Coupe Studios

Oscar Nomination!

2012-01-24T15:21:00.003-07:00

We were pleased enough to get to work on the powerful documentary "Saving Face" to begin with - but when the Academy Award nominations were announced this morning, we were really thrilled. Saving Face is nominated in the Best Documentary Short category. Coupe's Senior Engineer Ed Kaufman worked closely with editor Davis Coombe on the film, which marks the second Oscar nod for filmmaker Daniel Junge, who traveled to Pakistan to tell the story of survivors of brutal acid attacks. Read more at: http://blogs.denverpost.com/madmoviegoer/2012/01/24/colorados-daniel-junge-among-oscar-nominees/1486/

Bop Skizzum Live at Coupe

2012-01-05T15:24:00.001-07:00

Coupe has partnered up with our friends at the recently revitalized Radio 1190 (University of Colorado) for 1190 Presents: Live at Coupe Studios which will feature national touring acts and notable locals performing in our Studio A. First up? Colorado funk legends Bop Skizzum:

Jazz Album of the Year

2011-12-13T15:48:00.000-07:00

Congrats to our own multi - instrumentalist / producer Kip Kuepper and Steve and Dave Watts of Dotsero: Their album "Storyhouse" was named Album of The Year by JazzTrax!

Bonus: The single "Kansas Ballet Song" took home the honor of Song of The Year!

Cougars! No, not that kind.

2011-12-05T08:47:00.001-07:00

We had the opportunity to collaborate with a couple of the coolest guys in the whole durned wild west on this one. The filmmakers came down to Boulder from Wyoming to do some original music scoring and surround sound mixing with us.

They captured footage of these incredible animals that's never been seen before. It'll blow your mind and terrify your house cat.

Check out the world premiere of AMERICAN COUGAR on Nat Geo Wild, Sunday December 11th @ 9p.m. EST.

Domino's Keeps it Real. And Local.

2011-11-28T17:13:00.001-07:00

When Crispin Porter approached Coupe about a new Domino's radio spot, they figured they'd be setting up a remote record in NY or LA, since the spot called for gathering a lot of diverse man-on-the-street interviews. Coupe had another suggestion: Why not do it here in Boulder? There is certainly no lack of interesting people to talk to on the Pearl Street Mall. We lined up some great local talent options, and they chose the effervescent Matt Sheahan to be the Domino's driver conducting the interviews.

CPB Domino's Lunch Amnesia by Coupe Studios

Adventurer of the Year!

2011-11-11T12:09:00.001-07:00

Film maker, Friend of Coupe, and now National Geographic Adventurer of the Year nominee.Check out the clip from "Solitaire" below, which Coupe sweetened and mixed in 5.1 surround sound:
Now collect yourself and go vote for Nick Waggoner for Nat Geo's adventurer of the year:http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/adventurers-of-the-year/2012/nick-waggoner/

Say Hello to Blockbuster. Again!

2011-09-28T11:09:00.000-06:00

Netflix stumbles. Blockbuster seizes the moment.

When industry giant Netflix stirred the ire of their customers, Blockbuster wasted no time in responding with a friendly reminder that Netflix isn't the only game in town!

Coupe composed original music, created the sound design and mixed the spot. We were particularly tickled when a Colorado-based VO talent beat out dozens of other voices in a nation-wide casting to voice the campaign. Keep your eyes open for more from the adorable mailboxes, as well as a radio campaign we're working on.

Original Music / Sound Design: Kip Kuepper
VO Record / Final Mix: Ed Kaufman

ADCD Awards show tonight

2011-09-23T17:59:00.000-06:00

So the Art Director's Club of Denver has their awards show tonight. Would love to be there, but... We're WORKING!!
If you go, will you tell us what we won? Rumor has it that we're up for quite a few of the coveted refrigerator magnets...

SAINTS - Dark Country

2011-09-06T08:49:00.000-06:00

The latest from our favorite Scottish lads. Recorded and mixed here at Coupe with Greg McRae. Somebody smart better pick up this song for a movie placement quick:

Solitaire in Glorious 5.1

2011-08-23T12:09:00.000-06:00

Sweetgrass Productions just returned from an epic backcountry ski shoot in South America for their new feature, "Solitaire." Thanks to the backing of Patagonia and some other big name sponsors, they'll be here in Colorado doing their post production and music scoring at Coupe. Joining Coupe's in-house composers for the film's score will also be "quantum cellist" Zoe Keating and some other great talents scouted by our friends at Johnson&Kennemer. Once the score and sound design is done, Coupe's mixers will give Solitaire the 5.1 surround treatment for the film's premiere in Denver on September 15th before it heads out on the festival circuit. Check out the trailer, and start getting excited for winter:

Shickadoo!

2011-08-10T17:45:00.000-06:00

Shickadoo is a new Denver-based music discovery site that provides users with an incentive to spread the word about new music. This incentive comes as free track downloads that users earn when they recommend music to their friends on the site. For artists, Shickadoo recognizes that word of mouth is the only marketing that matters, especially for independent and local musicians. Shickadoo is free for both users and artists. Check it out!
http://www.shickadoo.com/

All Stars in Studio A Today

2011-07-21T09:44:00.000-06:00

We're delighted to host local legend Rebecca Folsom and members of The Subdudes here today as they work on a charity project for Blue Sky Bridge, a Children's Advocacy Center dedicated to the prevention of and intervention in child abuse.
We'll keep you posted as to the musical charity's release and other news, and in the meantime, check out The Subdudes on HBO's fantastic show Treme.

Aaron is CRAS.

