The Charlie Watts Riots - A Break in the Weather

The Charlie Watts Riots - A Break in the Weather - 2013

By Corvozine.com

Singer-guitarist-songwriter Seth Powell of the Charlie Watts Riots is a music engineer and producer who has worked with Graham Parker, the Figgs and other artists at his Soundcheck Republic Studios in East Greenbush, New York. But when it came time to mix his own band’s sophomore album, A Break in the Weather, Powell turned to Nashville producer Nick Raskulinecz – a force behind some of the biggest names in rock.

Raskulinecz – a three-time Grammy winner and producer of albums by Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Rush and many more – really liked what he heard of the demos for A Break in the Weather and signed on to polish the album’s tracks. From the stadium-worthy single “Bottom” – about coming to terms with life’s disappointments – to the spirited power-pop ballad “Luanne,” A Break in the Weather got its amped-up final form thanks to Raskulinecz’s skills as a veteran producer. 

“He made the album sound bigger than I could or would have made it,” says Powell. “He made it sound huge and polished without making it sound over-produced. The drums are big. The guitars are in your face. It’s just a big, professional sounding record.”

Working with Raskulinecz at Dark Horse Recording studio was a thrill for Powell, a big fan of Raskulinecz’ work with alt-rockers Superdrag. “Nick is a big fan of the music he’s working on,” says Powell. “He knows every drum hit, every lyric. That was impressive. He knows every note of every song. At the end, he wanted to know who was putting our album out. That was when he offered to put it on his label.” 

A Break in the Weather is one of the first releases from the Los Angeles-based MCDMAN music label, a boutique management company that represents top record producers, including Raskulinecz. The label is a collaboration between the management company and the record producers to help talented, unsigned artists reach a broader audience. Raskulinecz will also produce the follow-up to A Break in the Weather next year. 

01. Bottom

02. Curtains

03. Luanne 

04. When You’re Around 

05. Caveman Town 

06. Omaha 

07. No Idea 

08. Destroyed 

09. Metal 

10. The More that You Change 

11. The Band that Killed Disco (Bonus Track)