Les Paul ‘obsessive’ Sean McClowry to give presentation on his artifacts

Artifacts from Les Paul’s home studios, now on display at the Mahwah Museum, are on long-term loan from the Les Paul Foundation.

At 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 15, Sean McClowry will discuss the artifacts in a special presentation at the museum, giving special attention to the “Octopus,” the “Monster,” the Sound on Sound machine (Ampex 300), and the Wally Jones Mixer. McClowry will go through the music made on each of these machines, the origins of the machines, the way they function, and the dates that Les used them.

McClowry is currently associate professor of music industry at the College of Saint Rose, teaching courses in record production, analog recording, songwriting and composition, music business, and double bass. He is a music producer, composer, songwriter, and performing artist in both popular and classical music worlds, specializing in historic methods of recording and music production. His area of research is Les Paul and Mary Ford, their groundbreaking recordings, and technical advancements as recording artists.

McClowry spends lots of time restoring and using vintage recording equipment, including record cutters and Ampex reel to reel tape machines. His work with this medium is part academic and part obsession. He is currently working on a book about Les Paul.

Registration is required and open now. This event will be presented in a hybrid format, and you may register to attend either virtually or in-person on the museum’s website, mahwahmuseum.org. Due to the continued impact of Covid-19, in-person attendance will be capped at 25 people and masks will be required.