Post by earl on Apr 7, 2008 18:49:41 GMT
REM and the Irish connection
06 April 2008
The new album from REM, Accelerate, which was released last week, has a special meaning for one Irishman, Paddy Dunning.
Dunning owns Grouse Lodge Recording Studios in Westmeath, where the band spent more than a month last year recording the album.
‘‘We had a really good time with the band, and Peter Buck [REM’s guitarist] is going to come back,” he said. Dunning, who is also an owner of the Button Factory in Dublin, previously known as the Temple Bar Music Centre.
He said that the Michael Stipe-fronted band had ‘‘got into the rhythm of the country’’ during their time at Grouse Lodge, and had taken part in local activities such as horse-riding. ‘‘They loved the countryside,” he said. ‘‘When a band comes here, they are treated like anyone else. They leave any ego at the gate entrance and enjoy themselves.”
Dunning bought Grouse Lodge – a Georgian estate at Rosemount, just off the Dublin/Galway road – in 2000 and spent two years refurbishing it. It includes two ‘‘world-standard’’ recording studios, as well as accommodation for recording artists, and has been used by bands from Michael Jackson to Snow Patrol.
Dunning, who owns the business with his wife, Claire, said he reinvested a percentage of its profits in new technology and recording equipment. Irish artist Luka Bloom is recording an album in the studios at the moment, while The Blizzards have just finished an album with American producer Michael Beinhorn.
‘‘Musicians come here to write, to rehearse, to record, to mix [their music] and to get away and concentrate,” Dunning said.
‘‘It is great for the surrounding area, with money being spent in the shops and restaurants. It is similar to when a movie production comes to Ireland, when a band comes to Ireland.”
Dunning’s other business interests include the Sound Training Centre, based in Temple Bar, which trains people in music production and sound and light engineering.
‘‘We have 150-200 people through the college per year, and there are thousands of people [from the college] working all over the world on MTV, in recording studios and on festivals,” he said.