Everybody and their dog knows that the internet has revolutionized the way we interact with the world around us. In the pre-internet days, we bought our music in record stores and we watched television in our living rooms. Times were pretty simple.
But as times change, so do the opportunities for innovative new programming to find a foothold in a business that has been largely dictated by big networks raking in millions of dollars in advertising each year.
Aux TV (www.aux.tv) is a Canadian-based website which plays host to over a dozen different music-related shows. Although their shows are strictly internet-only at the present time, they will be moving into traditional TV broadcasting avenues this fall when they launch the Aux Music Channel. The station, which bills itself as “real music television” plans to feature live performances, music videos as well as artist profiles and interviews.
One of the shows currently broadcast on the aux.tv website is Master Tracks. Hosted by Moe Berg and Laurence Currie, an episode of the program runs under 30 minutes and features the duo working with a band with the ultimate goal of going “from demo to download in one day”.
Truthfully, the program couldn’t have selected better hosts to rely upon to help the bands they are working with in achieving this goal.
Berg is the front man for the fantastic Canadian rock band The Pursuit of Happiness, who toured the world throughout the late 80s and into the 90s. While the group doesn’t have a whole lot on the go these days, their hits I’m An Adult Now and She’s So Young, among others, have been burned into the Canadian consciousness. Over the past decade, Berg has been steadily building his production resume, including work with The Cliks and Robin Black.
Currie is a producer and engineer who has worked with bands such as Sloan, Buck 65 and Moncton’s own Hope. From 1995 through 2005, he ran Idea of East Studios in Halifax before moving to Toronto to further pursue recording and production opportunities. When it comes to Master Tracks, Currie is the engineer responsible for recording the band’s performance. He helps to ensure that the recording process meets the technical specifications needed to have a quality final product.
Berg explains the process behind their show in a little more detail for [here] Magazine:
“I do one evening of pre-production with each band so that the song is together before we hit the studio. There is still some massaging of the song once we start recording at Metalworks Studio but it would be too much to have the band have to relearn a song and then record it all in one day.”
So far, Berg and Currie’s track record is flawless to date in meeting the one day turnaround they are tasked with:
“We haven’t had to go 24 hours with a band yet,” Berg says. “The biggest challenge is exactly that though, getting absolutely everything done in one day.
“Some days everything goes well, the band is tight, they come prepared and the day goes fairly easily. Other days though, technical problems arise and it takes a little longer.
“We’ve always gotten great results though. All the bands we’ve worked with have been really good bands,” he says matter-of-factly.
To date, Master Tracks has shot 13 shows with another eight slated to be shot in August. Berg isn’t one to be complaining about business being so good.
“Initially, Laurence and I were picking the bands we wanted to work with for the show,” Berg states. “Now that the show is on air though, we are getting requests from bands to work with them.”
With Aux’s traditional TV channel launch imminent, Berg and Currie just might find their schedules becoming even more hectic. Once their show starts reaching an even bigger demographic of potential bands and musicians, I suspect there will not be any shortage of groups eager to leverage the experience which Berg and Currie bring to the table.
To watch Master Tracks, head over to www.aux.tv and watch the duo work their magic with some of the country’s best up and coming talent.