"Innocent or guilty, I don't give a shit," says Blood, shrugging. "I still love him to death."
Alas, Blood is among an increasing minority, one composed mainly of music geeks. Last month, prosecutors in the Spector case argued that releasing a grand jury testimony wouldn't bias potential jurors... because they had probably never heard of the producer. "It is likely that most people who came of age after [the 1960s and 1970s] have no idea of who he is and no current interest in what he has done," contended L.A. County Deputy District Attorney Doug Sortino. Ouch.
There are two types of record producers. The first camp is made up of men and women, like Spector, who have crafted a specific, recognizable sound that has as much--if not more--to do with selling a song than the recording artist: the Neptunes, the cookie-cutter '80s dance-pop of Stock/Aitken/Waterman (Rick Astley, Dead or Alive), disco kingpin Giorgio Moroder (Donna Summer).
And then there are producers like Blood. The geeks. "I'm someone who likes music, instead of someone who likes recording," he says. "I've dealt with so many people who are really into the gear and pushing buttons. Whatever. I have fun in the studio, but I know nothing about all that shit. I'm just a guy who sets up a microphone, and says, 'Play!'" Some producers spend hours with an artist before they ever set foot in the studio, attending practices, helping polish songs; Blood's idea of preproduction is a few rounds of drinks while spinning beloved records with his potential charges.
Thus far, his approach has paid off. Blood produced three of this year's finest local discs: The Lights' Beautiful Bird, Charmparticles' Sit Down for Staying EP, and East, the sophomore full-length by his own band, the Turn-Ons. In addition to the just-released Lights EP Wood and Wire, a slew of finished Blood productions will hit stores next year, including the debut full-lengths by Charming Snakes and the Catch, as well as the second Lights album.
The key to his technique is shockingly simple: Blood always starts with "something I like, that I want to listen to," be it the Snakes' arty post-punk, the all-girl pop rock of the Catch, or the Turn-Ons' shoe-gazing psychedelia. "So when I'm producing a record, I just make it sound the way I want their music to sound."
"I'm not a Jack White fan, but [he's] a great example of a producer who loves music, as opposed to someone who loves recording," he says, citing White's contributions to Loretta Lynn's smash Van Lear Rose. On the other hand, he's still furious the Cure tapped nu-metal go-to-guy Ross Robinson (Korn, Limp Bizkit) to oversee their recent album. "That asshole ruined what could have quite possibly been the best Cure record ever. That record is so good... but it sounds like shit."
Blood, who turns 28 this Saturday, grew up in Tacoma, and studied audio production at the Art Institute of Seattle. Even as a child, he was obsessive about pop music. "I grew up with a little portable record player in my room," he recalls. "I played nothing but Prince's Around the World in a Day for a year, when I was 8 or 9." But it was another album that clued him into the importance of production. Compared to their first three high-buff studio LPs, Duran Duran's 1984 live set Arena sounded downright cacophonous. "That's when I realized how much the studio can do for musicians."
But don't confuse that appreciation with ambition. Proud as he is of his resumé, Erik Blood feels no burning need to see his name above the title. "The sleeve for the Ramones' End of the Century still cracks me up," he concludes. "It says: 'A Phil Spector production--produced by Phil Spector.' That's just ridiculous." Yeah? Tell it to the D.A.
A BUYER'S GUIDE TO ERIK BLOOD
THE LIGHTS
Wood and Wire EP
Kick-ass opener "Mr. Pussy" expands and contracts more times than Renée Zellweger, while Blood's attention to the rhythm section on "Talk to God About It" recalls Martin Hannett's influential work with Joy Division.
THE TURN-ONS
East
The Seattle quintet set aside their glam-rock past for a more lush, atmospheric sound on their second full-length. Erik insists the album's sound was heavily influenced by his love of... Public Enemy. Honest.
CHARMING SNAKES
Charming Snakes EP
A sampler from the Snakes' forthcoming Dirtnap full-length. For the first time, every element of the propulsive art-punk quartet pops out of the mix, from Ruben Mendez' strangulated vocals to the relentless drumming of Kellie Payne.
CHARMPARTICLES
Stand Up for Leaving EP
Big, fuzz-drenched guitars and spacey FX, topped with beguiling male-female vocals. The perfect mix-tape complement to your favorite Lush or My Bloody Valentine rarity.
JACKIE AND THE CONTROL TOPS/ URSULA + THE ANDROIDS
7-inch split-single
Break out the Champale! The queens of Pho Bang!, crammed together on one four-song, cement-colored 7-inch. Jackie Hell's slo-mo, garage-rock come-on, "Expensive," remains a classic.
