"Atlas (Riverwide): A-
Introspective, melodic folk-pop simply doesn’t get much finer
than the new CD by Newburyport’s Levine. Producer-engineer
Tom Eaton, creates a masterfully arranged setting for Levine’s
accessible poetry, and local aces such as Sean Staples,
Duke Levine and Richard Gates provide unfussy but elegant backup.
This is that rare album where a whole mind and heart is revealed.

Boston Herald review of the first Riverwide Records
release, Susan Levine's Atlas

"a first-rate producer"
from a 2002 review in jam music magazine

"one of the hotspots that has cemented the region’s reputation
as a songwriter’s mecca"
from a studio feature in the wire, nh

"one of the ten best studios in the country for under $100/hour"
2004 round-up in performing songwriter magazine

"Tom Eaton knows how to make records. If you remember only one point from this letter, that is the one that will help you the most. Perhaps you write songs, sing and/or play an instrument. Perhaps you do all three. Perhaps you have done some recording and while the results sound ok you can clearly hear that your recording lacks something that you just can't put your finger on. Sure, your friends and family like it. That's their job. Deep in your heart you know that the recording of the music that you have labored over with all of your heart is not all that it could be. You are not alone. I felt the same way.

"I have been writing and performing professionally for over 15 years and am just about to release my fourth album. Connecting with Tom Eaton has proved to be a wonderful decision. We met several times to listen to rough, reference recordings so that he could become familiar with my work. It was clear from the first meeting that he actually cared about my songs. It was his apparent care and concern that softened me to his input. He gently guided me about arrangements, respected those moments when I got a little bit precious and never gloated or said "I told you so" when one of his ideas in the end, proved to be the better.

"As we began to cast a vision for the album we not only discussed the instrumentation but Tom began to discuss the various session players that he had available to fill in the musical blanks. It would later become apparent that Tom is himself an incredibly talented musician and thus played several instruments on my album himself. He even sang back up on a few tracks!

"At the core of the album was a solid foundation, or skeleton if you will, created by Tom and me to ensure that as we fleshed out the songs they would be in time and in tune. His vision for pre-production helped my budget in that the structure and tempo of the tunes were already well established when the other players arrived.

"Because Tom has been producing and recording for so long and because he is such a cool chap, he has access to some of the best session players around. The team that Tom assembled for my album was nothing short of brilliant. They were prepared, professional and friendly. Not to mention the fact that they played the heck out of their various instruments. We spent a couple of days adding muscle to the skeleton and then the fun really started. Tom hears things.

"At this point my album already sounded better than anything else that I had released and it wasn?t even finished! As we listened to what we had accomplished so far we discussed various options to add color and texture to the songs. Tom would say "I hear Hammond organ on this." He would then go into the big room and mic up his vintage Hammond organ (complete with an actual Leslie speaker) and play what he was hearing in his head. He did this over and over and over again. Everything from piano (he has a real grand piano in his studio) to the glockenspiel (I tried to fight him on the glockenspiel) he played what he and I had dreamed about and layer upon layer we built the album. It is worth mentioning that while Tom is a folk / roots aficionado he also has a place in his heart and an expertise in the area of 'electronica' and thus was able to weave contemporary loops and elements with traditional instruments. Very cool!

"Truth be told Tom is a very busy guy and doesn?t really need an endorsement. The fact that he is so sought after is another reason to sing his praises because when you are in session with Tom Eaton, you are all he thinks about. Every time I communicated a need to him (scheduling or creative) I knew he was listening.

"Once all the musical layers were built Tom performed on the musical instrument at which he is most proficient, which is the mixing board. He is a tasteful engineer and this is evidenced in the way he mixes. Never obtrusive or overdone, his mixes leave the listener thinking things like did I just hear an accordion? And then smiling at the fact that they would have never thought to put that there. After mixing, Tom mastered the album himself.

"Mastering if you don't know is the process of balancing the project so there is continuity from song to song, The mastering process ensures that one song will not be super quiet while another is very loud and generally adds sonic polish and a professional feel to the overall project. While some people send their albums out to mastering houses Tom, who is so invested emotionally in his recording, is great at seeing it through to the end. His mastering capabilities are second to none. (Edit: You've gone too far!- tom)

"From beginning to end Tom Eaton knows his trade. In the same way that a surgeon is able to work seeming miracles on an operating table, Tom is a master. To put it simply, Tom Eaton knows how to make records. I hope you get the chance to make one with him."
Jim Trick, on the making of Buying the Field (Jim likes to fly fish)

"anybody can hang mikes. Anyone can buy good equipment.
but I’ve done 5 albums here for far greater reasons than that.
I’ll do my next 5 here, too."
vance gilbert, one half of a two-man tambourine; we've finished #6 now...

"tom approaches engineering like a musician because he is a musician,
not to mention an excellent producer and one hell of an engineer.
But perhaps what’s best about working with tom is that he hears what
you hear in your head – only he hears it a lot clearer and
knows how to record it."
rob laurens (who was paid in edamame for his comments)

"as both producer and engineer, tom pays exacting attention to the
smallest detail while always keeping the big picture in mind. He not
only has access to some of the best musicians in new england, but is
a musician himself and brings his musicality and technical expertise
to the table at every session."
susan levine, who liked me so much she married me

"tom gets amazing sounds because he really is amazing. He is so good
at what at he does and so unassuming about it. he's got incredible
mastery over all his tools, but also fantastic ideas and strategies.
He's a joy to work with."
kristen miller, cello miracle worker

"it's hard to articulate how much you are able to add to our CD production.
you were a pleasure to work with and the final result exceeded our expectations.
you are a real pro."
robin warren and brian clancy, spirit fiddle

"you have such great ears. And such great tools and such a command of them!."
from an e-mail from joyce andersen

"i can't thank you enough for all you done for me on "secrets and stories."
i learned so much from you and am so pleased with the final product."
patti derosa