WCA Podcast, Ep. 22: Matt Wallace

From his website: “Matt Wallace is an American record producer born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who started out making records in his parents’ garage in the early 80s. He attended UC Berkeley intending to teach, but pursued producing full-time after graduating. Some of his most notable work is with Faith No More, The Replacements, O.A.R., and Maroon 5. With over 30 years of experience, he now produces at his studio, Studio Delux, located in the Sound City Center in Van Nuys, California.”

Here, we focus on Mr. Wallace’s early years as a recording engineer and producer, from working out of the aforementioned garage circa 1982 to establishing his 8-track studio, Dangerous Rhythm, in Oakland, which served as his headquarters until the late 1980s. We talk about his memories of working with not just Faith No More but also Glorious Din and Spahn Ranch (whose Odell Nails was our guest on Ep. 21). We also talk about the role of the recording engineer/producer and how it has changed over the course of Mr. Wallace’s career. (And Faith No More fans, don’t worry: there’s plenty of FNM material toward the end, including some interesting behind-the-scenes tidbits about the recording The Real Thing and Angel Dust.)

LINKS

• “Matt Wallace: Journey to Producer Island” (Tape Op interview)
• “Matt Wallace: Faith No More’s ‘6th Member‘” (FaithNoMan.com)
• “Epic” w/multi platinum producer Matt Wallace [ISOLATED TRACKS – REACTION & ANALYSIS] (YouTube video)
• Podcast links: Apple | Spotify | Podcast Addict | Justcast (direct download link) | More
• Order the book (Who Cares Anyway: Post-Punk San Francisco & the End of the Analog Age)

MUSIC CREDITS

• Glorious Din, “Cardboard Boxes”
• Glorious Din, “Factory Salt”
• Necropolis of Love, “Talk”
• Spahn Ranch, “Dissolution”
• Faith No More, “As the Worm Turns”
• Faith No More, “New Improved Song”
• Glorious Din, “Stilt Walkers”

RELATED EPISODES

WCA Podcast, Ep. 20: Bill Gould (Faith No More)

WCA Podcast, Ep. 21: Odell Nails (Spahn Ranch, Majesty Crush)