The new RANCH\HOUSE album “Different People Are Different” was released into the wild on April 1, 2022. This album is the most polished R\H album yet. I worked with me good friend and great producer, David Beck over the course of nearly a year to create this meticulous record. This feel like a strong 3rd album for my RANCH\HOUSE project. Now there is a trilogy. 36 published and released original songs out in the world. I am so proud of the catalog. This album feels like a strong building and improvement on the solid foundation of the previous 2 records. Go Listen online at all music outlets! Click the image below to listen at band camp, or find us on your favorite listening platform.
3 Long Days of Recording
Hey RANCH\HOUSE Friends, Fans, and Supporters
We spent last weekend, March 25,26,27, at Fast Horse Studio in Austin, TX recording the essential tracks for our new album, "Book It To Sundown." We recorded 12 songs in 3 days which was an incredible marathon in the studio. By Monday night, we were completely exhausted from three 12-14 hour days back to back, but we are incredibly excited by the result so far. We have shared the rough tracks with our collaborators, who will join us on April 14th & 15th at San Antonio Sound Garden to record overdub tracks which will include: Fiddle, Accordion, Pedal Steel, Lead Guitars, Backing Vocals & Harmonies, French Horn, Cello, and possibly Baritone saxophone. We have been listening to the rough cuts this week and preparing to make any last edits or improvements before final mastering.
The recording session was so fun and focused. Working with David Beck is an incredible pleasure. His skill in recording, mixing, audio-engineering, and creative collaboration is inspiring and efficient. We worked very hard and cracked up laughing the entire time. I don't know anyone else that could help us produce this level of artistry in such a condensed time frame. He is a great coach as well, never allowing a mediocre take. We recorded Guitar, Bass & Drums all together live in the studio and did it over and over again until it was a great take. It was essential to have David's motivating & determined attitude to coach us on nailing the songs to bring out their full potential.
Dylan Ilseng was a clever collaborator on the bass as well. We worked together to give each song a unique bass tone; he used an octave pedal on "Cabin in The Clouds," and muted his strings with foam for a "Clunk-a-dunk" tone on "This World Alone." He overdubbed bowed bass fiddle on a few tunes that really brings out some dramatic emotions in the composition. Also, he used standup bass on several songs including; "My Mountain Home," "Her Recipe," & "Hit The Ground." This album will benefit greatly from his musicianship.
Matt Carrell was hard at work on the drums all 3 days. The marathon of 3 days, take after take, fell heavily on his drumming shoulders, and he handled it incredibly well. He nailed some of the tunes right off the bat, and other tunes he was graceful in spirit to work collaboratively with the group to explore the best, creative beats. He brought a can-do spirit and solid drumming skill to this record. This was his first time to record in a studio with the tyranny of the metronome, and he did an awesome job. I can wait to go on a cruise and bounce my head to Matt's phat beats:)
Brady is writing this article. I will tell you that I had an incredible experience making music with my friends in the studio. I am so grateful that these guys were willing to work with me to bring the songs that I've written to life. They are patient with me and help me unravel the ideas in my head. I pushed myself very hard, my voice was horse for a few days after the sessions from all the vocal tracking, my fingers were worn from the guitar shredding, but I have nothing to complain about. Making music with these guys was the most fun I can imagine.
We also had a blast on the last day when we invited Dees Stribling & Marshall Anderson into the studio to record a talking track on the song "Blood Murder," which is a tune about going to see a heavy metal band that blows your mind. They essentially improvised a duo comedy routine that we mined for clever nuggets to record in the dialogue. It is just a simple part of the song, but it is really classic and cool. and it was awesome to have them there. We also talked Dees into recording bongos on "Wear The Hat." It is so friggin cool;)
We still have one more recording session that we will do in San Antonio at San Antonio Sound Garden on April 14th & 15th to get all our San Antonio friends to do overdubs which will be delicious icing on the this beautiful cake that is the 2017 RANCH\HOUSE album, "Book It To Sundown."
