John Agnello | |
|---|---|
 Agnello in 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | United States |
| Occupation(s) | Music producer,audio engineer |
| Years active | late 1970s - present |
John Agnello is an American music producer and recording engineer who has worked with a multitude of recording artists. He has produced or co-produceddozens of albums. He also founded his own record label in the 2000s.
In the 1980s, John Agnello worked on albums includingUh-Huh byJohn Cougar Mellencamp,Rock in a Hard Place byAerosmith,Warrior byScandal,Stay Hungry by,Twisted SisterShe's So Unusual byCyndi Lauper, andNo Brakes byJohn Waite.[1][2]
According toNew York Makers magazine, theBrooklyn-based John Agnello "is a force to be reckoned with in the music world". He has worked with artists such asKurt Vile,Sonic Youth,Dinosaur Jr.,Bruce Springsteen,Bob Dylan, and Lauper.[3] In producing indie artists, Agnello is a veteran; according toRolling Stone he is celebrated in that field.[4]
Agnello has been interviewed by J. Robbins ofTape Op which appeared in issue no. 14.[5] He has also been interviewed by Justin Colletti of Sonic Scoop,[6] andKnut Schreiner forTidal.[7] Audio engineerBrian Speaker cites Agnello as being his mentor. Agnello also has a close relationship with theMagic Shop studio.[8]
According to John Agnello's interview withTape Op, he started working forRecord Plant in 1979. He began as an assistant doing manual work, cleaning up after sessions. The same day he began his job,Kiss began recordingDynasty at the Record Plant;Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were recordingDamn the Torpedoes in the studio at the time.[9]
John Agnello engineered theSweet Oblivion album for theScreaming Trees. According toMark Lanegan, the group fell in love with Agnello. In spite of Lanegan being a horror to work with, Agnello took a liking to him. They attempted to make a follow up to theSweet Oblivion but there were issues with Lanegan and Agnello's own problems as well as with the band who weren't getting along. This put a dampener on things. However, Lanegan had some partially done songs that were intended for his solo record. He played them for Agnello who told him that they were brilliant and that they could finish them in a week. He told Lanegan to come out toNew York. He booked a studio for Lanegan and it was completed. According to Lanegan the finished item wasn'tTrout Mask Replica orStarsailor, but it was close enough to how he thought that it would be.[10]
Agnello worked on thePhaseshifter album for the bandRedd Kross. It was the pop album "Pick of the Week" in the 23 October 1993 issue ofCash Box. Even though the magazine indicates that he was a co-producer along with the band, it appears that his role was being an engineer.[11]
Agnello produced thePop Heiress album byChainsaw Kittens which was released in 1994. According toTrouser Press it was the group's finest album. The album was reviewed in the June 20 - July 3, 1994 issue ofMusic Connection. The reviewer said that Agnello's production picked up from where the last disc's producerButch Vig left off.[12][13]
Agnello worked with the bandFireworks Go Up! which was Dan Coutant, Dave Fateman, and Scott Truede. He produced the group's debutYou're Welcome with the first release on his Baryon Records label, (Cat# BYN 001), signaling its launch.[14][15][16] The next album released on his label wasOnyx Root byMichael Powers;[17] it was released on Baryon BYN 002[18] and the album was produced by Steve Rosenthal.[19]Anders Parker'sTell It to the Dust album came out on Agnello's Baryon label (cat# BYN 003) in 2004.[20][21][22] In 2006 / 2007, Parker'sself-titled album was released on Baryon BYN-006.[23][24]
Agnello worked with Kurt Vile on Vile'sSmoke Ring for My Halo and it was released in 2011. They worked together again onWakin on a Pretty Daze, an album.[25]
Agnello worked as mixer on theManhattan album by Jeffrey Lewis & Los Bolts.Brian Speaker was the recording engineer.[26] Agnello was sought out by bandNothing for their albumDance on the Blacktop which was recorded at Dreamland Studio inWoodstock, New York. It was released in 2018.[27][28]
Angello worked with the groupHorsegirl on their albumVersions of Modern Performance which was recorded at the Chicago institution Electrical Audio studio. The group were expecting to record the album at another studio and wanted to keep what they referred to as a "scrappy DIY sound" they had in mind. Angello was the perfect man for the job because he understood the rough sound they wanted to keep and having worked with some of Horsegirl's favorite artists gave him the understanding.[29] In February 2022, Duquette Johnston released hisThe Social Animals album which was produced by Agnello. It was actually completed in 2017, but Johnson held off on releasing it until he felt the time was right.[30]
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