2011-07-11T16:41:00.000-06:00

We were thumbing through the latest issue of Mix Magazine (required reading for audio nerds such as ourselves), and look who's staring back at us just below an article on Ween. Why it's our very own Aaron Garrison, Coupe Junior Engineer and graduate of the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences. He's kind of a big deal, apparently. But we've known that for years.

Trade up!

2011-07-07T13:30:00.001-06:00

We performed some dramatic sound design and gussied up and customized some library music for this web video pre-roll for Best Buy.

Catching Crabs. Gold at PROMAX!

2011-07-01T11:28:00.000-06:00

We sweetened and mixed this integrated campaign for Despicable Me/Deadliest Catch for Discovery Channel/Impossible. And what do you know? It just won a Gold Medal at PROMAX. Catching crabs never felt so good.

COAL.

2011-05-25T16:10:00.001-06:00

Coal. from Coupe Studios on Vimeo.

Our Friends at Mrs. K asked us if we could whip up some sound design and mixing magic for their Director's Cut of this promo for Spike TV's new show, Coal. Special thanks to The Man in Black. Johnny makes everything more dramatic. And awesome.

Rosetta Stone - Original Music Composition

2011-05-19T17:45:00.000-06:00

Coupe teamed up with our friends at Mrs. K and The Pappas Group to create an original orchestral music score for this TV spot for Rosetta Stone.

Credits:
Agency: Pappas Group
Production Company: Mrs. K
Director: Jeanne Kopeck
DP: Andrew Turman
Producer: Erin Ward
Editor: Walt Padgett
Music/Sound Design: Coupe Studios
Grfx: John Brisnehan

Capitol of The State of Happiness

2011-05-09T15:32:00.001-06:00

We can only assume that out-of-state people love working here at Coupe because of the high quality of our work (and coffee). But maybe they have ulterior motives as well?
Turns out Boulder, CO is the happiest damn place in the land:

Aron Ralston in the house

2011-05-05T10:40:00.000-06:00

Subject of the film 127 Hours and all-around badass Aron Ralston joined us in Studio A to record some lines for his cameo in an upcoming episode of your favorite TV show. Sorry. That's all we can reveal. For now...
Here's a photo of Aron with our own resident badass, marathon runner and producer extraordinaire, Mel.

Be Infectious

2011-03-23T17:29:00.000-06:00

We were truly honored to play a small role in the creation of this stunning video from our friends at The Integer Group. Watch this. Be inspired.

IXDA - Sonic Engagement

2011-02-25T16:02:00.000-07:00

On February 11, 2011, Coupe partnered with Noel Franus of Crispin Porter + Bogusky to host to a seminar called "Sonic Engagement."
The Interaction Design Association brings together a pretty amazing group of people - check it out if you aren't hip to it already: www.ixda.org

On the link below, you can listen in to the opening presentation - "A Brief History of Sound" as well as the results of the sound design projects participants created:

www.coupestudios.com/IXDA/

Participants included folks from Microsoft, Cisco, iMany, Australia's Automatic Studio and Cerner, among others...

Catchin Air

2011-02-08T11:50:00.000-07:00

These guys are having a pretty good time. As did we, working on the sound design. And we stayed relatively dry doing it. Mostly.

We Love You, Phillip Morris

2011-01-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

Between our five studios and our dozen or so staffers, we've got a lot going on! So sometimes it takes us a while to notice things... So thank you, Anonymous Emailer who gave us kudos for our own Greg McRae's credit on the soundtrack to the Ewan McGregor / Jim Carrey film I Love You, Phillip Morris. Greg had the pleasure of once again working with Friend of Coupe Nick Urata and DeVotchKa (Also responsible for the fantastic Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack).

Help! I need to copyright my music!

2011-01-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

We get asked about once a day by artists "How do we copyright our music?"
The simple answer is that once you've recorded it; it's yours. That said, if it ever comes down to proving when you recorded something, you may want to have some more ammunition in your arsenal. Here's the best, and simplest explanation we've seen of this issue:
http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-copyright-your-music

Greatest Tank Battles

2011-01-10T10:58:00.000-07:00

War is hell.
But creating sound design for war? Well, that's just fun as hell. For the Military Channel's series "Greatest Tank Battles" we've been blowing a lot of stuff up.

We're having a great time doing it, but we take it seriously! We aim for creating a mix of authentic tank- and ordinance-specific sounds as well as some more Hollywood style effects to get you as close to the action as you'll ever want to be. This episode is on the battle of El Alamein in WWII.

New TV for Moneygram

2010-12-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what it sounds like inside a snow globe?
Well, here's your answer:

On Set with Roy Halee

2010-12-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

Coupe was honored today to host legendary producer Roy Halee (Simon & Garfunkel, Journey, The Byrds). Producers of a documentary on the 40th anniversary of Bridge Over Troubled Water chose Coupe's Studio A as the location to film an interview with Roy.

UPDATE: Wildwater Wins at Salem and Kendal!

2010-11-12T09:45:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: WildWater wins top prize - "Best Adventure Film" - at Kendal Mountain Fest (one of the "Big 4" in the genre) - including a specific shout out for the "meticulous" attention to sound design!

________________________
Congrats to our friends at FORGE Motion Pictures - their film "Wildwater" won Best Short Film at the Salem Film Festival. Kip created some custom music for the film's score, and Greg did some wicked sound design, driven by his own experience as a white water junkie. Mixed in glorious 5.1 surround sound by part-time Couper and full-time cool guy Kelly Garry along with Supervising Mixer Ed Kaufman.

WildWater Ecuador Teaser from Anson Fogel on Vimeo.

VO Talent Advice

2010-10-27T10:40:00.001-06:00

Check out this great article written by one of our favorite VO talents, Maxine Dunn.
One of the biggest milestones in your early voice-over career will be working in a professional recording studio - Maxine tells you how to ace it in this article.

