Applegater Summer 2013 9
THEY LIVE AMONG US
Grammy-winning recording engineer
runs studio at Pacifica
by j.d. rogers
Dennis Dragon operates The Studio
@ Pacifica. He is also the Grammy-winning
recording engineer for “Love Will Keep Us
Together” by The Captain & Tennille. The
following interview with J.D. Rogers took
place at Dennis’ recording studio at Pacifica
in Williams, Oregon.
J.D.: Dennis, how long have you
lived in Williams?
Dennis: I moved here five years ago
from Santa Barbara, California.
J.D.: Why did you leave Santa
Barbara for Williams?
Dennis: I got really tired of the
“Southern California dream,” the lack
of genuineness of the people, putting on
personas, etc. I hate to generalize, but
that’s how it was. I felt like there were very
few genuine humans left down there. Too
many “rats in the cage.”
J.D.: How is it that Williams is where
you wound up?
Dennis: A long-time friend who
had been living in Ojai, California, had
moved to Williams. I had never even been
to Oregon. Always wanted to, but hadn’t
made the time. I came up to check it out
and thought it was really cool. There was
actually some air up here and no smog.
Having lived in pollution, I appreciated
that. The trees looked nice, the sky was
blue. This would be a good place to hang,
I thought.
Then my friend asked me if I’d like
to see Steve Miller’s old recording studio.
What? Steve Miller had a studio here?
I’ve got to see it. When I did, I knew I
had to get in there because, if I had the
money, this is exactly how I would have
built it. This was designed as a world-class
recording studio in a barn!
J.D.: Give us a little background
on yourself. Are you a musician and a
recording engineer?
Dennis: I’ve played drums and
percussion since the age of five, if that’s
considered music. A lot of people question
that. I played percussion on the road or
in the studio with the Beach Boys, Neil
Young, the Byrds, Rick Springfield, and
the Surf Punks, a band I formed in 1976.
I also play a little piano.
From the technical end of it, at a
young age I was fascinated with early
tape recorders in the mid 1950s that were
manufactured by Ampex Corporation that
my father would have in his studio. My
dad was Carmen Dragon, a symphony
conductor, composer and arranger; my
mother Eloise was a soprano singer. So
music is basically in my blood.
J.D.: Tell me about all those gold and
platinum records I was looking at hanging
on the wall when I walked into the studio.
Dennis: Ah, the “wall of shame.”
J.D.: How were you involved in
those recordings?
Dennis: Those recordings were
my bread and butter in the mid to late
1970s. My brother Daryl is the Captain
of Captain & Tennille. I worked on most
of their hits as an engineer in Hollywood.
I also worked with Johnny Rivers on
some of his hits, and Lou Adler for many
years. He’s a big producer with a lot of
big groups and hits under his belt. So I’ve
done it, but when it turned into being no
there, but that’s also human interaction!
That’s what I love and that’s what
I miss in this “perfected technique via
computer era” to fix everything—pitch,
time, everything is just right. I didn’t grow
up with that; it’s not natural and I don’t
appreciate it. I’m pretty computer savvy,
I can do all that. I just shy away from it.
J.D.: With your engineering and
producer background, you are a valuable
alive and well, I think I consider myself a
pretty good resource.
J.D.: Did Steve Miller record any of
his hits in here?
Dennis: I’ve received mixed
information on that topic from nothing
to a lot. So I don’t know. Not that it
matters but it would be cool to know
he recorded “Fly Like an Eagle” in here.
There’s a picture of Steve on the wall above
your head—he’s overseeing us right now.
J.D.: Do you use or record local
musicians?
Dennis: Oh, yeah. Jeff Cooper’s
working in here now on his new song. The
Family Carr did their CD here. Windsong
[a singer/songwriter in Williams, Oregon]
recorded her CD, Ode to Water; Alice
DiMicele just finished a great children’s
CD here; Christina Duane; and the rock
band 100 Watt Mind has recorded here,
too, and so forth. Most all of the locals
know about me and the studio at this
point.
J.D.: Is there anything else you’d like
to tell us about the studio?
Dennis: One of the main reasons
I’m here—my vision is to create a totally
interactive recording studio, cameras
everywhere; hopefully that will happen
this year. So, say a group comes in here
to record and their fans want to watch the
session. Folks will be able to eavesdrop
via the Internet to see just how a “classic”
recording studio session works. Of course,
if you’re doing stuff you don’t want people
to see, we can also turn off certain cameras!
J.D.: Dennis, it’s been great to learn
that we have such a talent as you with a
world-class recording studio right here in
the Applegate. Thanks for your time.
Dennis: Thanks for coming by.
Rock ON!
Yo u c a n l e a r n m o r e a b o u t
D e n n i s’ r e c o r d i n g o p e r a t i o n a t
dragonfamilyfoundation.org, or email
Dennis at dragonfoundation@aol.com or
call 541-234-4203.
J.D. Rogers • 541-846-7736
10
Dennis Dragon’s
TOP TEN Albums
of All Time
Dennis explained to J.D. Rogers about “Recording 101”: Volume does not need
to be set on 27; most knobs go only to 10. Photo: J.D. Rogers
Photo, bottom: Dennis adjusts vocal recording microphone for Alice DiMicele, who recorded
a children’s CD at the studio. Photo: Mikey.
Photo, top:
fun anymore—too much stress, then it was
time to leave. So I left.
J.D.: What’s your goal with this
studio?
Dennis: Keeping live music alive.
I came up here to perpetuate live music
recording. Everybody out there in the
studio playing at the same time—I think
that’s how some of the greatest recordings
were made. That’s what this studio was
built for. So there’s a little mistake here or
resource for anyone wanting to make a
recording.
Dennis: Yeah, I am kind of a
great resource because I’m still relatively
coherent, too! I remember all the recording
techniques going back to the 1950s
through today. I have equipment dating
back through the years that still sounds
fantastic. My computer system over there
keeps me up-to-date on all the latest and
greatest programs. So all the while I’m
1. Sgt. Pepper by The Beatles
2. Axis: Bold as Love
by Jimi Hendrix
3. Led Zeppelin (first album)
4. My Beach by Surf Punks
5. Kind of Blue by Miles Davis
6. Computer World
by Kraftwerk
7. Ramones (first album)
8. Calypsos by Edmundo Ros
9. Bringing It All Back Home
by Bob Dylan
10. The Nightfly by Donald Fagen
“They live among us” is an ongoing
feature highlighting people of interest who
live in the Applegate Watershed.