Miner Street, Fishtown (2005 - present)
Brian McTear, co-owner, producer, engineer, founder of the nonprofit Weathervane Music and the creator of its Shaking Through and Open Sessions
Amy Morrissey, Miner Street co-owner, producer, engineer, mixer, with Rachel Angel during the recording of her record, Midnight Heart Attack (2021)
Brian McTear teaching future Grammy winning engineer Jonathan Low everything he knows (2010)
Producer, engineer, mixer Matt Poirier on the set of Shaking Through: Jesse Hale Moore for Weathervane Music (2018)
Jim Callan, pedal steel player (and Brian's uncle) recording on Rachel Angel's Midnight Heart Attack (2021)
The War on Drugs' Robbie Bennett playing Hammond on Rachel Angel's Midnight Heart Attack (2021)
The War on Drugs' Adam Granduciel recording on Shaking Through: Torres for Weathervane Music (2014)
Adam Granduciel outside Miner Street Fishtown on the set of Shaking Through: Purling Hiss for Weathervane Music
Engineer Jonathan Low and co-owner, engineer Amy Morrissey outside Miner Street during the recording of Shaking Through for Weathervane Music.
Cayetana during the recording of Shaking Through: Cayetana for Weathervane Music
Adrienne Lenker, Brian McTear, Luke Temple and Jason Berger on the set of Shaking Through: Big Thief for Weathervane Music (2016)
Cassadra Jenkins on the set of Shaking Through: Cassandra Jenkins for Weathervane Music
The great Frances Quinlan on the set of Shaking Through: Thin Lips for Weathervane Music (2017)
Cameraman John Ryan and Producer / Director Gabe Greenberg on the set of Weathervane's Shaking Through: American Trappist (2018)
J Pope on the set of Shaking Through: J Pope and the HearNow for Weathervane Music
Janice Lau on the set of Weathervane's Shaking Through: David Boring (2019)
Jim McGuinn at Miner Street / Cycle Sound Manayunk recording with Cordelene (2004)
Jonathan Low, engineer, producer, mixer at Miner Street Recordings 2006 - 2015
The Kominas on the set of Shaking Through: The Kominas for Weathervane Music
Engineer Matt Poirier recording Half Waif for Weathervane's Shaking Through
Rachel Angel recording Midnight Heart Attack at Miner Street (2021)
Rachel Angel recording Midnight Heart Attack at Miner Street (2021)
Rapper Raj Haldar and RJD2 on the set of Weathervane's Shaking Through: Lushlife
Rick Moon recording for Rachel Angel's Midnight Heart Attack at Miner Street (2021)
Mikael Jorgensen of Wilco and Roberto Lang recording Helado Negro for Weathervane's Shaking Through.
Robbie Bennett of The War on Drugs recording with Steven A Clark for Weathervane's Shaking Through (2014).
Scott McMicken of Dr. Dog recording with Floating Action for Weathervane's Shaking Through (2010)
Steven A Clark recording for Weathervane's Shaking Through.
Hemming recording with members of Cayetana and Three Man Cannon on the set of Weathervane's Shaking Through, with videographer Drew Saracco.
Sufjan Stevens recording with Cat Martino for Weathervane's Shaking Through.
Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee recording "No Curse" with Brian McTear and Matt Poirier for Weathervane's Shaking Through in January 2017. This was a month after recording her album Out in the Storm in its entirety with John Agnello at Miner Street.
The wonderful Matt Schimelfenig, producer / engineer at Miner Street 2012 - 2019.
Big Thief and Luke Temple recording "Mother" for Weathervane's Shaking Through.
Sovei recording their single Haircut with Brian and Amy in 2022.
Alec Ounsworth (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) 2022
Anna Fox recording guitars for Shaking Through: Leah Thomas (2017)
The Mariner Nine fellas, recording at Miner Street in 2023. (L/R - Dave Boyd, Matt Neal, Jason Knight, Brian McTear)
Steve Binnig of The Marcus Hook - the only person who has recorded in every Miner Street location.
Jeff Campbell of The Marcus Hook
Tim and Sasha Robertson recording in 2023.
