INDIE ROCK
Peter Katis Operates Recording Studio Out Of His Victorian Mansion In Bridgeport

Peter Katis and Greg Giorgio lay down some backing tracks for his band's CD in his home recording studio, Tarquin Studios, in Bridgeport. Katis and Giorgio are using Pro Tools to mix the tracks he has previously recorded. (JOHN WOIKE/HARTFORD COURANT / July 2, 2009)

By ERIC R. DANTON The Hartford Courant
July 12, 2009

BRIDGEPORT - Visitors to Tarquin Studios could wander for hours through the sprawling Victorian mansion that houses the recording studio without realizing there was a recording studio.There are hints, of course. The room full of guitar amplifiers in the basement is something of a tip-off, or would be, if not for the mixed signals sent by a nearby alcove stuffed with hockey gear, or the vintage video arcade games like "Frogger" scattered into various corners.Ascending to the top floor makes clear what happens there. The attic, appointed with an extraordinary array of musical instruments and recording equipment, is where producer, owner and resident Peter Katis helps bands make the best albums of their careers.Known for capturing a muscular drum sound and his meticulous attention to detail, Katis, 43, has gone from making records in his parents' basement to hosting an indie-rock sleepaway camp for musicians who make their albums while essentially living in the six-bedroom, 7,000-square-foot house Katis shares with his wife, Ann R. Katis, and their baby.These aren't just any musicians: Some of the most acclaimed acts of the past decade, such as Interpol, the National and Mates of State, have recorded at Tarquin Studios."He's sort of a sherpa to the excursion that is album recording," says Scott Devendorf, who plays bass and guitar in the National. The New York group has worked with Katis on three albums and an EP, including "Boxer," which topped Paste magazine's best-of list in 2007.Katis has made music for the better part of 20 years as a producer and a musician, though a career in music wasn't always something he envisioned: a winter sports fan (all that hockey gear isn't just for show), he was on the ski team at the University of Vermont his freshman year before he quit to play in bands.After graduating with degrees in English and visual arts in 1989, Katis supplemented his liberal-arts background with courses in studio production at Suny Purchase, which led to an internship at a recording studio in New York and side gigs working on albums by friends' bands."Right away, I was pretty good at it," Katis says. "And I liked it even more than performing. To me, crafting a song in the studio is the fun part."In 1993, he opened the first incarnation of Tarquin Studios, with an associated record label, Tarquin Records, in the basement of his parents' house in Greenwich. The basement became headquarters for the Philistines Jr., the band Katis still plays in with his brother, Tarquin. ("He's a funny guy and he has a funny name," Katis says. "What else was I going to call it, Peter Records?") The brothers also were among the founding members of Connecticut's hockey-themed band, the Zambonis.By the late '90s, Katis was ready to move out of the basement. He was looking for studio space in New York when Dave Schneider, his friend and leader of the the Zambonis, suggested a place near his house in Bridgeport."I didn't like having to travel to Greenwich to record, so I figured I'd try to bring the studio closer to me," Schneider cracks.Katis wasn't convinced at first, but the house was more than large enough to both live and record. Katis bought it in September 1998 from a small religious group that was living there."My ambitions were always based on reality," Katis says. "So I asked myself, 'Why would bands want me to work on their records?' If I had a studio. 'Why would they come to Bridgeport?' If they could stay here."It took Katis nearly a year to convert the attic into a studio, outfitted with gear he had collected for years. He started recording there in the fall of 1999.His breakthrough came a few years later, when the dark, enveloping sound he helped New York band Interpol achieve on its celebrated 2002 debut, "Turn On the Bright Lights," turned Tarquin Studios into a destination for acts eager to work with Katis."There aren't a lot of guys out there making good records. He's one of the good ones," says John Agnello, a producer and engineer who has worked on albums by the Hold Steady, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr. and Son Volt."His records sound real and yet precise, with an indie edge that is inviting to the listener. He also seems to get the best out of the artist without relying too heavily on the digital fix, which many people lean on these days way too much. And he's a good person, to boot."Producing or engineering an album means more than just positioning some microphones and pressing "record." Katis helps bands shape their sound and sometimes even their songs, by offering ideas, constructive criticism and the benefit of his keen ear."I used to have to covertly, secretly, judiciously influence what was happening musically, but now people come to me because they actually want my opinion," Katis says. "That makes this a lot more fun."That's part of why Stratford husband-wife duo Mates of State chose to record its 2008 album "Re-Arrange Us" at Tarquin Studios."We had always wanted to work with someone who could be straight with us about parts, without stepping on the vision," says Mates drummer Jason Hammel. "Peter is good about understanding the differences in bands, and being sensitive to the bigger picture. And, he's a fun dude with a great sense of humor."One thing I always say about him is that when you have his attention in the studio, he really cares, that song at that moment is the only thing that matters."The residential component of Tarquin Studios made no difference to Mates of State, who live only a few miles away. But having a comfortable place to stay during the recording process is a draw for bands from outside the area, such as Irish group the Swell Season, Australian trio the Grates, Icelandic singer Jónsi Birgisson (front man for Sigur Ros, who's recording a solo album with Katis) or the National, whose members occasionally decamp from New York for a few weeks at a time."The living situation is great," says Devendorf. "My fond memories of the place are hanging out with Peter and his wife, Ann. Hanging out, cooking dinner, there's this familial aspect to it. We've watched World Cup games there."Living in close proximity to a steady stream of musicians required some adjusting for Ann Katis, 38, who works as a transportation planner in Danbury."I'm kind of a private person by nature, so it was a little difficult to get used to," she says. "But I was like, what's the alternative? Living by yourself and never talking to anybody? Once I had that epiphany, it was really cool: We get to meet these people from all over the world, and often the bands end up becoming our friends."