In the latest installment of The Record, our photographer Tara Thomas both shoots and reports back from from folk-pop five-piece Ruggedwood recording in the studio.
“Trying to capture the atmosphere of a band laying down tracks is a tough task but one I relished when spending time with RuggedWood in Nutshed Studios Clara Co. Offaly. I arrived to the rhythm of beating drums and made my way into the Control Room, which was pretty impressive. Here I found the members of RuggedWood – Johnny, Ronan, Jerome, Ted & Geoff – passing the time, strumming guitars, having banter and munching crisps, awaiting their turn in the isolation booth.
The lads were in the capable hands of producer Joe Egan, owner of Nutshed Studios, and as the afternoon wore on, the magic started. You see, generally what we hear is the amalgamated effect of many recordings from individual musicians and singers, it’s polished and seamless but it takes a great deal of hard work and time, tons of time. I had the pleasure of spending a few minutes with each musician in the isolation booth. I heard their specific piece for the track in seclusion and on return to the control room heard it mixed flawlessly with all the other components to make a sweet composition. You’d think hearing the same melody over and over again would be grating, but not in this instance – it was fascinating and the sense of achievement was palpable. I left before the track was completed. After all, I want something to look forward to!”