Amy tuning the drums (2022)
Gina Zo recording acoustic demos of new Velvet Rouge songs in 2023
Jason Harrod (2023)
Mighty Joe Castro and the Gravamen recording "Automatic Amnesia" (2023)
Sharon Van Etten recording "Love More" for Weathervane's Shaking Through, December 2009
The Naked Sun - Drew Harris (photo by Lisa Lotito, 2023)
The Naked Sun - Bradley Moser (photo by Lisa Lotito, 2023)
The Naked Sun - Drew Harris, Tim Campbell, Dylan Mulcahy, Tom Tusler (photo by Lisa Lotito, 2023)
The Naked Sun - Tom Tusler (photo by Lisa Lotito, 2023)
The Howard Hues (2023)
Miner Street Fishtown (photo by Teagan Edsell 2023)
Request a tour of Miner Street Recordings / Fishtown before our lease ends December 31, 2024.
Don’t wait. We are in the final year of our twenty year lease at this storied space. We’ll be here and recording through all of 2024, and after that there will surely be another Miner Street location. But this one is very special. Our goal is to share the Miner Street experience (whether it’s a simple tour or recording) while it’s still here!
History
Miner Street Recordings is owned by Brian McTear and Amy Morrissey.
The studio was originally created by McTear, a producer, musician (and later, a nonprofit entrepreneur) alongside his Mariner 9 bandmate Jason Knight in 1994 before Knight ultimately moved on to live and work on the West Coast. McTear was then joined by Morrissey, a musician, sculptor and painter in 2003 and since then the two have built Miner Street into the incredibly unique, sunshiney and inspiring space it is today. Miner Street has hosted recordings by countless artists in its time, including The War on Drugs, Kurt Vile, Zach Bryan, Sharon Van Etten, Waxahatchee, Espers, Meg Baird, Marissa Nadler, Dr. Dog, Danielson, The Dead Milkmen, Lotus, Palm, Roth Bart Baron, Matt Pond PA, Mazarin, Eltro, Leftys Deceiver, and hundreds of others.
30 years later, the original Miner Street Recordings at 112 E. Miner Street in West Chester PA looks pretty much the same as it did way back in 1994. Miner Street / West Chester
April 1994 - August 1996
In 1994, McTear and his then bandmate, Jason Knight, pulled together their modest collection of recording equipment to record their band Mariner Nine in the house they lived in at 112 E. Miner Street during their final years at West Chester University. They originally only set out to record their own music, but soon after christening the studio name, they were also recording other West Chester bands like The Lucys, Alkali Flats and The Diane Linkletter Experience, as well as a small collection of brave Philadelphia bands who would make the trip, like Sara Weaver’s band The Weave, and Laris Kreslins’ band Piston Honda. Our neighbors (whose names we never knew, sadly) deserve an extra-special heartfelt thank you for putting up with our noise. We were kids, but we should have known better…
Google Street view of Miner Street / Manayunk I. It was the tiny office section of this giant scary warehouse, though cleaned-up considerably in the above image. Miner Street / Manayunk I (1996 - 1998)
September 1996 - December 1999
In September 1996, McTear and Knight moved their band and studio to 228 Krams Ave in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia. To introduce themselves to the community, their first recording was Happy Holidays from Miner Street, a compilation tape featuring bands like Eltro, Lettuce Prey, The King James Version, Lenola, Mariner Nine, Splendorbin and others. Here, Mariner Nine also recorded an experimental full length CD, A Little Something from the Weathervane’s Perspective along with a large collection of other unreleased songs. Jason would work on projects like The Long Drive with Tyler Harold, Reizoko with Nyles Lannon, and the late Jason DiEmelio’s internationally lauded project Azusa Plane. (Knight played guitar in it alongside Quentin Stoltzfus, later of Mazarin and Light Heat). At the first Manayunk location McTear also recorded more music for Sara Weaver, now as Swisher, as well as the first of several albums with a pivotal band in his development as a producer, Eltro.
