From Bluegrass Unlimited

The Natural Thing To Do: The Doobie Shea Records Story So Far

By Art Menius

Tim Austin reminds me of a billiken. You know, one of this objects that bounces back upright when you knock it over; The St. Louis University Billikens, for example. In the fifteen years since he co-founded The Lonesome River Band while working as a roadie for the Bluegrass Cardinals, the Ruffin, North Carolina native has absorbed his share of blows and just kept moving forward. Along the way, he’s worn most of the hats in this field: disk jockey, band leader, song writer and publisher, engineer, recording producer, studio musician, road musician, record table guy, booking agent, even producer of a couple of concerts.

The most recent and famous blow for Tim was the fire. On August 24, 1996 it wiped out the original Doobie Shea Studios just north of Ferrum, Virginia. Ferrum, a lovely foothills community just east of the commanding Blue Ridge, domiciles a liberal arts college, a museum of Blue Ridge mountain culture that has produced some neat compilations of hillbilly and race music, and not much else save musicians. Alan Mills, Dempsey Young, Dan Tyminski, Mike Hartgrove, Gene Parker, and Don Parmley are among the artists who have resided twisting Virginia Highway 40 in the Greater Ferrum area.

North of town and west of 40 on the dirt road climbing Turkey Knob toward a settlement of Church of the Brethren members, Tim and Debbie Austin had built, and added on to, their home. Inside a large wood frame structure with a concrete floor in the yard Tim had constructed his studio. He built the facility in 1988 so that the Lonesome River Band could have full control over their recording process. Tim applied what he had learned in the studio with LRB to creating a facility designed from the recording artist’s perspective. "The freedom of recording the LRB gave me the opportunity to experiment with all the aspects of recording, miking techniques, and mixing. This I think contributed a lot and created the sound that we are known for." Artists wanting that sound soon headed up that steep dirt road.

Tim christened the facility Doobie Shea. "‘Doob’ is a nickname I gave [Debbie] when we first met," he explains. "An oriental man trying to carve ‘Debbie’ out of a piece of wood and some how it came out ‘Doobie.’ Mainly I'm the only one that calls her that. Shea is my first born's middle name, Rebecca Shea. We added a son Seth to the clan but haven't quite found a spot for his name yet."

There Tim engineered such projects as Families of Tradition by the McCourys and Parmleys, Ronnie Bowman’s IBMA Album of the Year Cold Virginia Night, and LRB’s break through Carrying The Tradition, which won the same award. Finally, he recorded The Stanley Tradition, Doobie Shea Records’ debut release there. "I am very proud of a lot of records that came out of the first studio. One of the first was Looking For Yourself on Rebel by LRB. Then I did a lot of projects for The Bluegrass Cardinals that I thought sounded good. I started working for labels…. I have worked with a lot of my musical heroes, I feel they are legends. I learned a lot from them and still like to learn from veteran musicians. I have the most respect for them, they stuck it out and made a name for themselves, through all the times, good and bad. They created their own sound."

As Tim worked more in the studio, his triple lives as a touring musician, studio operator, and family man created temporal conflicts. "The lifestyle on the road is like all addictions, if you could deal with it in moderation it would be okay. But being a working bluegrass musician you work when the demand is there. If you're in demand, then you might as well put your family life on hold cause you can't be around to deal with it." In 1994 Tim left LRB and the road. He had carried the LRB tradition through the difficult days of great reviews and few gigs. When he left LRB had cemented its current position at the top of the bluegrass field.

Having lived on the road, Austin can appreciate the pleasures of the harbor. "I have a wonderful life. I am blessed with a wife that has stuck by me through all of the worst conditions you could ever imagine and I have two children whom I am still trying to get to know. I sleep in my own bed, and I get to sleep when I want too. I can be creative in the studio and actually get to feel again what I lost along the way -- just playing quality music and capturing something that is overwhelmingly exciting. Making music is all about being able to express yourself through your music. I don't miss anything related to traveling, but I will have to admit I have only recently gotten used to my toothbrush being out of a travel holder."

Debbie Austin is happy about that. "I would never want Tim to go back on the road again, ever. Although it was a big adjustment for all of us when he quit touring, everyone now has their job to do, and we work together as a family unit, towards a common goal."

Tim’s too full of energy and too driven to succeed, however, to be satisfied only engineering and managing a studio. He and Debbie moved toward creating a recording label. As he brainstormed the idea, he was surprised to find his future competition less than enthusiastic. "I try never to put myself in competition with someone else. I rightfully earned my chance at creating a record company. I want to excel in our industry and hope that with the right artists and a great team effort we will make our mark. Nothing less."

