The Story of the Les Paul Artifacts in the Mahwah Museum
with Sean McClowry
Saturday, April 23, 2022 @ 11:00am
Presented in-person & online. Registration required (see below)
This presentation will discuss the artifacts from Les Paul’s home studios which are on display at this museum. The unique collection, not seen anywhere else, is on long term loan from the Les Paul Foundation.
Special Attention will be given to the “Octopus,” the “Monster,” the Sound on Sound machine (Ampex 300), and the Wally Jones Mixer. Sean will go through the music made on each of these machines, the origins of the machines, they way they function, and the dates that Les used them.
Sean McClowry is currently Associate Professor of Music Industry at the College Of Saint Rose, teaching courses in record production, analog recording, songwriting & composition, music business, and double bass. Sean is active as a music producer, composer, songwriter, and performing artist in both popular and classical music worlds. Specializing in historic methods of recording and music production, Sean’s area of research is Les Paul and Mary Ford, their groundbreaking recordings, and technical advancements as recording artists. Sean spends lots of time restoring and using vintage recording equipment, including record cutters and Ampex reel to reel tape machines. Sean’s work with this medium is part academic and part obsession. He is currently working on a book about Les Paul.