It will be here before you know it. RANCH\HOUSE is coming! Catch us at the Maverick Music Festival in downtown San Antonio, TX on April 8,2017 at the Arneson Theatre in La Vallita at the Riverwalk. get your tickets now http://maverickmusicfestival.com/
Love,
S. Brady Dietert
New RANCH\HOUSE Album In 2017
Howdy Friends, Family, Fans & Supporters
We're are about to record a new album. I didn't really know that this project, RANCH\HOUSE, would grow beyond the debut album, "What Maps Don't Show," but because of the great musicians I've had the pleasure of playing with over the past 2 years here is San Antonio, TX, we have another RANCH\HOUSE album on the way. I compulsively keep writing more songs about the fascinating nuances of this life here that we are in, and I've been playing with talented artists that keep pushing me to explore more ideas and genres.
Dylan Ilseng has been playing bass guitar with RANCH\HOUSE for just over 2 years. He is a Music Student at UTSA, and he is about to begin his Master's Degree in Jazz Performance at Texas State University, my alma mater. We're really excited about where his career is going to take him. He is creative, open minded, supportive, and a great combination of natural talent and formal education which all add up to an extraordinary bass player and overall musician. His education has been impressive studying under Utah Hamrick and Andrew Bergmann. Dylan plays bass with several great acts around San Antonio, and he pushes himself to grow into different genres and work with many artists. Dylan is a young guy around 24 years old, and this record will be a great opportunity to showcase his talents in original songs that he helped arrange. This album will be a strong piece of his portfolio as he moves forward in his career.
Matt Carrell was the first addition to the RANCH\HOUSE solo act when I moved to San Antonio. Matt plays the drums. He grew up playing drums with his father's band, "Reunion." They would play large events like weddings, company picnics, holiday parties, etc. with a huge setlist of all the American pop classics. It was a crowd pleaser to be sure, guests would dance and enjoy the music at these events. In the process, Matt developed an immense catalog of drum beats in his memory that bode well for song arrangement. He was also fortunate to study under Tommy Taylor who played drums for Christopher Cross for many years. Matt has been extraordinarily valuable in arranging the new songs for the upcoming RANCH\HOUSE record. He worked with (me) songwriter S. Brady Dietert on creating original, dynamic parts for each song. The variety throughout the record is going to be very inspiring, and will lend itself well to the journey of this record from start to finish.
It is also very exciting to announce that like the first record, we will be working with David Beck again, the creative force behind bands like Blue Healer and Sons of Fathers. I've known David for many years now from my San Marcos days. We connected through the Cheatham Street Warehouse family of musicians that gathered around the feet of the "Godfather of Texas Songwriters," Kent Finlay. I still have his number programmed in my phone as "David Bass" because he was the premier bass player in San Marcos at a very young age. All of the songwriters in the area would ask David to play bass with their outfit. He was very in demand, and he quickly realized that he would ultimately get to chose his own project first, and not rely on others for leadership or creative content. His father, Bill Whitbeck, has been playing bass for Texas Legend, Robert Earl Keen for many years, and David came up surrounded by great music. David grew out of a singular reputation for bass playing into a manifold skill set in music production and songwriting in his own right. It has been a huge pleasure to work with him in the past and now again on this fresh project for 2017. His role as a third party producer for RANCH\HOUSE is mix, master, audio-engineer the studio recording, and also act as a kind of coach to myself and the band. This coaching role is a huge strength in David. He can bring out the best in musicians and in songs. I'm very excited to work with him again.
We will collaborate with many local musicians in and around San Antonio. First and foremost, Scott Lutz of Snowbyrd will be playing on most tracks throughout the record with pedal steel guitar and/or lead guitar. Scott is an experienced musician, that has a beautiful mind for collaboration. He has played many shows with RANCH\HOUSE. We always love working with him.