As Seen ON The Guggenheim...

2010-10-25T15:35:00.000-06:00

On Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and YouTube presented "YouTube Play," an exhibit of 25 videos selected by a jury including the filmmaker Darren Aronofsky and the music group Animal Collective.
Coupe provided the music, sound design and mixing on "This Aborted Earth" by filmmakers Michael Banowetz and Noah Sodano. The piece takes black-and-white engravings from the 19th and early 20th century and animates them in a way similar to Terry Gilliam's "Monty Python" cartoons. The result is a surreal reflection on long-ago times, and it's being projected on the outside of the museum. Wicked cool, and funny as hell.

Chasing Classic Cars

2010-10-13T11:24:00.000-06:00

:30 promo for the premiere of the new show on HD Theater, Chasing Classic Cars. We had the host, Wayne, here with us in person to cut some VO lines before we sweetened and mixed this puppy.

Turn that noise down!

2010-09-30T15:16:00.000-06:00

Those of you despairing of today’s partisan bickering, take heart: The Senate unanimously agreed late Wednesday that loud TV commercials are very annoying. We couldn't agree more. We standardize all of our broadcast mixes at -10dB. The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, or CALM, will require television stations and cable companies to keep commercials and shows at the same volume. Similar legislation has already passed the House. Senator Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., a co-sponsor of the bill, said that "TV viewers should be able to watch their favorite programs without fear of losing their hearing when the show goes to a commercial."

-Courtesy TheDailyBeast.com

Darth in the Studio

2010-09-15T10:54:00.000-06:00

Boulder Wildfire

2010-09-09T16:14:00.000-06:00

Longtime Friend of Coupe and former Fire Chief Steve Stratton is one of our favorite VO talents. He's also one of the 3,500 evacuees from the Four Mile Fire that is currently ravaging the hills on the west side of Boulder. Steve's been down here recording VOs this week, and has been a great source of information (and inspiration) for us here at the Studio.
If you're a musician or VO talent who's been evacuated, and you need a temporary recording space, give Scott a call directly and we'll be happy to help out however we can.
Stay safe, Boulder.

Don't Flake Out Now, Boulder

2010-08-18T08:44:00.000-06:00

Reposted from The Denver Egotist: You're still in the running for America's best ad city – a contest being hosted on The San Francisco Egotist. Go vote, you stinkin' hippy.

The results of the Sweet 16 of America's Best Ad City is in the books – and just like March Madness, we had a few small upsets. 5-seed Chicago beat out 4-seed Boston and 5-seed Minneapolis beat out 4-seed Denver.

Now we're down to the Elite 8. Check out the pairings and vote in the comments section. Voting for this round ends on Wednesday, so vote for your city now and get the word out!

SF(1) vs Chicago (5)
NY(1) vs Minneapolis (5)
Portland(2) vs Seattle (3)
Los Angeles (2) vs Boulder (3)

Despicable Me / Deadliest Catch

2010-07-15T15:57:00.000-06:00

Everyone's favorite amorphous blobs, and crazed crab fishermen. You can bet we had a good time creating the sound design that brought together these two very different worlds...

The Denver Egotist

2010-07-15T11:33:00.001-06:00

We're lucky enough in Colorado to have a great source of industry news for the advertising community - The Denver Egotist. Great source for news and fun stuff too.
And they gave our new commercial demo reel two thumbs up too. Clearly men (or women? No one knows!) of impeccable taste. http://www.thedenveregotist.com/news/local/2010/june/30/coupe-studios-2010-commercial-reel

Cold Blooded!

2010-06-30T11:36:00.001-06:00

You can bet we had a good time doing the sound design work on this sick little number for Discovery Networks...

The theatrical release of the summer!

2010-06-22T14:10:00.000-06:00

Finally, it has arrived. The cinematic event of the year:
The 2010 Coupe Studios Commercial Demo Reel. Also included at no additional cost to you is a little tour of our fine facility! With the help of a Steadi-Cam guy and an video editor whom we suspect of sleeping in a closet in the studio, we put together our Magnum Opus for your viewing (and hearing) pleasure.

A star-studded start to the week...

2010-05-20T15:51:00.001-06:00

Johnny Mosely yesterday, and Henry Rollins today. Not a bad start to this week here at The Coupe!

Project Sanctuary PSA

2010-04-02T17:09:00.000-06:00

We collaborated with Ad2 Denver and all the fine folks below to help out with this PSA for Project Sanctuary - a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide therapeutic, curative, supportive and recreational activities to veterans, active military personnel, their spouses and children in a leisure environment. The music you hear at the top of the spot is "Brother" from Meniskus, also recorded right here at Coupe! This radio PSA is also being made into a TV spot as well.

Big thanks to:

Ad2 Denver @ http://www.ad2denver.com/

Project Sanctuary http://www.projectsanctuary.us

Karen Morris @ Freelance Writer

Ashley Boyden @ Cactus

Richie Kendall @ Futuristic Films

Eugene Thompson (Freelance VO talent)

Greg McRae @ Coupe Studios

Mel Reeck @ Coupe Studios

Meniskus

Yum.

2010-03-23T15:31:00.000-06:00

Check out this new Boston Market spot - conceived and produced by Boulder's Casa Criss Productions, shot by !mpossible and a local crew (and very small cast), with Coupe sweetening the stock music and mixing the spot, this was another 100% Colorado production.
Who says Colorado can't compete with LA and New York?!?
Oh. Nobody says that?
Well, good.

"The Cove" takes home an Oscar!

