Owned by Philadelphia musicians and recording engineers Brian McTear and Amy Morrissey, Miner Street Recordings is located in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia.
The studio, founded in 1994 by Brian McTear and former partner, Jason Knight, takes its name from its original location at 112 E. Miner Street in West Chester Pennsylvania, the college house of the two bandmates. It was here the two began collecting professional recording equipment to record their own band Mariner Nine as well as that of bands such as The Lucys, Swisher, Piston Honda and The Diane Linkletter Experience.
In June of 1996, for a short period in between proper studio locations, McTear and Knight brought the recording studio to the home of Phil Waldorf and friends at 660 Reese Street, in Athens Georgia. There they recorded a handful of Athens bands, a trip chronicalled in an early edition of Tape Op Magazine, released in 1996.
In September 1996, Miner Street found a home at 228 Krams Avenue, in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia. There Mariner Nine recorded their album, A Little Something from the Weathervane’s Perspective, and Knight and McTear would produce recordings by Eltro, The Lucys, Echo Orbiter, and countless others over a three year period.
In 1999, shortly after Mariner Nine disbanded, Jason Knight left the partnership to pursue a life and career in San Francisco, CA. McTear moved the studio across the street from its present location to 227B Krams Avenue, part of a partnership with Philadelphia live sound engineer, Gary Ferenchak. Soon after, Philadelphia fine artist, Amy Morrissey joined as studio manager and assistant engineer in 2003. From 1999 through 2005 McTear produced records by Mazarin, Matt Pond PA, Marissa Nadler, Hail Social, Eltro, and The Burning Brides. Also in this time he mixed Danielson‘s critically praised album, Ships.
In September 2005, McTear and Morrissey moved Miner Street to their neighborhood in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia where it exists to this day. There countless projects have been produced by McTear, Morrissey, with englineers Jonathan Low and Joe Bisirri, including recordings by Sharon Van Etten, Marissa Nadler, Dr. Dog, Twin Sister, and many others. See “Recordings”
In 2009 McTear co-founded Weathervane Music with high school friend, Bill Robertson. Miner Street is a primary sponsor of Weathervane’s Shaking Through web series which has brought 10 incredible emerging artists per year to record one song in two days. The series is designed to give opportunity to new artists in a time where there is no industry investment in the early phases of their careers for even the best artists. Standout artists include Sharon Van Etten, Twin Sister, Strand of Oaks and Purling Hiss.