We have plans to work with many other musicians on a track by track basis as we develop the details of this record. It si going to be big, bold, loving, and inspiring. We have been working with San Antonio Sound Garden a new collaborative music cooperative here in San Antonio, TX. They are doing great things to enhance the music scene in San Antonio, and create a synergy of local musician by building a stronger community. We plan to record all the collaborative tracks at the SA Sound Garden's new recording studio on N. Alamo St. We're excited to help promote music collaboration in San Antonio!
I have been fortunate to keep playing music even though the demands of life have been ever increasing with full time work among other responsibilities. I have been hard at work here in San Antonio for 3 years to help out where I can and maybe make a small difference. I hope that at least I can inspire others to take this opportunity at life a little more passionately. My good friend and avid music supporter, Ardella Anderson, wrote a great article about the things I've been doing, S. Brady Dietert. we have created 12 original new songs for a 2017 album. We have high aspirations for this record to inspire people to take ownership of there own lives, their individuality, their original qualities, their uniqueness, and unapologetically pursue their purpose in this one life we have been given. Please preorder a copy or book the band for your event to help us achieve our goal.
My very best,
S.B.D.
Hello 2016 and The Future
Hi Everyone,
I haven't done the best job at keeping up with all the RANCH\HOUSE news, but I can tell you it has been an incredible year of music for us. After our CD release party in January of 2015, I put together a band of local San Antonio talent. We have been playing together for one year now. I bought a small ranch-style house and turned it into a great rehearsal space for us to work on the next next record. The core group is Architect, Matt Carrell on Drums, UTSA Jazz Bassist, Dylan Ilseng on Bass Guitar, and S. Brady Dietert at the helm.
We are keeping true to the collaborative spirit of RANCH\HOUSE. We have collaborated with several great musicians in this past year, and plan to keep that momentum going into the future. Allowing other musicians to join RANCH\HOUSE has become one of the biggest pleasures of performing. Many of our songs are so tightly crafted that we can play them the exact same way everyday, but when a unique artist steps in and affects the song, the atmosphere brightens with a new shade of light.
We have Elijah Stone, who played on the record, as a special guest with his fiddle regularly. He is always a lively addition to the band, and we love having him. I used to think differently about fiddle. I have said many times that "a fiddle just doesn't fit with this song," and Elijah Stone always finds a way to prove me wrong with his adaptable, creative approach. He stays incredibly busy with other bands, teaching high school English, and going on surf trips. Check him out around San Marcos and Austin with Wilkinson's Quartet and, Also, The Bottom Dollar String Band. He will also play with RANCH\HOUSE many more times in the future.
We also explored incorporating some brass with Adam Tutor. He is a fantastic saxophone player and a terrifically charismatic personality. He came to the Liberty Bar during our residency last June and took over the room with his enormous talent. I have been a fan of him since. We have jammed several times over the past year, and I'm pretty sure we're due for another. During Dream Week, he put on a Jazz education concert that took the audience through the evolution of Jazz, as an African-American expression, from the earliest days to modern times. Watch for Adam Tutor playing Saxophone around town with his band Soulsify, and read his articles in the Rivard Report as he explores the San Antonio local music scene. He's the Jazz Tutor.
We collaborated with local guitar hero, Elijah Zane Echeveste, on several occasions over the past year. He added an element of excitement and flash that is typically not native to RANCH\HOUSE. His fluency on the six-string is inspiring and energizing. When he closes his eyes and looks towards the heavens, South Texas Blues pours out of his soul. We sat down a few times at the house to work out some quality guitar parts, and he proved to have rapid understanding of the structure and impressive musical intelligence. Watch for Elijah Zane playing with his ever evolving "Elijah Zane and The Experience
Our RANCH\HOUSE drummer, Matt Carrell, became a Licensed Architect this past month. He is one of the most quality guys to be around. He's reliable, tech savvy, energetic, creative, open-minded, and has impeccable tempo. We have had so much fun over the past year playing together. Despite his, not-so-secret, desire to turn the band into the next incarnation of Kings of Leon, he has been patient, steady and collaborative in a way that keeps playing in a band possible. We have been working on some new songs, and he readily applies a broad working knowledge of appropriate beats and attitudes that have become integral to the song writing process. His dad, John Carrell, is also a collaborator with us. He has played in his own band for 30 years and has knowledge, equipment, and enthusiasm that he shares readily. He ran sound for us a the Alamo Brewery and sat in with the band on keys in New Braunfels at Phoenix Saloon.