2010-03-08T15:35:00.000-07:00

The largely Colorado-produced film won the Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary last night. Coupe Engineer/Sound Designer Kelly Garry is credited on the film's audio. Congrats to Director Louis Psihoyos and the whole team who helped make this such a powerful documentary! The Cove Official Website

Putting the M back in MTV

2010-03-04T13:28:00.001-07:00

Do our eyes deceive us?
Is MTV really putting actual music back on its airwaves?
According to Ad Age, it is: "Unplugged" is returning!

Paper Bird mixing at Coupe

2010-02-24T17:05:00.000-07:00

Paper Bird has been gracing our halls lately mixing for their second full length album to be released this summer. They're working with Coupe producer/engineer John McVey, who's having an absolute blast working with the seven-piece band.
While we've been fans around here for a long time, the band was introduced to a whole new audience when they were recently featured on NPR's All Things Considered.
Catch them on the road in March/April on their "Sunrise Tour" with stops in Texas, New Orleans, South Carolina, New York, Virginia, Philadelphia and more. Check em out at www.paperbirdband.com

Brand Spankin New Launch Video for IBM

2010-02-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

IBM Power7 Launch Event Video
We had a ball doing the sound design on this launch event video with our friends at Leopard and Impossible for the IBM Systems Group:

Credits:
Joan Doolittle - Group Creative Director
Corien DeJong - Associate Creative Director
Yunita Heroe Permatasari - Associate Creative Director
Patrick Cullie - Senior Creative Associate//Senior Copywriter
Impossible - Visual Effects Production
Coupe Studios - Audio Post Production

Congrats to BIFF!

2010-02-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

No, not Biff, the ginger haired bully from Back To The Future; BIFF the Boulder International Film Festival. Named one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals” this summer by MovieMaker Magazine, the four-day event featured 47 films and 31 filmmakers, as well as a variety of special events, including the inaugural Digital Media Convergence Symposium, which focused on Colorado’s expanding technology and entertainment industry, filmmaker panels and parties. Alec Baldwin (at right) was here to accept an achievement award and tribute from the festival. BIFF saw a 14 percent increase from last year’s ticket sales, with a total audience of 16,450 people. Coupe was proud to be a sponsor of the festival!

CO House committee: TV commercials should get incentives

2010-02-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

CO House committee: TV commercials should get incentives
Bill also eases local spending and hiring requirements

by Richard J Schneider

DENVER -- Legislation that will make it easier for out-of-state production companies to take advantage of Colorado's media production incentive easily passed a House committee in early February and faces clear sailing through the full Colorado House and Senate.

The measure is part of a package of housekeeping bills designed to raise the profile of creative industries in Colorado. On February 3, 2010, the House Business Affairs Committee approved House Bill 1180, which would:

Expand the state's 10 per cent cash rebate incentive to include the production of television commercials.
Eliminate the requirement that 75 per cent of the production budget be spent in Colorado.
Remove the mandate that 75 per cent of the production crew be Colorado residents.
Slash the minimum amount that out of state production companies must spend in Colorado from $1 million to $250,000.
Clarify language relating to state income tax payment requirements for highly-paid stars or other crewmembers, such as directors and directors of photography.

Rep. Tom Massey, R-Poncha Springs, introduced the bill. Massey has been the prime sponsor of production incentive legislation during several sessions of the legislature.

During the 2009 session, Massey's attempt to significantly increase the size of the state's incentive program failed, largely because of he budget crisis facing the state. However, lawmakers did approve other marts of his bill, which expanded the types of productions that would be covered by the current incentive program as well as create a new Office of Film, Television and Media within the governor's office of economic development.

The 2009 legislative actions led to the dissolution of the non-profit Colorado Film Commission and moving its staff to the new state office.

Director of the new office, former Colorado Film Commission director Kevin Shand, worked with lawmakers to develop the house-keeping proposals included in HB 1180.

Film industry experts say Colorado's incentive, which is a 10 per cent cash rebate on qualified in-state expenditures, is too low to be competitive with other more aggressive film incentive states, such as neighboring New Mexico.

Shand has said that the 75 per cent in-state spending requirement and the 75 per cent local hire mandate make it all but impossible for any out of state production company to do both with a Colorado production location.

By eliminating both of these spending and hiring requirements, as well as lowering the total minimum expenditure requirement from $1 million to $250,000, an out of state production company is more likely to take advantage of the Colorado incentive, according to Shand.

Minimum qualified expenditure requirements for in-state production companies remains at $100,000, which gives Colorado producers a leg-up on out of state companies.

Expanding the program to include commercials should help as well, since many national spots are produced in Colorado.

If Massey's new bill passes and is approved by Gov. Bill Ritter, the list of eligible productions would include films, television programs, video games, industrial productions and commercials.

The other bills in the creative industries package include a proposal to combine Shand's office with several other state arts-related offices into a single group and a measure to beef up the expenditures on art in public places at all eligible state-funded construction projects.

CFVA Members: Contact your elected Representatives and Senators to tell them you favor passage of House Bill 1180. Contact information can be found at the Colorado General Assembly website: http://www.leg.state.co.us/. If you are not sure who your Representative or Senator is, check out Project Vote Smart at this web address:http://www.votesmart.org/.

To contact Richard J Schneider, a long-time Denver writer and video producer, just email him at richardjschneider@comcast.net.

"Relationship Metaphor." - You have to listen to this.

2010-01-07T14:07:00.000-07:00

We've had the good fortune to work on a lot of funny scripts in our day, but this is undoubtedly one of the best. Produced with Crispin Porter + Bogusky, we recorded talent from LA via ISDN and sweetened and mixed here in Boulder. Written by Andy Pearson, Tom Miller and Allen Richardson. Produced by Annie Turlay. Talents were Dominic Catrambone and Jill Talley.

