Stax in The New Yorker Magazine

Written In Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos is featured in this month’s New Yorker Magazine. Burkhard Bilger tells the story of the Stax songwriters as well as how this project came to be.

“So here’s the thing,” Pawelski says. “Everyone knows Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes. But do they know Homer Banks and Bettye Crutcher? Do they know Deanie Parker? To be able to honor some of these songwriters—it’s more than just getting a cool record out for me. This is the last Stax story. A story that hasn’t been told.”

Written In Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos announcement

This is a big one!  And so much fun!  7 CDs of mostly unheard Stax recordings (146 total tracks, 140 previously unissued!).  Planet Earth can thank Cheryl Pawelski for saving this material from oblivion.  She's been patiently sifting through mountains of audio (for the past 16 years), with very little info or documentation to go by, piecing together this story of the songwriters at Stax Records. The music is of course fantastic, but much of it had been through the wringer sonically and was in need of a pretty major overhaul.  That's where Michael Graves came in.  More details in the coming weeks.

Michael Graves Participates in Recording Academy Advocacy on AI & Copyright

As artificial intelligence continues to impact music creation, the Recording Academy is working closely with the U.S. Copyright Office to ensure that copyright law continues to protect human creators. Michael Graves was invited to participate in these discussions, contributing perspective from his work in mastering, audio restoration, and archival preservation.

The meeting, hosted by Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. and Acting Chief Advocacy & Public Policy Officer, Todd Dupler, brought together Recording Academy leadership and senior officials from the U.S. Copyright Office, including Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter, for a firsthand look at how AI is intersecting with modern music workflows. A key takeaway reaffirmed an essential principle: copyright protection requires meaningful human authorship, and works generated entirely by AI are not eligible for copyright under U.S. law.

(L-R) Todd Dupler, Josh Godwin, Maureen Droney, Michael Graves, Emerson Mancini, Alana Da Fonseca, Shira Perlmutter, Harvey Mason Jr., Qiana Conley, Suzanne "Suzy" Wilson at Evergreen Studios in Burbank, CA, March, 22 2023

Also in attendance were members of the Recording Academy’s Producers & Engineers Wing, including singer-songwriter-producer Alana Da Fonseca, multi-GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY-winning engineer Josh Gudwin, and GRAMMY-winning mastering engineers Michael Graves and Emerson Mancini, along with Maureen Droney, Vice President of the P&E Wing, and Qiana Conley, Los Angeles Chapter Executive Director.

For Osiris Studio, where preserving human performance and artistic intent is central to every project, this distinction is critical.  Michael Graves appreciated the opportunity to participate in this important dialogue and to help represent the perspective of engineers and archivists working at the intersection of technology, creativity, and preservation.

Cheryl Pawelski Wins GRAMMY

Cheryl Pawelski at the 65th GRAMMY Awards, Los Angeles, CA February 5, 2023

This year's GRAMMY Awards are but a memory now.  I'm sad to report that Blondie: Against The Odds: 1974-1982 did not take home the award.  But not too sad because that honor went to my good friend, historical producer par-excellence and frequent collaborator Cheryl Pawelski.  Cheryl shares this award with her co-producer, Jeff Tweedy for their work on Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition).  The project is an outstanding achievement and couldn't be more deserving. 

The other nominees in this category have all gone above and beyond as well.  Congratulations to Robert Russ and Martin Kistner for Glenn Gould’s The Goldberg Variations - The Complete Unreleased 1981 Studio Sessions, Scott Billington, Ted Olson, Mason Williams and Paul Blakemore for Doc Watson’s Life's Work - A Retrospective, Jonathan Sklute, Kevin Marques Moo and Lucas MacFadden for Freestyle Fellowship’s To Whom It May Concern and finally my fellow nominees, Tommy Manzi, Steve Rosenthal, Ken Shipley, and Tom Camuso for Blondie. 

GRAMMY Nomination for Blondie: Against The Odds

Blondie: Against The Odds: 1974-1982 has been nominated for a GRAMMY Award! Michael Graves is thrilled to be sharing the nomination with Tommy Manzi, Steve Rosenthal, Ken Shipley, and Tom Camuso. Congratulations to all the other nominees who woke up to some very fun news this morning! This will be Graves' 13th GRAMMY nomination. The 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards ceremony will be held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 5, 2023 and broadcast live on CBS.

Evan Toth talks with Michael Graves

I mastered Evan Toth’s excellent album, The Show, last year. After exchanging a few emails we realized that we have a lot in common and a lot to talk about. As luck would have it, Evan hosts a radio show on Fairleigh Dickinson University’s WFDU, 89.1 FM called The Sharp Notes, writes for The Vinyl District and hosts his own podcast. With the upcoming release of Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982 we decided it was finally time set up the microphones, fire up the Zoom and do a proper interview. You can see the YouTube interview below and the Vinyl District audio only interview here. The radio show (here) is the same interview but he’s added some music that I’ve mastered into the conversation.

Bound For Hell

Time to reconnect with your inner headbanger. Numero Group has just announced a box set chronicling the early heavy metal scene here in L.A.: "Bound For Hell: On The Sunset Strip." You can almost smell the Aqua Net. Produced by Adam Luksetich and Kevin Estrada, with audio transfers, sound restoration and mastering provided by your friends here at Osiris Studio (Joy Graves, Jordan McLeod and Michael Graves).

Michael Graves Joins GRAMMY Camp Lunch & Learn with L.A. Chapter Board

Recording Academy Los Angeles Chapter board member Michael Graves, participated in the GRAMMY Camp Lunch & Learn on August 4, 2022, in Los Angeles, California.

Held at the Ronald Tutor Campus Center at USC, the private event brought together GRAMMY Camp students and members of the L.A. Chapter board for an informal mentoring session focused on building successful careers in the music industry.

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Career Mentorship for the Next Generation

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During the Lunch & Learn, Graves shared insights from his career in mastering, audio restoration, and archival work, emphasizing craft, collaboration, and long-term sustainability. Fellow board participants included Manny Marroquin, Claudia Brant, Loretta Muñoz, Julia Michels, Sara Gazarek, Jordin Sparks, Ericka Coulter, and Jeff Greenberg, offering students a wide range of industry perspectives.

Part of the GRAMMY Camp Experience

The Lunch & Learn is a key component of GRAMMY Camp, a highly selective educational program for high school students pursuing careers in songwriting, music production, and the music business. By pairing professional mentorship with informal conversation, the event provides students with real-world insight and meaningful industry connections.

Events like these reflect the Recording Academy’s commitment to music education and Osiris Studio’s ongoing support of the next generation of music creators.

Bobby Owsinski talks with Michael Graves on the Inner Circle Podcast

Back in 2001 when I was trying to figure out what exactly a mastering engineer does, I read Bobby Owsinski’s excellent book, “The Mastering Engineer’s Handbook.” I pored over every word. It gave me a solid foundation for the craft of mastering and set me on the road to what I do now. Bobby also produces a well-respected podcast for music industry people (any fan of music will appreciate it too).  This is me on that podcast talking about my career path and some of the tools and techniques I use.

New Blondie Box Set Announced

Here’s some good news: A Blondie box set is about to be released into the wild! And it is gorgeous. For the first time ever, Blondie’s first six albums and 4 LPs worth of bonus material are being given the deluxe box set treatment. Michael Graves had the honor of restoring and remastering every song on this set. Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982 also marks the first time the band has approved new masters of their earlier work. Everyone involved in making this project happen really brought their best to the table. Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982 will be released on August 26, 2022 on Numero Group and UMC. More details to come.