Dylan Ilseng is an incredible asset. RANCH\HOUSE has benefited greatly from having him on board with his bass stylings. Despite he being the youngest band member by far, we have learned so much from him and his formal, musical education. He is the kind of musician that will never doubt his path in life. He can show up and play with anyone, anywhere, anytime, and then, rush off to play again elsewhere. He played 3 back-to-back gigs on Saturday with 3 different acts, one being musical theater, and he saved the day at each arrival. He has also become integral to the song writing process, and I'm looking forward to hearing some of his bass lines on the next record.
RANCH\HOUSE is moving into it's second year. We have a permanent home base here in San Antonio that we refer to as The Ranch House that is undergoing renovations at the hands of yours truly. We have been preparing collection of interesting, experimental songs for our followup record. We have gigs coming in. The State of RANCH\HOUSE is strong! Come see us play soon. Cheers!
CD Release Party
This Friday, January 23rd 2015, is the RANCH\HOUSE CD Release Party at Rosella's Coffee in San Antonio, TX. We have a great night of music planned. The event will kick off at 8pm with Patrick Kay (of The Boxknives), 9pm RANCH\HOUSE, 10:30 Blue Healer.
The past most has been fantastic. The CD Release on January 1st 2015 and I was out in West Texas camping in Big Bend. We went to Terlingua, an abandon cinnabar (Mercury) mine, ghost town near Big Bend and very close to Mexico. There is a intriguing restaurant and music venue there called "The Starlight Theatre" where they happened to be having a Townes Van Zandt Tribute night. They were asking for volunteers to play and my friends volunteered me. The place was packed and the only Townes Van Zandt song I really know is Pancho & Lefty. The event was hosted by Butch Hancock and when it was my turn I asked if I could play a Bob Dylan song called "Copper Kettle" because I thought Townes would really like that song. Then I played an original song that is in the song writing style that Townes created.
This experience was amazing. I was honored to play there and Butch Hancock and Jimmy Dale Gilmore both shook my hand and told me they enjoyed my tunes. It was a special night, and it felt so magical out in the desert on the day the RANCH\HOUSE CD became available online.
I hope everyone is enjoying the Album. It has been a long time in the making of this record and it really embodies the last 10 years of my life. I have a lot of songs I would love to record, but the ones I chose to record on "What Maps Don't Show" tell a progressive story of these 10 years and hopefully convey growth and integrity.
I'm lucky to have such great friends and fans that have encouraged me over the years.
Cheers!!
SBD
Recording Sessions: 40 hrs in 3 days
I cannot convey to you in words how great it was to work with David Beck and Dees Stribling in the studio. They responded very appropriately to the attitude of each song, and the production reflects very much the personality of songwriter Stephen Brady Dietert. David Beck's experience producing other artists enabled him to be creative and influential without any ego or misdirection. He could see the direction of each song as it was written and give positive constructive suggestions and ideas. His hours at the control board were rigorous and energetic, always pushing for improvement.
We were able to track all twelve songs in 3 days. We had to push ourselves pretty hard, but we did it. Each song is a real adventure and the stories are told in an authentic way. This collection of songs is going to be a real treat to listen to as they flow from one to another capturing life experiences with poignant lyrics and solid song construction.
The quality of the rhythm section is as good as it gets. Dees Stribling cut his drum tracks so quickly and efficiently with all the attitude, style and flair that was called for, and David Beck's bass playing expanded the songs to a new level.
We tried to maintain Authenticity in Brady's Voice and Guitar. His unique style of guitar picking comes through on a hand full of songs and the urgency in his vocals almost prompt a call to action.