American Express Gift Card Radio :60 "Relationship Metaphor"

Giving Rocks.

2009-12-23T08:37:00.000-07:00

We've seen a lot of great cards this holiday season, but the spirit of this one from the international creative agency Mother London takes the cake:

We are living in the future.

2009-12-03T16:34:00.000-07:00

It's official. We are now living in a sci-fi movie. Check out the new online application we did sound design for with Crispin Porter + Bogusky for Coke Zero. It's a facial profiler that matches you with your doppelganger. See, because Coke Zero has Coke's taste; maybe someone out there has your face. Get it?
It's downright scary. Check out the app here, and read the write up in today's Creativity Online.

Gadzukes!

2009-12-03T09:41:00.000-07:00

One of the most unique and enjoyable music projects we've worked on this year was an album for longtime Friends Of Coupe Nancy Thorwardson and Patrick Cullie. Their collaboration (engineered by our own John McVey) finds them playing ukuleles - bringing new life to some classic songs and to two of Nancy's originals. Here's a review of Nancy's solo album and the Gadzukes! project from Dirty Linen Magazine:

"When you’re involved with two groups and tight-knit with several others, why not leverage that when making a record? Colorado singer/songwriter Nancy Thorwardson did just that, enlisting various groups and pals (approximately 22 musicians) for a helluva panoramic, all-original platter. With Halden Wofford and the Hi-Beams, it’s zippity-slick Western swing and honky-tonk shuffles; with the Idaho-based bluegrass aggregation Brother Mule, there are Western tunes suitable for riding the range.
With Swing State, it’s acoustic swing featuring Greg Schochet’s jazzy guitar riffs and Bill Pontarelli’s stylish Dixieland clarinet solos. But wait, there’s more — lush, gospel harmonies with the Wagon Tongues; piano-tinkling, loungy jazz with Sorrento Connection; and more acoustic swing, albeit ukulele style, with the play-on-words christened uke band Gadzukes! In addition to her warm vocals, Thorwardson’s sonic craft shines brightly on “Jingle Bobs” and “Easy Love.” Both feature counterparts in which Thorwardson and a duet partner (Patty Clayton and Ben Winship, respectively) simultaneously sing two distinct melody lines for a good portion of the tune. Not an easy feat to pull off, but when it works, the results are truly breathtaking, as they are here.
Apparently, Thorwardson and Gadzukes! had a grand time in the studio, because it didn’t take the ukulele swing ensemble long to knock out its debut recording. The group is centered on two ukulele players: Thorwardson, who strums and sings in a pleasant, full voice, and Patrick Cullie, who handles the tasteful, nimble-fingered leads. Also featured are steel guitarist Bret Billings (Halden Wofford and the Hi-Beams) and the aforementioned Pontarelli. Though two songs from Thorwardson’s solo CD appear here, the other 14 tracks range from pop and vintage jazz to cowboy Western and Westernswing standards, a wonderfully sunny assortment. Undoubtedly the dreamiest of all is “Till There Was You,” from the 1957 motion picture The Music Man. Interestingly, a few years later (1964), it was also George Harrison’s first recorded ukulele solo as a Beatle. Considering that the ukulele is indigenous to Hawaiian music, Gadzukes! doesn’t overplay the aloha card, but in the rare moment that is showcases the connection, as in the case of the perky original “Hapa Hoele Swing,” it trumps everything."
— Dan Willging (Denver, CO) Dirty Linen Magazine #145

History of The Beatles Copyright 3026

2009-12-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

VW Soccer Web Trailer

2009-11-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

Trailer for the upcoming Under 12 Soccer documentary from Volkswagen - the documentary charts the progress of a dozen youth teams in the US fighting for the chance to represent their country at the World Cup in South Africa. This trailer features a new song from Meniskus called "The Equalizer" recorded right here in Coupe's Studio A.

Worst Video Game Voice Acting EVER

2009-11-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

Glad to see none of our work appeared here.

CU's Band Battle Winners!

2009-11-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

The Daily Camera summed it all up:
"Hip-hop/rock. Cumbia/reggae. Bluegrass/Americana.
First place. Second place. Third place."
You've got to love that kind of diversity in this music scene. Air Dubai took first place, while Quilombo and Fast Cash rounded out the top three. We look forward to welcoming them all to Coupe and having them join the ranks of other notable locals like Rose Hill Drive, Flobots, Devotchka, The Fray, and Yonder Mountain who have rocked this place out over the years. Air Dubai is due into Coupe later this year to work on a new track.
Read the Camera article here.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-29T09:04:00.000-06:00

Despite the snow, let's not forget the real reason for the season:

Outdoor Dining, Anyone?

2009-10-28T16:44:00.000-06:00

Probably not today.
Well over a foot and showing no signs of stopping. Skiers and snowplowers rejoice!

Race Across The Sky

2009-10-14T11:22:00.000-06:00

We start 5.1 surround mixing this week on Race Across The Sky - a film by our friends at Citizen Pictures documenting the Leadville 100 and featuring Lance Armstrong among other elite, and not-so-elite riders.

Celebrating Crapvertising!

2009-09-11T09:14:00.000-06:00

Why didn't anyone think of this sooner?
Finally, an awards show celebrating the worst in advertising. Their press release says it all:
"Ever see advertising that's so horrendous, you wish you could somehow get back at whoever made it by burning down their house and nominating them for an award of some sort for bad advertising?"
Check it out at thetracyawards.com/crap/

RHD Track on New Guitar Hero

2009-09-02T11:22:00.000-06:00

Coupe's favorite sons, Rose Hill Drive, have landed a spot in the new Guitar Hero game alongside tracks from Nirvana, The Stones, The White Stripes and some other heavy hitters.
The song "Sneak Out" was recorded, mixed and produced here at Coupe. Check out the video, and the writeup in the Daily Camera here. Watch carefully for a familiar face in the video. You know, besides the band.

