This page is a gesture of respect for some amazing and respected people in the music industry, and people I feel honored to have loved and called my friends.

Jerry Finn

Mix Magazine: Aug 30, 2008 5:45 PM

Noted engineer/producer Jerry Finn—who worked with Blink-182, Morrissey, Rancid, Green Day, Bad Religion, Sparta, AFI, the Offspring and may others—passed away on August 21.
Seattle-based producer/engineer Matt Shaw wrote us the following:

Jerry Finn revolutionized the pop-punk genre as far as engineering prowess and emotional integrity, but he was also an amazingly cool, funny, knowledgeable and generous guy. He was taken off life support in late August following a brain hemorrhage. He was 39. Jerry went to Dick Grove School of Music and met a teacher/studio manager there named Candace Stewart. He then lived in Candace's house and soon became a runner at Music Grinder, where he worked on a remodel in the early '90s. He would go get $1.50 Taco Bell and go back for eight more hours for no pay. He was hired after that as second [engineer], I believe. He then moved to Devonshire, where he met Rob Cavallo.

His big break was remixing Dookie for Green Day, and his career took off after that. We had him up in Seattle for a week to work on a record here after Dookie was mixed but before it was released. We knew his price would go up after that! Great engineer then, a huge electronic-phase guy—I believe he got the Galaxy Audio "Cricket" tool from working with Ed Cherney. He loved Ed's Bonnie Raitt and Rolling Stones recordings. Finn's tones were just amazingly pristine, and his mic technique for many things was amazing. Check out these photos of Blink-182 at Conway in November 2003 on Royer Labs' Website.

I know he loved the Neve 80 Series and working at Conway. I remember him mixing in Seattle on an SSL and had a wood hammer on which he had taped "SSL Adjustment Tool". Typical Jerry. Loved his Tannoy Red Series speakers and had them reconditioned all the time.

He had more than 100 guitars but only used 10 to 12 of them on sessions; the rest he collected. He also had great racks of amazingly cool gear. His drum tech was Mike Fasano, and Sean O' Dwyer, Ryan Hewitt and Joe McGrath were his main engineers through the years.

I met him in 1993 when he was second engineer, and as his career sky-rocketed we stayed in touch. He was never too busy to talk about the music biz and share all his latest engineering tips to a nobody guy from Seattle, and he kindly let me hang at his sessions when in town. A real mentor. He would talk for hours about music and engineering to politics and home remodeling: a very, very sharp dude. Not only do I believe his work had the deepest integrity and skill level, he was super funny, bright and quite the good human. He was a very good friend to someone who could only learn from him professionally, but more than that, he was self deprecating, humble, and simply a good friend. I love you and will miss you brother. Thanks for all you did.

Robin Wiley

"Multitalented Wiley Led Life Set To Music"
Seattle Times article by Paul de Barros

When Robin Wiley was a kid in Edmonds, she played big-band jazz saxophone.
When she grew up, she moved to North Texas State University, and then LA, and then to Orlando Florida, where she became the musical director for the early nineties Mickey Mouse Club that included Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and JC Chazes. She became a songwriter, producer, and arranger for one of the most renowned pop vocal groups in the world, N'Sync.
Ms. Wiley, a singer/songwriter for many record label artists, who died of cancer April 9 in Nashville, Tenn., wrote, produced, and arranged one of the group's biggest hits, "I Thought She Knew," as well as the arrangement of the national anthem the boy band sang at the 2000 World Series. Ms. Wiley was 45. The young hopefuls included future stars Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Ms. Wiley went on to produce a cappella tracks on the 'N Sync albums "Celebrity," "No Strings Attached" and "Home For Christmas." After working with Disney, Ms. Wiley moved to Nashville, where she worked as a songwriter and producer.
"She wrote gorgeous arrangements with serious jazz harmonies," said Ms. Wiley's longtime friend, Seattle record producer Matt Shaw. "She was also one of the funniest people in the world. She was a very bright, funny, talented woman."
Ms. Wiley attended Woodway High School (now merged with Edmonds High School), Edmonds Community College and the University of Washington, where she played saxophone in jazz band under the late Roy Cummings. Ms. Wiley also was hired by Cummings for touring shows at the Paramount Theatre and played keyboards in her own rock band.
"She loved the out-of-doors," recalled Seattle trombonist Jeff Hay, who met Ms. Wiley at the UW and took hiking trips with her. "She was extremely intelligent and very beautiful."
The multi-instrumentalist left Seattle for the renowned jazz program at the University of North Texas in Denton. Moving to Dallas, her focus shifted to vocal music, and she formed a Top 40 band. In the early '80s, Ms. Wiley returned to Seattle, where she collaborated with local jazz musicians, including singer Greta Matassa (then Goehle) in the all-girl group Bush Patrol and with jazz drummer John Bishop in the band Mister Edate.
In the late '80s, Ms. Wiley moved to Los Angeles and took a job in Orlando, Fla., arranging, coaching and producing vocals for Disney's New Mickey Mouse Club.
"She's one of those people who leaves a big hole in the universe," said Hay.
Timberlake, Cameron Diaz and other celebrities attended a memorial April 16 at Ms. Wiley's house in Nashville.
A local service is scheduled for May 21, time and place to be determined. (For information, call Shaw at 206-271-1501).
Ms. Wiley is survived by her parents, Bill and Shirley, and her brother Jeff.
Remembrances may be sent in Ms. Wiley's name to MusiCares, the service agency of the Recording Academy, at 1904 Wedgewood Ave., Nashville, TN 37212.
- Paul de Barros: 206-464-3247 or pdebarros@seattletimes.com Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company

Tom Pfaeffle
Pfaeffle, 49, had worked with music groups that included Nirvana, The Black Crowes and Heart, owned and operated The Tank. Tom manned the boards and mics there in Black Diamond, WA, where local bands and Sound on the Sound favorites like Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground, The Sea Navy, and Wild Orchid Children recorded their records, a recording studio adjacent to his home in the woods of Black Diamond.
Bands and students of sound flocked to Tom not only for his expertise, but because he was an absolutely wonderful guy who was passionate about perfectly capturing the sound and feel of a band.  When Tom wasn’t recording at The Tank he was teaching the future sound technicians of Seattle as an audio production instructor at The Seattle Art Institute.

This page is a gesture of respect for some of my dearest and closest friends, and amazing, respected, and talented people I have known. I will always love you guys.