Marc M. Cogman enters famed studio Sonic Ranch to start recording 8th LP
This week, Marc M. Cogman is headed into the studio with his band to record Gateway Drugs, his eighth full-length album. For the project, he chose Sonic Ranch, the sprawling studio complex in far west Texas, right on the Rio Grande. The largest residential studio complex in the world, Sonic Ranch houses five recording studios as well as accommodations for guests, and boasts one of the most impressive collections of vintage gear around. Recent projects recorded at the Ranch include albums by Big Thief, Portugal the Man, Beach House, Conor Oberst, Waxahatchie, Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Fiona Apple and more.
The Adobe Studio at Sonic Ranch
The live tracking room in the Adobe Studio
Also of note is the new personnel joining Cogman for the album. Alongside Dead Messenger mainstays Steve McDonald (guitar) and Frogs (bass), two old friends have come out of retirement to make music with Cogman again after a long hiatus.
Rob Leifer (guitar) was - with Cogman - the other half of the main songwriting duo in The Neon Calm, the Boston alt-rock band Cogman dissolved just before going solo with 2007’s Welcome to the Danger Show. Since the Neon Calm’s 2006 breakup, Leifer made a brief appearance on Cogman’s 3rd LP Anthems, but they haven’t worked together in a meaningful way since the 2011 release of their side-project Love Song at the Apocalypse. The L.A.-based aggro-punk band - which released one four song EP, Martyrs with Megaphones, also included former Neon Calm member and current Dead Messenger Frogs, and a talented, L.A. based drummer named Drew Langan.
Langan is the other new edition joining Cogman in Sonic Ranch this week. A powerful drummer with much experience in the heavier punk and metal genres (City Comma State, Stars in Stereo), the L.A.-based Langan has more or less been retired for several years, turning down multiple projects over the last half-decade before finally being convinced to join Cogman and the others in the studio for Gateway Drugs.
Former LSATA members all together again in Los Angeles after 12 years for Cogman’s Gateway Drugs rehearsals this past May. (L-R) Drew Langan, Cogman, Rob Leifer, Frogs
With the inclusion of long-time producer (and former Neon Calm drummer) Justin Siegel at the sessions, Cogman’s eighth LP represents a reunion of both of his two most recent bands prior to going solo. With the three guitar approach, Gateway Drugs promises to be one of the more aggressive rock records in Cogman’s catalog, the heaviest since 2017’s Nothing is Fantastic.
Look for social media updates from all the guys this week as the recording process gets underway at Sonic Ranch, and look for Gateway Drugs some time in early 2023 on limited-edition vinyl from Last 3 Punks, and at digital retailers everywhere.