"Solved" for Discovery Channel

2009-08-26T13:40:00.000-06:00

Our friends at Impossible did a bang up job with the visuals, while we had a great time putting together the music, VO and effects for this promo:

Gold Medals = Gold Record?

2009-08-05T09:07:00.000-06:00

We'll see! Olympic and X Games Snowboarding medalist JJ Thomas and his collaborator Jeff Cormack wrapped up mixing here at Coupe just last week, and today released their debut EP under the name MileHi. Check out the writeup on ESPN here, and listen to the tunes on milehisound.com

Photo: JJ with Shaun White and Keir Dillon at the X Games.

Naudio Spinning in NYC

2009-07-31T10:42:00.000-06:00

Our own Chris McNaughton AKA Naudio returns home to NYC this weekend to DJ at Brooklyn's legendary Bunker. Joining him will be a lineup of international heavy-hitter DJs that will be keeping the party going all night long.
We hate to be without him, but we're glad he's taking a week off to recuperate. Odds are he'll need it.

All the details at: beyondbooking.com/thebunker

Solid.

2009-07-29T10:33:00.000-06:00

Here's how you know your studio is well built:
There is serious heavy demolition going on next door, and it's still absolutely silent inside the studio.
Until you open the door. Then it sounds like World War III. It's like that scene in Ace Ventura, where he yells and opens and closes the balcony door:

The Ultimate Rick Roll

2009-07-23T16:03:00.000-06:00

No comment needed:

FOMA* CD Release Event

2009-07-20T10:04:00.000-06:00

FOMA*

If you haven't seen this band live yet or heard them on Denver area radio, you're in for a treat. These guys won the "Almost Famous" band battle this year, with a prize package that included a weekend of recording here at Coupe and a co-bill show at The Fox Theatre with Colorado favorites Meniskus.
Alice 105.9 Presents: FOMA* CD Release

Friday July 24th 2009 @ Herman's Hideaway

Foma* w/ Vonnegut & Sweetmo 7:30 PM to 1:45 AM (21+) $8 ($4 with a ticket)

Foma will officially be releasing their album "Songs for the Surgeon General" (4 songs recorded at Coupe with Greg McRae) on July 22nd

Available for purchase July 22nd at Independent Records

Foma will be performing an in-store acoustic performance and holding a meet and greet at Independent Records in Denver on July 22nd from 5-7PM.

For more information visit http://myspace.com/fomafomafoma or www.hermanshideaway.com

Side by Side

2009-07-17T16:52:00.000-06:00

New campaign for Dish Network - we composed and produced the music, recorded the VO and mixed it - and had a darn good time doing it.

...And that was the last we saw of him.

2009-07-16T16:08:00.000-06:00

Our friends from The Integer Group were up here today working on a multitude of projects; one of which was a TV spot for Victory Motorcycles.

With the exception of our work for Discovery Channel's "The Human Body," we always like to get hands on with the product.

Scott Roche, our Fearless Leader, is pictured here leaving our parking lot on one of the finest two-wheelers we've ever had the opportunity to ride. If you see him, tell him Victory called, and it turns out they are NOT willing to trade this bike for our sound design services after all.

Science Channel

2009-07-01T11:31:00.000-06:00

A fun little promo for the new show "The Science of The Movies" - an entertaining look at how they make magic on the big screen.

Transformers!

2009-06-23T09:49:00.000-06:00

More than meets the ear...
The sounds of explosions and robots have been filling the halls here as of late. Here's the result:
www.bktransformers.com/
A tie-in cross promotion site for Burger King and the new Transformers movie. We had an absolute blast doing the sound design for this bad boy...

Ad Music...

2009-06-10T08:37:00.000-06:00

Check out the link from Cactus's blog (purethinking.typepad.com) to an interesting article on AdAge about songs in advertising. Now, bear in mind that the piece doesn't cover any original music - only pop songs that have been licensed or re-recorded for the ads. There's certainly a time and a place for that - (Like the remake of The Carpenters "Come On Get Happy" we recently did for a national TV campaign), but for our money, there's something to be said for having an original song scored just for your ad.
Peep a couple of these we've done:

McDonalds Radio - Break for Breakfast

Victory Motorcycles

While you're on a roll - cruise over to our website for some mo!

Ad2 News

2009-06-03T09:36:00.000-06:00

It hasn't even hit The Denver Egotist yet, but the Ad2 Board of Directors voted in the 2009-2010 Board last night in a closed-door beer and pizza fueled marathon meeting.
Melissa Reeck of Coupe Studios was unanimously elected to the Board as Chairperson of the Programs and Social Committee. Mel, along with her co-chair Corey Hayes will be responsible for the most visible events in the Denver advertising community, including the upcoming kickball tournament, speaker series, and the well-attended networking events.

Other new Board members include folks from The Onion, Henry Gill, Integer, and two from Cactus.

Also last night the charity radio spot Coupe produced for Wish for Wheels was presented to the Board - and we learned that it is being presented by Ad2 Denver reps in Washington, DC next week in the national public service competition. Denver took second place last year, thanks in part to the radio ad we produced - We'll keep you posted on how we fare this year.

$5,000. Going once! Do I hear $6,000?

2009-05-22T09:49:00.000-06:00

CP+B continues to set the bar for inventive marketing strategies – even for themselves. This year’s CP+B interns are up for sale on ebay. Weird? Yes. Brilliant? Yes. Attention-getting? Of course!! But why do this…? Don’t interns suffer enough?

