Welcome to issue #19 of Tape Op.

I've realized that although some time ago I promised to share more "personal" information in these Tape Op intros, that I've gotten off the track and started sounding kinda business-like and distant. Okay, so here's what I've been up to! At the end of last year I worked with producer John Goodmanson on the recent Sleater-Kinney record, All Hands on the Bad One. It was a blast. I recorded some records for the Dickel Brothers and Sarah Dougher and in February started a "reunion" album for the Go-Betweens, which I engineered. That was truly a dream-come- true, as I've been a big fan of their albums for years. To have them asking my opinions during the recording was almost surreal. I've worked on many more records since then: Luther Russell, Braille Stars, The Swords Project, Sugarboom, Honey Baked Goodness, Joe Davis, Sean Croghan and more. It's been pretty busy — freelance engineers Jeff Saltzman and Joanna Bolme have taken up a lot of slack — but it's rewarding to help bring these albums into the world. I'm exhausted sometimes, and I worry if I take enough time off to spend with my girlfriend and her daughter. I question whether I have a life outside of music — do I need other interests to keep me sane? I don't know, but I'm driven to keep making records and to keeping Tape Op going. Maybe it's to preserve my little piece of immortality by making a mark on the world, as Jim Dickinson mentions in this issue. Yeah, maybe that's it.