"John is
the most talented guy I know. He has huge attention
for detail and an unbelievable ear for music. I
don't think there's any kind of music he doesn't
understand. He's very good at figuring out what
a band does well and bringing it to its highest
fulfillment."
-Josh Sarubin,
Vice President of A&R, Arista Records
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"John Custer is a musical
genius, a man whose brain can store more music,
more accurately, than whole reels of magnetic tape.
Since returning home to the triangle in the late
'80s, he's also become the most successful record
producer in the region, producing major releases
by Raleigh's Corrosion of Conformity and Cry of
Love and wrangling a deal for his own virtually
unknown songwriting and production project, Dag."
Ross Grady, The Independent
from "John Custer: Machine Dreams"
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"In terms of the final
product, we owe a great deal to John, because he
really took each person and got them to do as much
as he could. He pushed us to our limit. His approach
was more suggestive, when you finished, you thought
you had come up with something, but it was his ideas.
He made you think that you thought it up but really
he was planning the whole thing. He's great! We
were always amazed at the creativity of the stuff
he churned out."
Reed Mullin,
drummer, Corrosion of Conformity
from an interview in Metal Maniacs
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"It was the best case
scenario from start to finish. John Custer made
it easy for us. You can't help but have fun around
him."
Kelly Holland, lead
vocalist, Cry Of Love
from an interview in Metal Edge
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"John is just a brilliant
guy. He's not the anal type who will make you do
75 takes and then cut the tape up to splice together
the final version. He's a very good hybrid of feel
and meticulousness."
Audley
Freed,
guitarist Cry Of Love and The Black Crows
from an interview by David Menconi, The N&O
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"Just about everybody
who works with Custer uses the same word to describe
him: GENIUS
David Menconi,
News & Observer,
Author "Between The Tracks"
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Music produced, written, co-written,
engineered and mixed by Custer here.
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"What
stands out most about Custer is his incredible diversity.
He does it all. He's produced super-slick Pop songs
that stayed in the top ten charts for months, right
along side the biggest Pop songs in the country,
but then he's produced totally raw, astonishingly
convincing funk and rock tracks. He's produced hardcore
metal tracks that set the "heavy" standard for a
decade, he's done "low-fi" alternative rock stuff,
and then he's done high-polished jazz recordings.
He's done folk/acoustic and Alt-country tracks,
and then he's done hilarious comedy recordings and
children's music that sounds like it was produced
in Disney's hey-day. He's done soundtracks, TV commercials,
and experimental tracks and in every one of his
recordings, Custer makes his artists shine, their
strong points are pushed to the forefront. He makes
them all sound like they did one amazing take and
that was it. He's nailed Southern Rock sensibilities,
British rock, Punk rock and Modern rock. He's produced
Jam bands, Gospel bands and Hip-Hop, and he's nailed
all of them."
Chris Hill
producer and founder, Jam Pain Society
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"Both
Keenan and Mullin point to producer John Custer
as the catalyst for the band's intensity on WISEBLOOD.
"The kudos all go to John. He's responsible for
making us run through the mill. None of us would
have accomplished what we've accomplished without
him. He's been a part of our vision for a long time."
Pepper Keenan and Reed Mullin
from corrosivecabaal.com
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"John
Custer is best known for his production work with
Capital City natives Cry of Love, Corrosion Of Conformity
and Dag. He wrote the rock radio smash "Bad Thing"
with Cry of Love. And his work with COC secured
a Grammy nomination. Yet one of the most successful
fixtures of the Raleigh rock scene is someone you
probably wouldn't know if he stood next to you at
the Brewery. And that's the way he likes it."
Brian O'Neill
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"We
didn't even know what a single was until we worked
with Custer"
Steve Levitin
and San Kofa, The Applejuice Orchestra
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"He's
just awesome. I couldn't see doing another record
without him."
Woody Weatherman,
guitarist, C.O.C.
from an interview in Metal Edge magazine
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"Nothing
really amazing. Some black artists, some country
artists, some disco. Nothing amazing except for
the fact that it's all Custer. His music, all original,
runs the gamut from roots-style R&B to very uptown,
high polish jazz. From eastern-sounding instrumentals,
complete with sitars and gong, to borderline offensive
funk and rock. And everything, absolutely everything,
in between. There are classical tunes there are
rap tunes, there are complete orchestral movements.
"If he's heard it, he's played it." A friend remarks.
"He's like a musical sponge. It's amazing." And
it is amazing."
F. Levie,
Live! Magazine
from John Custer: Musical Sponge |
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