This was one way to give them a little extra cash - they'll split the proceeds. Plus, the interns gain that ever so valuable “real world” experience by putting together a marketing/branding/creative presentation for the winning bidder.

The clock is ticking. Place your bid or just rubberneck at the eBay listing here...

Lil Wayne, Look Out!

2009-05-19T14:48:00.001-06:00

Best use of auto-tune since we used it to prank call the boss disguising our voices as Scientologist Robots From The Future:

See more funny videos and Music Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Coupe and Boulder Digital Arts team up

2009-05-18T10:14:00.000-06:00

We're pleased as punch to be partnering with Boulder Digital Arts to offer audio services to bda members at a discount. Boulder Digital Arts is a community resource for digital artists and creative professionals working in film/video, interactive media, photography, music and the web.
Membership is incredibly affordable, and the variety of classes covers just about everything in the creative digital realm. bda members can enjoy a 15% discount on Coupe services including pre/post scoring, lock to picture sweetening, jingle packages, surround mixing, ISDN, foreign VO recording, ADR, & full-service talent casting.
Learn more at boulderdigitalarts.com

RHD on Scholars and Rogues

2009-05-15T11:13:00.000-06:00

One of our favorite sites has nominated one of our favorite bands in their "Tournament of Rock"
Check out Scholars and Rogues and have a listen to Rose Hill Drive vs Antony and The Johnsons!

"Intellectual Darwinism" for agencies

2009-04-17T09:30:00.000-06:00

Cool article on adage today with ideas for adjusting your thinking for these uncertain times, including concepts like:

Ask the new guy.
They're ambassadors, not customers.
Take your eye off the ball.

Worth a read. Check out the full article here.

The evolution of your career in advertising:

2009-04-10T09:56:00.000-06:00

Congrats to FOMA*!

2009-04-08T13:02:00.000-06:00

Denver-based band "FOMA*" beat out a host of seriously heavyweight competitors including Wendy Woo, Jason Vigil and Savage Henry to take home the top prize in LAMG/Alice 105.9's Almost Famous Band Battle at Herman's Hideaway. Part of their prize package includes time at Coupe as well as a co-bill show with local favorites Meniskus.
Our own Greg McRae (Rose Hill Drive, DeVotchKa, Flobots) will be engineering their sessions - he was a guest judge the night of the semi-finals, so he's psyched to get to work with them here in our Studio A later this month.

PS - In a bizarre coincidence, FOMA*'s multi-talented Joe Apice appears in the Molson beer commercial lower on this page as "The Werewolf."

Mmm... Ribs!!

2009-04-07T13:19:00.000-06:00

One of our very favorite VO talents, our old friend Frank Eriksen came by and treated everybody in the studio to a batch of his soon-to-be-famous ribs, chicken and cole slaw. We're planning on spending the rest of the afternoon contentedly rubbing our bellies and possibly closing down for a quick nap.
In addition to his pretty impressive culinary skills (which you can learn more about at www.roaringforkbbq.com), Frank's also an amazing VO talent whose resume includes Warren Miller Films, IBM, Miller Brewing Co, Texaco, and many, many more. Check out his website at www.frankeriksen.com

Country Music Wins in Down Times...

2009-04-07T11:05:00.000-06:00

You know the old joke: What do you get when you play country music backwards?
You get your wife back, you get your truck back, you get your dog back...

Well, as you might expect, in tough times like the current repo boom, the popularity of country music swells. Case in point? The CMA awards netted their best ratings in 11 years!

A sign of the times indeed. Our advice? Invest heavily in Wal-Mart, Sham-Wows and booze til things start looking up again.

Stop TiVoers from Skipping Past Your Ads!

2009-04-01T11:30:00.000-06:00

OK, so over 30% of TV households have a DVR. The majority of those people are skipping past commercials. How do you stop them, and keep them riveted to your spot?

Basically, you've got about 3 seconds to capture their interest. Max. So says a new study by TiVo and Innerscope. Have them at "Hello," or lose them forever...
Read the study results here. ...and more at AdAge.
You can also check out TiVo's Stopwatch service to see how your ads fare at: https://stopwatch.tivo.com

Mellencamp on the State of Music

2009-03-23T13:08:00.000-06:00

A long, but very well written and compelling article by John Mellencamp on the state of the music industry, and how the hell we wound up with the Top Ten filled with acts you and I have never heard of:
Read the article here, and then check out some of the truly original artists we're proud to work with at Coupe!

A choice excerpt from the article: "Record companies soon discovered that because of BDS, they only needed to concentrate on about 12 radio stations; there was no longer a business rationale for working secondary markets that were soon forgotten -- despite the fact that these were the very places where rock and roll was born and thrived. Why pay attention to Louisville -- worth a comparatively few potential listeners -- when the same one spin in New York, Los Angeles or Atlanta, etc., was worth so many more potential listeners? All of a sudden there were #1 records that few of us had ever heard of."

2009 Awards?? Already? Really?

2009-03-20T16:05:00.001-06:00

Along with our friends at Leopard Communications, we've won some awards for 2009 already. It's only March! This is just silly. But we'll take it. Thanks to the Web Marketing Association for the recognition and for being so darned future-forward.
Internet Advertising Competition Awards 2009
IBM Unified Communications You're So Fired Video: Best Computer Software Rich media Online Ad
Covidien RMS Brand Story Video: Best Medical Rich Media Online Ad
IBM Mashups Video: Outstanding Rich Media Online Ad

The State of The Radio

2009-03-18T12:39:00.000-06:00

Interesting article on radio advertising on AdAge today...
http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=135324

Coupe on Facebook

2009-03-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

In our latest move towards the 22nd Century, Coupe is now on Facebook!
Check out the site and become a fan!
If you're a musician, you can post upcoming gigs, and we hope it will become a great place to network for everyone.