By the time Tim announced the formation of Doobie Shea Records in June 1996, he possessed a very clear idea of what he wanted to do. "A label that's operated by experienced musicians who can engineer and produce top notch recordings. I felt I could produce quality products and compete with anyone in our industry if giving the proper distribution. Doob and myself are sticklers on quality and I knew with her skills and mine we could certainly put out something folks will buy. Another was I wanted to record personally projects to use up some of my creativity energy that was lying still since departing the lrb. Working with just one group all the time limits your creative ability since once you reach a sound with a group it's hard to keep improving on it without taking different directions. Most folks don't like a group to experiment once they found something the people like. This holds back someone who has lots of different musical influences and likes to interject those into projects. So I figured with a label I can have my hand at taking one project at a time and making them the best I can. With the label I can have my hands on the quality control from picking the singer to the song to recording it to the picture used on the cover to the final piece in hand. I feel if I can continue to do this we will be successful . As Larry Sparks put it, it was the ‘Natural Thing To Do.’ We had the facility and with Doobie Shea Music we had the songs, so for the label all we needed was players, singers, and the tape machine in red."

Then lightening stuck beside the dirt road climbing Turkey Knob. "The fire broke out one afternoon during a break while working with the Gibson Brothers on a project I was producing for Hay Holler. Aubrey Haynie, Leigh Gibson, and myself left to pick up sandwiches we had just ordered. The trip took no more than 30 minutes tops. When we returned the building was in flames. Lightning had hit dead center of the building just minutes after we had left. The fire department was already on the scene and couldn't enter the building. After about 20-30 minutes the roof opened up and the building burned to the ground. A lot of memories and great musical instruments went up in smoke, but by the grace of God everything has been replaced for the better. It was a tragic but yet a turning point in my life." The next months quickly filled with rebuilding plans and re-recording at various studios the masters lost in the conflagration.

The last project completed at the original Doobie Shea Studio became the first release on Doobie Shea Records, The Stanley Tradition. "I started the Stanley Tradition toward the end of my last year with the band. I wanted to pay my tribute to a sound that is unique and definitely bluegrass, The Clinch Mountain Boys was actually the first bluegrass band I ever saw, but I wanted to do it with folks who loved their music, but not to try and copy it. The masters created it, and we added our influences to it in a ‘90s way. It's a project I am very proud of. I picked out all the singers who excited me and had the Stanley soul of things built right in. I am certainly looking forward to the response of the second one we did all gospel."

Thanks to a fall 1996 tip from Rounder Records’ Ken Irwin, Tim got a nomination for The Stanley Tradition into NARAS just in time for consideration for the Grammies presented in March 1997. Round by round The Stanley Tradition advanced, becoming a final nominee for "Best Bluegrass Recording."

"The Stanley Tradition far passed our expectations but looking back I knew the project was as good as you are going to want to hear but with the help from excellent people like yourself and others we worked hard to do a good ad campaign and really try to cover all the bases we could to get it exposure. But the Grammy nomination came as a very big surprise and we never expected it to even show up. But Ken Irwin instigated us to get the project in at the last minute and sure enough it made the top five, Thank you, Lord. It opened up doors for us right from the start even without a major distributor the album was surely successful. It definitely exceeded our expectations but also taught us that hard work and perseverance will pay off.

"I was excited to receive the nomination; it reinforced me to go on with the label idea, I always down deep knew that I could do the label thing. It was convincing my wife and partner to go with me on this one." Tim refuses to rest on his laurels, however, "I try not to look at what I have done rather than what I'm doing at the present. I try and look to the future on most anything I do. Every project I do is the key to the label's success."

Even before the studio fire, the family Austin had relocated to a new home on one of the steep hills between Boones Mill, Virginia, and the Blue Ridge. On the highway between Greensboro and Roanoke, just before the climb up the escarpment to Roanoke, Boones Mill has long suffered with a reputation as a speed trap. By the time you get out toward Tim and Debbie’s home, however, excessive vehicular speed is not an issue. The roads bend more than a crooked fiddle tune, your car’s brakes squealing or motor straining alternately.

Halfway up their long gravel driveway, you come to the new Doobie Shea Studios, as modest looking outside as it is impressive inside. A corridor winds from the end entrance past offices and rest rooms and through a musicians lounge. Then comes the rich wood paneling of the control room, studio, and isolation booths.

