Sylvia Massy
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Sylvia Massy is an entrepreneur, veteran record producer, and studio engineer in the United States. Massy is perhaps best recognised for her work on 1993's Undertow, the full-length double platinum-selling debut for Los Angeles rock band Tool.
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[edit] History
Massy started out in San Francisco circa 1985 as producer, engineer and mixer for "Rat Music for Rat People" volume 3, a compilation album released on David Ferguson's label CD Presents which featured several notable acts, including Adolescents, Raw Power, Mojo Nixon, among several others. Towards the end of that decade and into the 90's, Massy was an engineer on recordings from a diverse group of internationally-known artists, including Aerosmith, Babyface, Big Daddy Kane, The Black Crowes, Bobby Brown, Danzig, Prince, Geto Boys, Julio Iglesias, Seal, Skunk Anansie, Paula Abdul and Seigmen among many others.
[edit] From Green Jellÿ to Tool
During the early 1990s Massy was working on a project with Green Jellÿ, when one of the members of that band invited Massy to produce a fledgling band known as Tool. The unprecedented success of that collaboration was a gift and curse — while it opened the floodgates for production opportunities, it threated to marginalise Massy as a "Hard Music" producer.
[edit] Rubin and Beyond
In the late 1990's Massy connected with veteran producer Rick Rubin, whom she engineered and mixed several projects for, including Johnny Cash's "Unchained" album which won a Grammy award for Best Country Album in 1997. With Rubin, she also recorded Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Slayer, Donovan Leitch and System Of A Down's debut album. During this time Massy also produced many popular artists including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sevendust and Powerman 5000.
[edit] Current Status
Massy relocated to Weed, California with spouse Greg Shivy. They own and operate RadioStar Studios out of the Weed Palace Theater, a facility which was constructed in the 1920s. They acquired the property in 2001, and also use it as a theatre.
Other entrepreneurial activities Massy is involved with includes being the president of the National Recorder LLC record label, as well as being the head of Psycho Empire — a cooperative/collective of artisans.
[edit] Works
Sylvia Massy Shivy has worked with the following musicians:
- Animal Alpha – Pheromones (Racing Junior) (P-E-M)
- Cog – The New Normal (MGM) (P-E-M)
- Cog – Sharing Space (MGM) (P-E-M)
- Casanovas – forthcoming album (Rubber Records) (P-E-M)
- Spiderbait – Tonight Alright (Universal Australia) (P-E-M)
- Acroma – Orbitals (Republic/Universal) (P-E-M)
- Lustra – self-titled (XOFF) (P-E)
- Powerman 5000 – Tonight the Stars Revolt! (DreamWorks) (P-E) platinum
- Johnny Cash – Unchained (American) (E-M)
- System of a Down – self-titled debut (American) (E)
- Showbread – No Sir, Nihilism Is Not Practical (Tooth and Nail Records)
- Showbread – Age of Reptiles (Tooth and Nail Records)
- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – She's The One (E-M)
- Lisa Haley – King Cake (P-E-M)
- R.E.M. – Road Movie (Warner Bros./HBO) (M)
- Prince – Diamonds and Pearls (E-M)
- Cyclefly – Generation Sap (Radioactive) (P-E-M)
- The Deadlights - Self-titled
- Econoline Crush – The Devil You Know (EMI Canada/Restless) (P-E-M)
- Seek Irony – Blend (Israel)
- Red Hot Chili Peppers – Love Rollercoaster (Geffen) (P-E-M) gold
- Skunk Anansie – Paranoid & Sunburnt (One Little Indian/Epic)
- Sevendust – Scream 3 (on the song "Fall")
- Seven Mary Three – Welcome Race Fans (self-released EP)
- Deftones – Escape From LA
- Tool – Undertow (Zoo/BMG) (P-E) 2x platinum
- Tool – Opiate (Zoo/BMG) (P-E-M) platinum
- Machines of Loving Grace – Gilt (Atlantic) (P-E-M)
- Adjacent To Nothing – self-titled (Self-Released) (P)
- Seigmen – Metropolis (Sony/Norway)
- Seigmen – Total (Sony/Norway) (P-E-M)
- Green Jellÿ – Cereal Killer (Zoo) (P-E-M) gold
- Lollipop Lust Kill – My So Called Knife (Artemis)
- Tripdavon – The Enlightened Operative (Oxygen Recording) (P-E-M)
- Five Star Iris – self-titled debut (Hooptiville Records) (P)
- Savoy - Savoy Songbook Volume 1 (album) (Universal/Norway)
[edit] External links
- Sylvia Massy profile from McDonough Management
- Sylvia Massy on MySpace
- Radio Stars Studios
- National Recorder
- Psycho Empire
- Sylvia Massy at Allmusic
- Sylvia Massy at the Internet Movie Database
