Photo: Turkina Faso
Bethia Beadman has toured with Courtney Love and recorded Radiohead, Depeche Mode and the Stooges for Nigel Godrich’s 'In The Basement' sessions. She is also a formidable artist in her own right, with the excellent Tchad Blake‑mixed track ‘Kitten Feel’ just released as we go to press.
At the moment I can’t stop listening to
Alice Coltrane. She’s the queen of the universe. Especially with that kind of music, you know, it’s got to be the real deal, or it’s awful. I guess Journey In Satchidananda is the obvious album. This week, I also listened to Rowland S Howard on a photo shoot recently — he was a member of the Birthday Party in Australia, it’s sort of Birthday Party meets Lou Reed. He’s fantastic. And Al Green! For me, right now, all roads lead to Memphis. I went to find Al Green, because he preaches in a church there. He wasn’t there, but his cassock was over the chair, and it had this amazing embroidery emblazoned on it.
The artist I’d most like to collaborate with
When it comes to writing, because there’s so much stimulus around, I really just like to be alone. In silence, in the dark. It’s almost like the starving of the senses reveals the exact note and syllable. As soon as you bring another person into the room, all that’s doing is creating more stimulus, which somehow muddies this process of seeking clarity. But I am opening up to it, because obviously it can be a very healthy, positive, enjoyable thing.
The first thing I look for in a studio
Heating! I’m always cold. I dream of recording in the tropics! Apart from that, I have had quite a journey with ribbon mics, particularly the RCA 44. My very first demo was recorded on that, and at the time, I wouldn’t have known what that was, but I did the song in one take, and it somehow had a quality that worked and has worked for me since. I have actually now bought my own, which is very exciting and has been a long time coming.
The person I would consider my mentor
Everyone and no‑one, I suppose. The music is the mentor. I think I learned a lot from hearing it back — all the down time I’ve had in the studio has been really, really helpful. I’ve been lucky with that. I got some down time at Real World and I learned such a lot, just by listening back.
My go‑to reference track or album
Harvest by Neil Young. I always thought I could only like a snare that has that tight, raw, dry Neil Young ’70s sound. Like, ‘Why would anyone not do that? Why does anything else exist but that?’ But, that said, I’ve now grown! My new drummer on the record is Adam Bradley Schreiber from Detroit, and he is bringing the swamp, with a huge, sort of more shamanic vibe. He’s really amazing, and he actually uses all ribbon mics too, to record. So yeah, it’s only a three‑piece, so there’s more room in the recording for his playing. When we told him we wouldn’t have a bass player, he was like, ‘Yes!’ Because he can sort of fill the spectrum. I love ‘Alabama’ on Harvest, and ‘Out On The Weekend’. That opening is great.
My secret weapon in the studio is
Faith, I suppose! There’s a Lou Reed album called Magic And Loss, and I sort of feel like that sums life up quite well. And yeah, it’s just about being open. Keeping your heart open, and allowing it to come. Karma, chemistry, timing and lighting!
The studio session I wish I’d witnessed
I’ve witnessed some pretty amazing sessions! I saw a Reel on Instagram a couple of weeks ago that showed Elvis in the American Sound sessions. Apparently, he did 23 takes of ‘In The Ghetto’, a song by Mac Davis. And the reel showed the first one, and it was just exquisite! So I’d love to have witnessed those 23 takes, and the exquisite imperfections with each take, to have seen what then amounted to the chosen master — and why.
The producer I’d most like to work with
I’m working with him now! Paul Simm. We’re quite different, and the chemistry between us is quite flammable, in a way! He’s extremely instinctive and spontaneous — and so sharp — but also, brutal and blunt! It’s wonderful, I’ve never worked with a producer before. It’s the most exciting thing. And of course the album is being mixed by Tchad Blake, and Paul had already prepped it to be mixed, but I couldn’t really imagine how it could sound better than what Paul had done. And Paul generously says, ‘Oh no, if we can raise it one percent, we will!’ Tchad’s halfway through it, and we’ve got back a few mixes, and it’s just been the most exciting thing in my whole life to hear those mixes go just that little bit further.
Bethia Beadman: One thing that tops the best song is if the best song is played by a band in a room together.
The studio experience that taught me the most
Making my first recordings with a bloke called Tom Goldsmith, whose dad ran Audio Gold in London, which is this famous old audio shop. Tom and my band, we went into a warehouse with the tape machine and recorded really hot to tape, all playing together, and then we mixed it down to quarter‑inch. We had to sort of ‘rehearse’ the mix, you know, doing the faders together with multiple hands, and the sound — it just had this lovely saturation. Tom’s girlfriend played viola, and it sounded like a motorbike engine! They’ll always be my favourite recordings. What I learned there is that I’m always going to love a band in a room, playing together. One thing that tops the best song is if the best song is played by a band in a room together. I prefer that to [multi]tracking. And then, if the band lasts a long time and grows and deepens their relationships with one another, I love that too. You know, it’s all about relationships and trying to get those feelings into the music — or not trying! I mean, there was bleed all over it, obviously.
The advice I’d give myself of 10 years ago
Very little. I believe in divine timing, and the journey. But, when I got those three days of down time at Real World, instead of going in and concentrating on three songs, I recorded 13 tracks, including vocals, in three days. Because I was just burning. I had to get it all out. I always did that. But honestly... It would have been good just to concentrate on three tracks.