Song & Sound Retreat Mentors

Not the 2023 line up

RONAN CHRIS MURPHY

Ronan Chris Murphy has diverse credits ranging from Prog-Rock legends King Crimson to YouTube sensation Tay Zonday to shock rockers GWAR and everything in between, including Tony Levin, Steve Morse,Los Muñequitos de MatanzasTerry Bozzio, Alexia, Martin Sexton, Dave Nachmanoff (with Al Stewart), Ulver, Jamie Walters, Steve Stevens, Chucho Valdes y Group Irakere, and Nels Cline. His productions have charted as far away as Iceland, Greece and Malaysia. He also works on music for non-album projects including the hit Norwegian film Uno and video games Mafia III, Yoku’s Island Express and Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood. He is the founder of Recording Boot Camp, which helped pioneer the recording intensive concept and has launched an online training series. ronanchrismurphy.com

DAVE NACHMANOFF

When you hear about the music of a guitar virtuoso with a doctorate in philosophy, who cut his musical teeth performing and collaborating with singer-songwriter Al Stewart (“Year of the Cat”), you know you will be getting something different. In a career that has spanned a dozen albums and thousands of shows ranging from living room concerts to the Royal Albert Hall, Dave Nachmanoff has built a loyal fan base and a unique niche as a performer and songwriter.

Touring, accompanying, and recording with his songwriting hero, Al Stewart, for over 15 years gave Dave the chance to get his own music out in front of tens of thousands of people and gained him international exposure and recognition. Over the years, he has shared the stage with a long list of legends of the folk and rock music worlds, including the likes of Alison Krauss, Steve Forbert, Firefall, John Wesley Harding, and blues legend Libba “Freight Train” Cotten (when he was ten years old). Dave continues to record and tour, playing well over a hundred shows a year in listening rooms, private house concerts, and at other events. He is focusing on using his music to make a difference in the world and benefit concerts are an important part of that.

When not on tour, Dave Nachmanoff is busy producing for other artists, teaching master classes around the US and working in his unique niche of writing and recording custom songs. davenach.com

MICHELLE SHOCKED

Legendary alt folk artist Michelle Shocked will be mentoring at the Song & Sound Retreat. Michelle is an American singer-songwriter. Her music entered the Billboard Hot 100, was nominated for Grammy award for Best Contemporary Folk Recording, and received a Folk Album of the Year at the CMJ New Music Awards.

FETT

Fett is an independent music producer and engineer, author, music career coach, co-founder of the Azalea Music Group in Nashville, and recording/mixing engineer for the 2015 Australian #1 Album: Jason Owen’s Friday Night. He is the author of the popular book “Fett’s Mixing Roadmap: A Step-by-step Guide To Mixing Music In The Studio”, host of EmpoweringWomenInAudio.com and teacher of hands-on recording and production clinics for women. He is the former Technology Editor for Performing Songwriter magazine, and occasional journalist for CMA Close UpDrum! and Keyboard magazines. Fett’s diverse list of clients includes Davy Jones of the Monkees, Grammy-winning songwriter Don Henry, and international guitar virtuosos Tommy Emmanuel and Muriel Anderson.

NANCY MORAN

Nancy Moran is an independent, folk-rock/Americana singer/songwriter who has been singing and performing professionally for over 25 years at notable folk clubs, performing arts centers, house concerts and festivals across the U.S. With four solo albums to her credit, The Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch called her “a [modern-day] Joni Mitchell” as well as “a major force to be reckoned with.” 

From 2005-2012 she also toured as a member of The Four Bitchin’ Babes, an all-female group nationally renowned for their 4-part vocal harmonies and highly entertaining and comedic performances.  

As co-founder of Azalea Music Group she teaches musicians, singer/songwriters, indie artists, and other music-moguls-in-training how to get out of their own way so they can get their music out of their basement and into the world at large where it can make a difference.  She specializes in working with the not-quite-mainstream and those “second-timers” coming back to music after a long hiatus. But she’s also been known to work with actors, writers, storytellers, and other creatives because the principles of pursuing a creative life are often the same regardless of the medium. musicmogulcoaching.com

LIZ REDWING

Liz has spent 3 decades working in the business side of the music industry. She worked in publishing with Interescope Music, business administration at MCA records, and as an A&R scout for Atlantic Records. She has also worked for several entertainment legal and management firms including Tsunami Entertainment and Michael Dixon Management.  She is the administrative director of the Association of Independent Music Publishers, and the the business manager of Recording Boot Camp and Veneto West Studios. She is available for consulting on a wide range of music business related topics. Notable credits include working with No Doubt, Ron Sexsmith, Steve Stevens and Tina Turner. LizRedwing.com