We have one more 2 day recording session on Oct 25th and 26th where we will bring in all the collaborators. Phil Roach will be adding a layer of Lead Guitar to many of the songs. Elijah Stone will be contributing Fiddle on a hand full of tracks and Peter Stafford will be playing some lap steel that will really set it off. Tex Smith will be contributing some backing vocals along with Mendy Dietert, Marshi & Bruce Young.
This record is shaping up into a dream come true. I hope you all will find joy in it.
Week 2 Rehearsal!!
Hey, How ya doin?
This Sunday we met up in San Marcos to work on the songs for the RANCH\HOUSE record.
The guys, David Beck and Dees Stribling, covered so much ground on the first rehearsal that we were able to dive really deep into these songs in the second time through.
We really worked over several of the songs. "Simply Unaware", "White Hat Blues", "Pioneers in Art" and "Love Like This" saw some really critical improvements. A few of the songs we felt came out really solid the first time through and only need minor attention. "The Real Thing", "Gotta Get Up", "The Nobody", "Around The Sun" are songs that feel really natural and came out pretty solid with out too much dissecting. These songs are like family members to me. They've been there for me in hard times. I'm so excited that they finally get to come on up to the HOUSE.
We were able to have some really fun and gratifying collaboration on "Pioneers in Art", a song which wildly swings from my favorite one, to my least favorite one, and now back up to favorite again as it has really transformed. Really, it's impossible to pick a favorite out of these songs. They are all unique, interesting and inspiring.
This Friday, we are going into to Fast Horse Studio in Austin, Tx for 3 days of intense long hours of recording time. I didn't think about the fact that Austin City Limits is going on this weekend. I hope I can get to the studio on time with all the crowd in town. I think it will add a fun energy to the recording sessions to have all that excitement going on in town. Cheers to ACL and Cheers to the new RANCH\HOUSE recording sessions coming this weekend!
First Rehearsal!
Hey! How ya do'in?
This past Sunday I got together with David Beck and Dees Stribling to rehearse the selected songs for the Ranch\House Record!
The guys were amazing, creative and super talented. They picked up the songs really quickly and began giving the some great touches. We spent most of the day Sunday working on getting familiar with the changes and spirit of each tune.
We have another big rehearsal next week and a lot of work to do to get ready for recording
We will be going into the recording studio on Oct 10,11, 12th for the first session.
One major note: The song "Gotta Get Up" is going to rock your face off!
Why Record an Album Now?
I am blessed to have amazing inspirational people in my life. I am a strong believer in the story of living. When time calls, you can continue your routine, or you can act with urgency to appease the muse of inspiration that tries to lead you to your story. Graphic Design Stephan Sagmeister said, "Having guts always works out for me." That is what I am doing here. I am following my gut with guts!
I have been writing songs since I was about 14 years old, 1995. I had a really great garage band in High School that changed names every 6 months: "Cornbread Astro-Turf," "Mur", "No Show", and we were called "Wallys Toy" for several years. When we graduated from High School in the year 2000, our great friends elected a song we wrote to be the graduation song for our class. It was called "The Graduation Song."
After leaving our small Texas Hill Country village, Kerrville, we moved to Music City, Austin, TX. It was fun to play music with those guys. We continued to play music throughout college, but we have all gone our separate ways since then.
I spent many years writing songs and putting my energy into that effort. I went to the Songwriter's Nights at Cheatham St. Warehouse for years listening to others and working on my craft. I played music in a bunch of bars and music venues all over Texas. Now! I decided I wanted to record them, but I didn't know who could help me get it done right. Then with perfect timing David Beck showed up with a pep-talk and a purpose. He was the missing piece. I know that with his studio recording talent my songs are going to shine.
The songs I have chosen to record really mean a lot to me. They are songs that are tied to major life decisions and lessons that have helped shape my life. Some are several years old and some are new.
Before I get too swept away with my architectural career and other nonsense, it is time to document these songs and share them. I am really excited!