And justice for all 


For many, the producer of an album is a bit of trivia too arcane
to worry about. This year's Music Awards admitted as much
when -- owing to space considerations -- we dropped our
examinations of the various nominees in this category; but
producers can be as important to an album as the band or
artist. Dallas has a particularly rich crop of talent in this area, so
in honor of their contributions to the local music scene, we're
telling you about them here -- even though the race has been
run. The nominees for local radio show were omitted from the
Awards supplement for the same reason, and are included in
the same spirit of tribute. 

Chad Lovell (winner) 

The travails of Course of Empire might just have been the best
thing to happen to local music in a long time. The band's
decision to build their own studio in order to record their
follow-up to Initiation -- once derided and second-guessed --
has become a reason to rejoice. The pregnant pause in COE's
career forced drummer Chad Lovell to find a way of fighting
boredom -- if not a second job. Whether helping Doosu churn,
Crimson Clay soar, the Lone Star Trio reinvent itself as Strap,
or Funland dance (on the over-the-top "Bleed Like Anyone"),
Lovell's hands and ears in COE's studio have shaped some of
the most notable recordings of the last year. 

Lovell considers himself a musician foremost: "I don't consider
myself a producer the way Castell and the rest of those guys
are. I mean, that's what they do. I'm just dabbling with it, a
tech-dweeb guy who likes to twirl knobs and stuff. 

"I just wanted to help some friends," he adds. "It's a way to
give back a little, a way to share the wealth, so to speak." He
pauses. "You know, I needed a way to stay around music, but
I didn't want to go out and play drums with every band in town
like Michael Jerome," he adds with a laugh, taking a gentle jab
at his fellow COE drummer. 

With the band finally adding a couple of tracks on their
forever-upcoming album, Lovell no longer has to dabble with
producing others to be around music. But don't tell the locals
that. "I can't really do anything right now, because we need the
studio," he says. "But people keep calling me -- I guess I've
taken on more than I thought. It's weird to be in a position
where people really want your help, but you can't do anything
about it."