383 - Nick Raskulinecz: Producing Rush, Foo Fighters and Others, Loving Drums and Producing Drummers, Reflections on Taylor Hawkins

Nick Raskulinecz is a record producer who has produced a Grammy-winning album for Foo Fighters, a #1 rock album for Alice In Chains, a #1 rock album for Rush, a #1 Billboard album for Evanescence, a #1 UK album for Stone Sour, and many more.

Neil Peart writes:

"Nick was best known for his highly successful work with the Foo Fighters, but before that he had a long history as a musician, engineer and producer. He had started out in Knoxville, Tennessee, and more-or-less worked his way west, studio by studio. When we met Nick, we all liked his youthful, unbridled enthusiasm, but at 36, he was also experienced enough to have a strong background in music and recording."

Of the recording sessions with Nick, he writes: "I have never enjoyed the recording process so much, nor been so satisfied with the results."

Geddy Lee from Rush also writes praise about working with Nick, saying "There's no point in hiring a producer who's not going to speak his mind, but it's a tall order to find someone who can hear Neil's playing, amazing as it is, and still say, 'Maybe you should try going in this direction...' It was a pleasure to be challenged [by Nick]. That's really what a band like us needs."

In this episode, Nick talks about:

•    Moving to Nashville from Los Angeles
•    His studio in Nashville “Rock Falcon Studio”
•    What he’s learned from drum techs over the years
•    Studio hacks when tracking drums as well as an “anti-hack”
•    What a producer really does
•    Producing the last two Rush records
•    Nick’s hands on approach to producing drummers
•    Reflections on Taylor Hawkins