This past September, Monmouth students traveled to Leeds, England, with their band The Blackouts to record their new album with the famous producer of The Strokes, Gordon Raphael. The Blackouts is an alternative rock band consisting of six members: Will Horn, Sam Decencio, David Thomas, Andrew Weir, John Dwyer, and Kyle Noone. Their inspiration for their music was heavily influenced by the band The Strokes, who are famous for their songs “The Adults Are Talking” and “Someday.”
Raphael is an American record producer and musician, who produced The Strokes’ debut EP, as well as their first two albums “Is This It” and “Room on Fire.” Raphael currently works with bands that reach out and catch his interest, and he travels to and from New York and Europe. The Blackout’s trip lasted a week, and they spent around nine hours in the studio each day, working to perfect their new songs.
The Blackouts began by covering The Strokes and then worked with Blue Hawk Records in Fall 2023 on the club’s twenty-third compilation album in December 2023, which included their original song, “Blackout.” David Thomas, the sophomore bassist, recalled, “I never thought I would’ve been able to see a studio in my life. I just liked playing instruments, but getting the chance to record and see how everything in the studio works is amazing. I would’ve never pushed myself to go and try to experience recording a song in college because of how much work I was expecting it to be, but Blue Hawk Records helps with schedules, recording, and bringing the vibe to the studio. Working with them has shown me how much I actually love music and recording. I would’ve never had this chance if it weren’t for Blue Hawk Records.”
With this experience, the band moved on to hosting gigs at various locations, such as The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, before going on to record their songs on their own. They produced a four-song album titled “Tryouts,” one being a re-recording of “Blackout,” in addition to new songs “Half-Life of a Dying Star,” “7th Inning Stretch,” and “Love Sick.” They then decided that they wanted a professional producer’s help and settled on reaching out to Raphael since they take great inspiration from The Strokes.
Sam Decencio, Monmouth alumni and guitarist of the band, explained, “In late May, last spring, we sent a very spontaneous email to Gordon Raphael and we did not expect any response, at least within the first few weeks. Gigs don’t get back to us until after at least two weeks. Gordon responded within two days and said he would be more than willing to record our album, except he was currently living in Leeds. We’ve been playing local gigs for a while, but we wanted more and this was a perfect opportunity for us to record with someone we admire.”
With the support of Monmouth’s Music Industry program and Blue Hawk Records, the band prepared for the excursion. They spent nine hours in Eiger Studios in Leeds for four days with Raphael, concluding their trip with twelve songs recorded and ready for the production process. Lead singer and senior music major, Will Horn, said, “Working with Gordon was amazing. First and foremost, he’s our idol, after working with The Strokes. We didn’t expect someone of such stature to be so kind and welcoming. He made us feel at ease recording and that’s exactly what you want from a producer.”
Horn concluded, “We couldn’t believe we finished twelve songs in four days, and we were really happy with the final product. What we took away from the trip, working with Gordon, was we took away a certain amount of professionalism musically, that we can now put into our everyday lives to help make us better musicians and people.”