Google Street view in 2012, 7 years after we left. It's only slightly more weathered than when we were there. Work vans and speedboats removed.Miner Street / Manayunk II (aka “Miner Street / Cycle Sound”)
January 1999 - August 2005
At a time in which the entertainment industry underwent dramatic changes and most studios did not survive, Miner Street Recordings actually thrived. In January 1999, Mariner Nine went on indefinite hiatus when Jason Knight and bass player Dave Boyd separately moved to San Francisco. McTear continued forward with Miner Street though, taking the operation across the street to 227 B Krams Ave, in a 7000 square foot space operated by sound engineer and live music production manager, Gary Ferenchak. He called it Cycle Sound Studios. The "merger" gave McTear the opportunity to work with Cycle Sound's much larger space and coveted vintage MCI recording console, originally from Sigma Sound Studios NY, which is still at Miner Street to this day. In 2003, Amy Morrissey joined McTear, and at Miner Street Cycle Sound they’d record more Eltro records, Matt Pond PA, Mazarin, Leftys Deceiver, The Trouble with Sweeney, The Capital Years, Espers and The Bigger Lovers, as well as records with non-local artists The Natural History, Marissa Nadler, and The Washington Social Club. Amy and Brian also hosted and assisted on several projects for producer Thom Monahan, including recordings by The Natural History, Kevin Tiesta, Brady Brock, and Augie March. This room had an unmistakable sound, likely due to it’s concrete block interior and it’s 17 foot corrugated steel roof.
Brian and Adam Granduciel mixing “Comin’ Through” an early War on Drugs song on the Future Weather EP. Simpler times and a simpler Fishtown skyline. Video courtesy of Dave Hartly.
Miner Street / Fishtown
September 2005 - present
In September 2005, Brian and Amy would relocate Miner Street to 2187 E Norris St, in the Fishtown neighborhood, blocks from their home since 2001. Years before the revitalization of Fishtown, Miner Street was one of the first creative enterprises to explore the neighborhood's potential. Today we find ourselves located right alongside some of the best live music venues, restaurants, art galleries and more.
At Miner Street Fishtown, McTear and Morrissey recorded early music by Espers, Meg Baird, Sharon Van Etten, and Kurt Vile. They would record two LPs by The Dead Milkmen and many other projects. McTear would mix early singles Arms like Boulders and Baby Missiles by The War on Drugs here. They brought on Jonathan Low as the studio’s first intern who would work at Miner Street for 10 years, both as McTear’s assistant, as well as on his own. McTear and Low would mix Joan Osborne’s Grammy Nominated album Bring it on Home, and early productions by Aaron Dessner for Sharon Van Etten and Local Natives. (Aaron would equip his Brooklyn studio with many of the same pieces of gear, which was truly flattering).
Jon would work on other Dessner projects like Day of the Dead (an extensive Grateful Dead covers record featuring The National, Grizzly Bear, The War on Drugs, and many other successful indie artists of the day). He would engineer recordings for Kurt Vile (with producer John Agnello) andThe War on Drugs, as well as records with The Menzingers, We Were Promised Jetpacks, This is the Kit, and lots of others. (Today Jon records some of the most successful Grammy award winning records by artists like The National, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift. Brian contends they taught Jon everything. Jon puts up with that assertion graciously).
Other long-time Miner Street house engineers include Matt Schimelfenig (Cayetana, Gladie, The War on Drugs, Kurt Vile, Lotus) and Matt Poirier (Lotus, So Percussion, Palm) - both of whom will forever be considered star figures in the Miner Street family.
In July 2022 Miner Street also hosted a chart-topping EP recording for rising country artist, Zach Bryan.
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On December 31, 2024, Miner Street’s 20 year lease at the corner of Blair and Norris Street in Fishtown will come to an end. Til that day, Brian and Amy intend to be very busy recording every project they can, old or new, before 2024 runs out. Take a tour of this remarkable space as soon as possible. On January 1, 2025 it will no longer be here.
Miner Street and Weathervane Music
Miner Street Recordings has long supported the music community that gives it life. For some Miner Street is best-recognized as the studio setting for the non-profit Weathervane Music's Shaking Through and Open Sessions documentary recording series. McTear co-founded the 501(c)(3) Weathervane Music at the beginning of The Great Recession in early 2009. Weathervane's work has brought incredibly talented and enthusiastic artists to Miner Street Recordings, including members of The War on Drugs, Dr. Dog, Grizzly Bear, Wilco, Sufjan Stevens, Sharon Van Etten, Strand of Oaks, Waxahatchee, and many others. Since 2023 the tradition continues with Open Sessions, bringing more great artists with great stories and music to Miner Street.