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136:, observing "I don’t know how excited Chaz was about Berlin – he was more excited about punk stuff.” Yet there was an excitement that came from the blending of the two distinct cultures; one typified by Chaz and his cronies’ slacker ethos, the other by St. James and his commercial sensibilities and keen awareness of musical trends. After the success of
154:, said of Ramirez "He was a fun guy, probably one of the most well-liked guys I ever met," adding "I don't think he had an enemy in the world." Ramirez described punk rock as "the cool new folk music, the new music of the people," adding "People equate folk music with nylon string guitars, but folk music is folk music, and this is it."
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Ramirez and his influence played a vital role in fostering the punk rock boom that became Orange County's signature contribution to '80s music, helping
Fullerton to become the epicenter for early OC punk. Under Ramirez, Casbah became known as a Meca for the punk rock scene. “Most punk bands wanted to
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album was recorded. The Casbah attracted a variety of talent, including
Righteous Brothers keyboardist John Van Tongeren and Berlin drummer, synthesist and producer Dan Van Patten, who lent their abilities to a variety of projects. As a songwriter, guitarist, and producer, St. James helped to bring
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8-track tape machine, a mixing console and a few effects. St. James purchased additional electronic devices and rack mount equipment using money he earned doing a series of sound-alike jingles for the now-defunct Los
Angeles rock and roll station KMET 94.7 FM. In the early 1980s, the 8-track TEAC
186:, the metal band whose glossier sound helped it become the best-selling Orange County rock band of the '80s. "Chaz wasn't just a punk rock producer at all," Sweet said. "He 100% knew what he was doing, and he was one of the easiest guys to work with in the business," said
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Casbah's role in the punk boom can be heavily attributed to St. James's partnership with
Charles "Chaz" Ramirez. While St. James and Ramirez had very different styles, their partnership gave birth to classic records by iconic punk bands such as the
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Tragically, Chaz
Ramirez died on Wednesday, Dec 2, 1992, following an accidental fall, after years of shaping some of the most memorable and widely heard rock music to have come out of Orange County. He was 39 years old.
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go there and record,” stated
Hutchinson, “Mostly, I think because of the vibe, and because of Chaz. Chaz always cared that everybody got what they wanted and had a good time," added Hutchinson. Mike Ness, front-man for
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297:"Going Out of His Way to Help Young Punks : Producer Chaz Ramirez was important to the local rock scene because he delighted in working with raw, unknown"
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was replaced with a Tascam 16 track, which was considered the standard in many studios at the time. It was on that reel-to-reel tape machine that Stacey Q's
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Following the passing of
Ramirez, Social Distortion began leasing the space, where they continue using the studio for practicing and recording new material.
120:. "Chaz", as he was known to most, was guitarist for Eddie and the Subtitles, a local punk band that was influential on younger Fullerton punks as the
377:"O.C. Record Producer Dies at 39 : Obituary: At his Fullerton studio, Charles (Chaz) Ramirez had engineered much of the local sound of the '80s"
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The Tascam 1" 16 track recorder at Casbah, as pictured during an EXIT recording session Feb 16, 1991.
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Ramirez was able to branch beyond punk. He engineered Berlin's hot-selling 1983 album,
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In 1998, Ramirez brought on partner Greg Heil, who engineered and produced the album
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Recording studio in the Orange County suburb of
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St. James recently opened a new Casbah recording studio in downtown
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that helped to spawn several highly successful acts, including
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Ramirez co-produced Social
Distortion's first two albums,
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213:, Fluffy, and EXIT, and speed-metal bands such as
63:Casbah was founded in the late 1970s by bandmates
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336:"Casbah - History"
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240:References
130:Billy Idol
31:suburb of
23:or simply
476:OC Weekly
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234:Pro Tools
449:Archived
138:Stacey Q
89:Katalina
81:Stacey Q
41:Stacey Q
549:Discogs
525:Discogs
501:Discogs
445:YouTube
416:Last.fm
203:Joyride
192:Stryper
184:Stryper
85:Bardeux
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