Armored Saint bassist, Joey Vera, has paid tribute to legendary Engineer/Producer, Dave Jerden. Best known for his work with Jane’s Addiction and Alice In Chains, Jerden died peacefully in his sleep on February 5 in his native Los Angeles. He was 75. No cause of death was given. Jerden’s son, Bryan David Jerden, shared the news in a Facebook post (see below).
Joey Vera shared the following via Facebook:
“I just heard the sad news of the passing of Producer/Engineer Dave Jerdan.
“I had the pleasure of working with Dave on Armored Saint’s Symbol of Salvation (1991).
“When we resigned with Metal Blade records in 1990, Brian Slagel suggested we meet with Dave as a potential producer for our new album. At this point in time I already was a fan of his work (Jane’s Addiction “Nothing’s Shocking” and “Ritual De Lo Habitual”, Chili Peppers “Mothers Milk”, Alice in Chains “Facelift”) and after meeting him, learning he worked with Talking Heads, Herbie Hancock and The Stones. I mean, I was in awe of him.
“But in person he was very unassuming, and self confident like a stone. He was pretty quiet too, that is, until you got him talking about World History, The Worlds Wars or stories of some of the high profile people he’d worked with.
“At the request of the record label, he dragged his feet to our rehearsal room for what was supposed to be the first of many “pre-production” sessions. While we were jamming, doing our thing, he was sitting on our couch, notepad in hand, scribbling with a ballpoint pen, not saying a word other than, ‘Cool’, the entire time. After we finished for the night, he stood up and said, ‘Ok, well you guys are ready to record now.’ And while he was standing there I saw his notepad on the table next to the couch. Scribbled on it was not the “list of things the band needs to work on”, but instead there was a drawing of what looked like an apocalyptic landscape with dead trees and blackened hills. Right then I thought to myself, “I Like this guy”.
“In the studio (El Dorado on Sunset Blvd), he worked us to get the drum and bass tracks tight. He was very aware of the band’s intentions and he was careful to not lead us into a place where we didn’t belong. He’d always say things like, ‘That sounds dangerous, it should always sound dangerous,’ and was keen on taking chances and not playing into expectations. At this point in the band’s history we had newly regrouped after losing our guitarist and musical leader Dave Prichard in 1990. I was next in line in assuming the musical director role which I was embracing and overseeing from afar during these sessions. Midway through recording rhythm guitars and vocals, John Bush came to me and said, ‘I’m not happy with what I’m recording with Dave, I think I can do better.’ So I reluctantly asked Dave if he’d mind if I worked with John during his vocal takes. Dave said, ‘You absolutely should!’ and so I did. Dave would leave the studio while I worked with John and listen the next day. Eventually I ended up working with Jeff Duncan and Phil Sandoval recording the lead guitars along with Dave’s engineer Bryan Carlstrom (RIP). At one point Dave came to me and said, ‘You’re doing great, you don’t need me here until the mix.’ For the remainder of the sessions Dave would show up to listen to our work every 3-4 days. It was like I had the keys to the amusement park!
“I’ll never forget that moment when he entrusted me with his studio and his engineers. It takes Balls to trust someone else in this situation. Dave even gave me a Co-Production credit for the liner notes. That confidence he gave me at that moment has stayed with me ever since. I am forever grateful for his trust in me and the knowledge he shared with all of us. My experience working with Dave has helped shape who I am today. Thank you Dave Jerdan.
“This photo I found is how I remember Dave Jerden A total badass!
“Praise your teachers!”
Source: bravewords.com