"The old studio evolved into something by trial and error. The new studio was designed to incorporate a lot of the ideas from the old studio and adding new ones to come up with the new place. In Ferrum I learned about what a studio needs to offer its clients -- simple things like a artist lounge with lots of home comforts from popcorn to video games to a hot shower. Doob calls them ‘snackies for the guys!’ Practically everything I do to improve the studio is client/ musician suggested.

"We record with a lot of old Neumann tube mics to digital using lots of gear from Pultec to API and different outboard gear. We are recording to digital 24 tracks and are about to install a fully automated flying fader mix. This allows us to adjust one thing after a mix is done. It's all memory of one pass to another and you can keep up dating till you get it just right. We also have separate mixes while recording. This means a individual near his microphone placement has a mixing console in front of him, and he can adjust the levels of himself and his band mates around him. This freedom allows players and singers to excel and not have to be hindered by someone else too loud when using only one mix for everyone."

For Tim the studio, which opened in its new location in April 1997, provides the cornerstone for the label. "What makes us different is that we are going to produce all our projects, mostly at Doobie Shea Studios. The studio was designed to create quality and beautiful and exciting music. It is a spacious and comfortable environment, equipped with conveniences that will keep a person motivated and fresh all through the recording. The engineers at DSS, such as Dan Tyminski and Keith Tew, know how to communicate with and respond to musicians and producers cause they lived at both ends of this spectrum. Being engineers, producers, and songwriters themselves they certainly know how to make an artist feel at home. The engineer’s job is to get the individual musician’s sound on tape as clean as possible. The engineer needs to know when there is going to be a punch or fix and be prepared to do it before the producer. This saves time and keeps the session flowing so as not to lose spontaneity. The engineer/producer relationship is very important. The engineer needs to be able to read the producer’s mind and be ready for his instruction, while almost remaining transparent to the musicians. This keeps down confusion, allowing for a smooth day."

Despite his popularity as an engineer, Tim relishes the producer’s role. "The producer is in charge of a session and knows what he wants from a group or individual. The musician or singer will perform better if he likes the producer and has respect for him and will try out of the ordinary things to create a sound. Someone needs vision going into a project how it's going to sound at the end. Even if the sound takes a different direction it's usually for the better."

Off the beaten path, yet in the bluegrass heartland, Doobie Shea Studios provide a distraction free environment conducive to concentrating on making recordings, while providing plenty of opportunities and open space to relax whether by practicing full wedge shots in the ample lawn or playing Super Nintendo inside. Plus the Austins provide the people to draw out the best from the recording artists. "Dan Tyminski who works at the studio as an engineer/producer when not on the road with Alison Krauss is a super people person. Sometimes Dan and I will tag team a band and really get them going. They find out sometimes with this input they are performing stuff they never realized they could do. It's all about loving the music and finding folks who love it too then magic starts happening. Producing is to make friends, take charge gently, and get the best out of a project. Doobie Shea Studios is the place magic and excitement can happen."

As a studio, Doobie Shea depends on work from other recording companies. Already most of the significant labels in the industry have issued albums recorded there. "I am excited about working with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver on two projects back to back, I was a part of Ronnie Bowman's new record on Sugar Hill called the Man I'm Trying to Be. I am thrilled to have recently worked with IIIrd Tyme Out on their next Rounder project along with Ken Irwin, The Tony Williamson project with his brother Gary (My Rocky River Home) was extremely rewarding. I have done a lot lately and surely I'm gonna leave somebody out." He even got to record Horace Scruggs, brother of Earl.

"Our folks on staff are professional musicians who have been at the group’s level or surpassed it, so we are going to try and help in any way to further the bands career as fast as possible relying on the knowledge we have acquired. Like designing promotional packs, pictures, setting them up with a manager or agent. Just being in touch with your artist regularly will keep a tight organization rolling, oh and the regular advertising doesn't hurt either. Once a customer hears the Doobie Shea sound they should know to expect that kind of quality from every project we put out. We want folks to know and trust that no matter what our future projects are going to be they are going to buy cause it came from us. The Doobie Shea sound is real and it starts with the relationship between the musicians to how it is recorded and then mixed. I think the Doobie Shea sound is already noticeable among a lot of folks right now, especially the musicians and radio."

The qualities Austin seeks in Doobie Shea artists reflect his own. "I look for talent, wisdom beyond years and somebody who in their heart that loves music. I can usually make a decision on one meeting and determine if they are what excites me enough to do a project."

