Camera Test Video

So I snagged a new digital camera that takes HD video. It's made by Pentax, a company that I have been a longtime fan of. Many (most) of the photos seen on this blog were taken by a Pentax film camera.

The camera's native lens mount accepts the lenses that I use for my film cameras, which gives me instant access to some pretty cool options. Check out this test video I shot the day I bought the camera. It features my almost wife Andrea.

Pentax K 01 Test Video from Nate Vaughan on Vimeo.

Nate Miller - Album Out Now

Link to Album

This weekend, Nate Miller released his debut solo album, Fall is Meant for Falling to the Ground. The album has been over two years in the making, and represents the most ambitious project I have yet undertaken. It also required the most support from friends - gear loaned, time donated, and feedback given.

The songs are strikingly honest and deeply personal. Nate is gifted not just as a lyricist, but as an observer of the human condition. My treatment of his songs was ambitious and adventurous, but I tried to enhance the elements that are uniquely his--his voice, his love of lush arrangement, and his soaring melodicism. I know that I speak for many when I say that I hope to hear much more from Nate in the years to come.

If you listen to the album, feel free to drop me a line here and let me know what you think. And to those of you who supported the project financially, with recording gear, or otherwise: my sincerest thanks!

Link to Album

October 20/2012

I'm a lucky guy.

Introducing: The Wild Maps

Link to the music
This is a project that has been a long time coming. Rachel Vaughan, Anna Su, and I have been playing music together since 2008, and have always shared a deep respect for each others' songs, often swapping them in performances and re-imagining them.

In December of 2011, we finally decided to put the music on tape that we had been performing for years. In a one-day living room session, we recorded most instruments and vocals live with Kris Karlsson on bass and Mike Lindsay on drums. We then built out this framework with overdubbed piano, guitar, trombone (Sean Pawling), and harmonica (Ross Garren).

This project is Anna's and my first attempt at mixing. As much as we could, we used the old gear we have lying around (some of it with questionable functionality): an old DBX 160, an Orban EQ, and a handful of distortion pedals. We had a vauge idea of a sound in mind, and we wanted the freedom to take chances and see the results ourselves, without having someone else tell us what was or wasn't going to work.

You can listen to some samples of the music at www.thewildmaps.com. If you're in the Los Angeles area on August 3rd, please join us for a show at Hotel Cafe. If you're in Chicago September 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, stay tuned for a midwest release show. And you can always pre-order the album at the web address above.

I hope you enjoy the tunes!