Old Navy Supermodelquins

2009-02-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

We've had a blast recording the voices and doing some sound design and mixing for the new Old Navy integrated campaign featuring another great concept from our friends at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, "The Supermodelquins." Check out this write up in Ad Age and watch for the first of the TV spots tonight on "Grey's Anatomy," "The Office" and "Survivor."

CPB producers included Annie Turlay, Paul Aaron, Rick Fleenor, Christy Carter and Melany Fehrenbach along with Allen Richardson on the creative side.

Fresh New Media

2009-02-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

Hot off the cyber-press... This wonderfully destructive IBM web video. Produced with Leopard Communications and Ovo Films.

Check out all the latest new media work on our website: coupestudios.com

Volkswagon Radio Fun and Games

2009-02-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

This afternoon when we needed to get some authentic VW Jetta engine sounds for a series of new radio ads, Crispin Porter + Bogusky Producer Joe DeVanon headed out back with Coupe Sound Designer Chris McNaughton and Producer Eric Singer to capture the sounds of a 2009 Jetta. Start, idle, rev, repeat. Not pictured here are the images of Joe racing up and down the parking lot with Chris running behind, mic in hand. No substitute for the real deal!

Music Survey

2009-01-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

Our friends down at CU-Denver's Music department are conducting a survey as part of a research study to better understand how and why people acquire music. The intention is to publish the research results in order to educate artists and music industry professionals. Anyone 13 or older can voluntarily participate. Click here for more info or to take the survey!

Battle of the Bands starts tonight!

2009-01-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

One of the prizes in the upcoming "Almost Famous" Denver Band Battle is a weekend of recording here at Coupe. The organizers have just announced the lineup, and we have never seen such an amazing group of musicians taking part in an event like this!
Check it out - the list reads like a Who's Who in Denver Music (Click for bigger version):

First place goes home with a prize package worth over $15,000 including:
• $2,500 in cash
• One Weekend of Studio Time at Coupe Studios in Boulder which includes all equipment and two engineers recording a 4 song EP. ($2500 value)
• a Co-bill headlining spot at a show with Meniskus, a national up and coming band, at a major area Venue.
• A one-year clothing sponsorship from “Kid Dangerous Grime Couture Clothing.”
• PR Package including press release, media alert, Electronic Press Kit, Professional Photo shoot and more ($1,500 value)
• $100 Sonicbids account

Second and Third place take home $500 and $300 respectively along with other valuable prizes.

Judging is based off attendance, stage presence, and crowd approval (Db meter).

VW Road to the MLS Cup

2009-01-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

MLS - it's not just the Multiple Listing Service for Realtors anymore... It's Major League Soccer! The world's most popular sport for the last 300 years or so is finally getting its due here in the US. What was regarded until relatively recently as a kids sport here has developed into a world class league with some of the best players on the globe choosing to play here. Also some fine actors, it would seem!
Check out the first installment of the hilarious web series we got to work on:

View the whole series here.

Awards, awards!

2008-12-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

Our Boulder neighbors and accomplices at Crispin Porter + Bogusky have been named Agency of the Year by Creativity Magazine. Check out the full article here - you'll see several projects we collaborated on, including the Coke Zero Rooftop Challenge game, Domino's Pizza, Volkswagen's Routan Boom campaign with Brooke Shields, and Burger King.

Additionally, the IBM Power of 6 new media piece we worked on with our old friends at Leopard won both an Ace Award and a Gold Key from the BMA.

Inspiration: Sundance Channel

2008-12-11T14:29:00.001-07:00

Just got finished putting together this little gem highlighting the collaboration between one of our favorite producers - Timbaland - and former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell. If you haven't heard this album yet, you're only cheating yourself.

Johnny Mosely in the house

2008-12-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

Olympic Skier and all around superman Johnny Mosely stopped by Coupe once again recently. This time to lend his voice to a new Warren Miller film.

Johnny and our own Chris McNaughton in Studio A flanked by some Warren Miller cats. Whatcha got in your pockets, fellas?

New Meniskus Video

2008-11-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

The music video for Meniskus's single "Letters" (recorded and mixed by our own John McVey) was released today. The video was shot on HD and directed by Dennis Flippin, a talented editor and DP we previously worked with on several projects, including an Obama campaign TV spot and several Michael Jordan ads.

DeVotchKa track on XBox Ad

2008-11-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

Coupe Engineer Greg McRae worked with DeVotchKa frontman Nick Urata to create a new mix of the band's song "How it Ends" for the video game "Gears of War 2." The ad debuted this week:

Election 2008 Voting Information

2008-11-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

Today, November 4th, is Election Day!
Where and when do I vote?

Find your polling place, voting times, and other important information by checking out these sites and the hotline below. These resources are good, but not perfect. To be doubly sure, you can also contact your local elections office.

* Obama's VoteForChange site: voteforchange.com
* League of Women Voters' site: vote411.org/pollfinder.php
* Obama's voter hotline: 877-US4-OBAMA (877-874-6226)

What should I do before I go?

* After you've entered your address on either Vote For Change or Vote411, read the voting instructions and special rules for your state.
* Voting ID laws vary from state to state, but if you have ID, bring it.
* Check out all the voting myths and misinformation to look out for: http://truth.voteforchange.com/

What if something goes wrong?

* Not on the voter list? Make sure you're at the right polling place, then demand a provisional ballot.
* If you're voting on an electronic machine with a paper record, verify that the record is accurate.
* Need legal help? Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
* If you encounter a problem, try to videotape the situation and submit it to VideoTheVote.org

Now, everybody go vote!!!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T10:16:00.000-06:00