Larry, a well-respected engineer/producer/mixer, is also the editor and founder of Tape Op Magazine (since 1996), owner of Portland’s Jackpot! Recording Studio, a freelance engineer, and archivist for the Estate of Elliott Smith. Since 1997 he’s owned and run Jackpot! Recording Studio, where he’s worked with artists like Sleater-Kinney, Jolie Holland, Jenny Lewis, M. Ward, Go-Betweens, Jason Lytle, She & Him, Elliott Smith, Stephen Malkmus, Quasi, Richmond Fontaine and more. He’s spoken on and moderated panels about recording for TapeOpCon, SXSW, NXNW, NARAS and CMJ. He has worked in the past as a record label owner, radio station music director, DJ, record distributor employee, freelance music journalist, band manager and bass player.
Check out his Spotify Playlist here. Larry is currently offering some special rates on mixing, and his rates are far lower than you might expect, so please drop a line.
Zach handles bookings, repairs, and many factors of running a busy recording studio at Jackpot! He grew up playing guitar and fell in love with recording soon after. After graduating from the New England Institute of Art with a degree in audio and media technology, Zach became a staff engineer and later partner at Boston’s 37ft Productions, where he worked for 7 years. While working at 37ft he moved into the studios b room, and helped build what would become the studio’s a room. During his time in Boston he also worked as an assistant engineer at Peerless Mastering. In February 2021 he moved from Boston to Portland and quickly became a house engineer at Jackpot! His credits include Patterson Hood, Squirrel Flower, Portugal. The Man, Paul Gilbert, Searows, Glitterfox, Storm Large, and many more.
After spending many days locked away recording bad demos of herself, in the late ‘90s Kendra decided to attend recording school in sunny Florida. Following the crash course at Full Sail University, she worked for several years as an assistant audio tech at a pro studio. In 2004, Kendra moved to Portland and became the studio manager and house engineer at Jackpot! for over a decade, including supervising the move into the current location in 2007. Jackpot! has allowed her to learn from some of the best around and has given her the chance to engineer sessions for some truly amazing artists like Quasi, mr. Gnome, Gossip, Spoon, She & Him, Eddie Vedder and Corin Tucker, Wooden Shjips, The Breeders, The Thermals, Wild Flag, Forbidden Friends, Blue Cranes, The Ian Fays and Laura Veirs.
Adam Lee – house engineer
Adam has been making records in Portland for over 10 years. Some of the bands he has worked with include Portugal The Man, Sleater-Kinney, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Black Thought, Dame D.O.L.L.A, Built to Spill, Quasi, The Decemberists, Red Fang, and Jerry Joseph. Adam moved from Phoenix to Portland in 2009 after studying audio at MCC, and landed at Jackpot! shortly after. Aside from engineering, he has also scored and mixed films, produced children’s audio books, and captured live performances all around the city.
Justin Chase – house engineer
Justin Chase has a degree in jazz keyboard and sound recording from William Paterson University. After finishing school and moving to Portland, he worked for producer Tucker Martine as an assistant, engineer, and session player at Flora Recording and Playback. Credits there include Rosanne Cash, Laura Veirs, Jenn Grant, Mt. Joy and others. Recently, he’s done engineering work for Pure Bathing Culture and Big Wild, while also serving as producer, engineer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist for various recording projects. Justin also works as a producer/engineer and composer out of Temple Of Time, his home studio in Northeast Portland. When he’s not in the studio, he works as a touring multi-instrumentalist with the indie-pop group Pure Bathing Culture.
Randyy Darris – house engineer/assistantRandyy Darris is an artist, producer, DIY enthusiast, and freelance/staff engineer for both live sound and studio sessions in Portland, Oregon. He works out of Jackpot! and The Hallowed Halls. His commitment to serving the song and satisfying clients makes it second nature to be detail-oriented and personable.
Other Engineers
Jackpot! Recording Studio was designed to accommodate freelance engineers bringing in sessions. It’s a logically laid out studio, with fully functioning equipment and many well-known models and brands of gear. We’re always happy to hear from engineers and producers that wish to bring projects to Jackpot!
For artists looking for someone to record and produce them, we are also prepared to recommend producers and engineers to work with. Drop our bookings manager Zach a line with any questions regarding sessions at Jackpot!