Tim also possesses a clear vision of the Doobie Shea Records mission. "I want to find songs and people to perform them honestly and emotionally and capture them on a recording, I want to help artists achieve their goals."

Debbie Austin expresses her goals in more direct terms. "We have been totally blessed with both businesses being very successful, however, there's always a place on the Internet where we need to be, or a record store that doesn't carry our product. Distribution has been a small stumbling block. It's hard to convince major distributors that we're here to stay, and not a "one night stand" label. Both Record Depot and County Sales have been very supportive of our projects and have greatly helped in distributing our product and putting the Doobie Shea name in front of the bluegrass public. Our goal is international distribution, and we want to be in the major retail chains, such as the WalMarts and the K-Marts. If we create the demand, sooner or later we'll get their attention."

Not long after the label’s launch, Debbie realized that she needed to devote her full attention to Doobie Shea Records. "Doob plays a big part in the company," explains Tim. "I do the music and she handles the business or paperwork all that boring stuff. She occasionally works in the studio itself. Oh and Doob is the reason that I go to work every day."

"It was always a tremendous struggle for me to give Tim, two kids, and a full time job each all the attention that they wanted or needed from me," says Debbie. "I always felt that I never had enough to give each, and it was difficult balancing them all."

She confesses today that in early 1997, "It was a real scary decision to quit my full time job. We had always relied upon my job to provide health insurance, retirement benefits, 401K's, etc. When the new studio and the first release on our own record label took off, Tim was overwhelmed, and we knew it was time for me to come onboard.

"I help manage the studio, from cleaning it to making sure there's cold drinks in the refrigerator, and just generally making sure that everyone has what they need to have a great session. In the record company, I serve as the Production Coordinator on all releases, from obtaining mechanical licenses and paying record royalties, to typesetting and proofreading and working closely with our graphic artist. I also keep the books for the studio, record company, and our publishing company Doobie Shea Music. It's usually more than a full-time job! When I first told the kids I was quitting my job, their response was ‘no!’ We had just moved into a new house, and they thought we were going to have to sell the farm to survive. When they saw that everything was going to be OK, they adjusted and now love me being at home. I feel my priorities are much more in order, with my family and business all working towards the same goal. Even the kids work for the record company, helping with large mailings."

In 1998 the Doobie Shea team welcomed Jessie Tyminski, daughter of Stan and thus niece of Dan Tyminski. She signed on to handle information systems radio relations.

Recovery from the fire delayed the follow-up to The Stanley Tradition. In fact, the tapes to the proposed second Doobie Shea album by Unlimited Tradition were lost in the flames. The completely re-recorded CD, She’s Gone, finally appeared in the spring of 1998. It marked the company’s initial release from a regular touring band. Unlimited Tradition features songwriter Ray Craft with veterans Shayne Bartley and Scottie Sparks.

At the same time as the Unlimited Tradition album, Doobie Shea issued Living on the Hallelujah Side: A Gospel Instrumental Collection and the long awaited follow-up project The Stanley Gospel Tradition: Songs About Our Savior. The former release, aimed to appeal to both bluegrass fans and mainstream audiences features an ensemble, including Tyminski, Tim, Craig Smith, Tony Williamson, Dale Perry, Wyatt Rice, and Aubrey Haynie, providing renditions of ten sacred standards Austin selected.

Anyway, the second label release turned out to be 1997’s Christmas At Doobie Shea. The Tony Williamson Trio with mandolin, guitar, and bass provided interpretations of seasonal favorites which work both as holiday sounds and as serious musical performances.

Tim talks eagerly about projects yet to come, impatient to start the next adventure. "My best buddy Dan Tyminski has signed to do a solo project that we are currently working on, I am also working on solo projects with Scottie Sparks and J.D. Crowe & the New South’s Dwight McCall. These guys are great singers who have the feel for the bluegrass music." Those albums are slated to appear in late 1998.

Debbie has a ready explanation for her spouse’s success. "When Tim gets a vision, he usually goes after it. He is extremely focused, extremely talented, and has an uncanny ability to make things fall into place. We've both always enjoyed bluegrass so much that we built our lives around it, and it never created a problem between us. It was always a common goal for Tim to pursue and succeed at something we both loved so much."

Tim Austin has experienced plenty of adventures along the way. Yet Doobie Shea Records has joined LRB and Doobie Shea Studios among his successes. Nobody ever won by giving up. The billiken keeps bouncing back, stronger, more driven, and better focused every time.

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