Mike Caglionone started this studio several years back as a way to record his band's rehearsals. Somewhere along the line it started to evolve, and then blossom into one of the premier recording studios on the planet. Don't ask him how many dollars were spent along the way unless you want to see him break out in hives. Suffice it to say that Mike built this great studio from the ground up, learned everything that he needed to know to make it run like a Swiss watch, and never asked himself if it was a good idea until it was already too late.

   Today 7AWest is State-of-the-Art, with digital processing from beginning to end, not to mention Mike's great collection of toys including a Chickering Grand Piano, Hammond and Farfisa organs, plus hardware and software to make grown home-recorders weep.

   Ioana Nicola Pieleanu is an extraordinarily talented engineer who came to the studio all the way from Romania, by way of Berklee College of Music. My 2 CDs were a very demanding project for any recording engineer to handle, and Ioana did it with great care and expertise, session after session. You could say that she was the doctor or midwife, taking care to see that each song came into the world whole and healthy. 

   Mike and Ioana are also excellent musicians, and it was great to have their good ears in the control room keeping the rest of us honest. We even put Mike to work on tenor sax for "Ukulele Ragtime Blues." Check it out, and check out his band, Zen Bastards.

   It would be an understatement to say that I highly recommend these two fine engineers and this studio. Thanks, Mike and Ioana, for making it easy, making it fun, and making it all come out so right!