Soul Mining: A Musical Life

The sparseness of this ensemble allowed the clarity of the songs to shine through. I could tell immediately if something felt right. There was not a lot of clutter to fool the ear. It’s curious to hear the songs of So at that stage, before all the overdubs. The foundations had feel and soul like bread crumbs on a path—we could always find our way b

This has happened to me many times, where the unexpected becomes the thing I’m most excited about.

The Lanois brothers didn’t want to be generic; we wanted to have our own sound. This simple philosophy has been with me ever since.

Bob was private and punctual, never wasted any time, still one of the most focused people I’ve ever worked with.

Moving fast can make up for a lot of hard labor.

Soul music is music that rises up from inside you because it has to. It operates outside the restrictions and preconceptions of the music business.

music never starts with just music. It starts with inspiration.

By-products are never underestimated in my line of work. They might suddenly become the unexpected jolt that unlocks the door to the fabulous unknown…to a beautiful day.

Keeping track of arrangements and ideas on paper has always been part of my work process. Remembering is just another word for choosing. The world turns the same way for everybody but different people choose to see different things. I decided to remember the little pieces that matter to me. This is the same way that I see God, as little pieces flyi