McCabe (who have anchored the band for over 10 years), although drummer Michael Craig and lead guitarist Richard Arriola both sing and write as well. It is worth noting that Payday Daddy gives different credits to the lyrics and melodies, directly acknowledging the band’s contribution to each song.

As I surfed through their website, I had to conclude that this band is FUN! The audience is dancing and laughing and wearing odd clothing. And the band is smiling.

In listening to the CD Gumby Got Drunk, I was startled by Payday Daddy’s willingness to play a wide variety of styles and genres. The Don’t Walk On By is a Stray Cats style rockabilly, Cyberspace is more 80′s pop-rock with a seriously distorted lead guitar and layered vocals, and Scotty’s Song is a mellow ballad, followed by a lively reggae number Coconut Bra (complete with pseudo-Jamaican accents) with very clever lyrics. Lyrically, their songs tell stories well, some in the typical style, and others, such as Hell’s on Fire with subtle twists. Cyberspace tells of on-line love, and the importance of being able to type with one hand. The lyrics are not always locked in by the typical rhyming constraints, and their “rap with melody” song is very well done.

On the title track, Lesa sounds just like Grace Slick, with lots of power. The band pushes out a 80s power ballad, complete with overdriven lead riffs laced throughout.

Why do they play all these songs in wildly different styles? Because they can! I listened to Arriola on lead, and he emulated the styles of Led Zeppelin, BTO, the Moody Blues, Stray Cats, Skynyrd, as well as two different punkish styles and the reggae tune. I rarely heard the same tone and style twice on the entire album (although sometimes the only difference is whether the overdrive is set to 9 or 10 or 11). The McCabes are also comfortable with these different styles; the rhythm guitar is appropriate – even clever – at all times, and the bass is solid and melodic. On drums, Craig is more straight-ahead than the others; he is solid if not flashy, and he does get to bang away on the punk tune Sweet Ride.

Vocally, Lesa and Kent are both expressive and accurate, making sure we clearly hear the ironic bits and get “the message”. The harmonies are also true and complex, which I like, especially when just one more voice is added to accent a phrase. On a couple of songs, all four voices can be heard, and they mesh well harmonically, although the result gets a bit muddy sometimes.

Note: I also listened to Payday Daddy’s earlier CD Convergence Zone, which is similar in that there are lots of different styles, but the production is less polished. There are fewer harmonies (although Lesa’s under-produced vocals actually sound better on a couple of tracks, eg Pay Day Daddy Blues) and some of the solos don’t mesh as well as on “Gumby”. But it’s worth it just to hear the polka(!), which has some very clever lyrics, and clearly points to the potential available for the later album.

Payday Daddy is my kind of band. They put on one hell of a show, and the best place to dance is between the wedge monitors, trading smiles with the guitarists. On the CD, they show that they are accomplished musicians and songwriters, and their production values get better with each album. One good reason to own their CDs is so you can sing along when you see them live. Check them out!