Joe Tessone

Audio Engineer/ Producer/ Audio Restoration Specialist

Joe Tessone is an owner and chief audio engineer at Mystery Street Recording Company. He is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago’s famed school of Audio Arts and Acoustics, with a degree specializing in Audio Design and Production. He also works as head Audio Archivist at the Old Town School of Folk Music where he has helped preserve over 12,000 songs from recordings that date as far back as 1956. He is a member of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections and the Audio Engineering Society. In 2008 was chosen as a panel judge for the 1st annual Native-E Music Awards in Albuquerque, NM. His work has been featured on Chicago Radio Stations including Q101, WXRT, and WGCI.

Joe also worked as a mastering engineer for the “127 Songs Live From the Old Town School of Folk Music” project, during which he mastered tracks by world renowned artists including Pete Seeger, Jeff Tweedy, Mahalia Jackson, Donovan, Andrew Bird, and more.

In addition to his accomplishments in the field of audio, he is a musician of sorts. His musical career spans over 15 years of experience, most recently as singer/songwriter for the eclectic punk rock band‚ Behold!‚ and banjo/ukulele player for the Americana ensemble, The Rust Belt Ramblers.

Much of Joe’s songwriting and music-making is influenced by his work as a community activist. For many years, Joe has been involved in the animal rights movement and anti-war activism. From 2010-2011 he served two terms as the General Secretary-Treasurer of his labor union, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Currently in the IWW, he is involved with a nationwide campaign to organize a rank-and-file, member-run union of musicians, audio engineers, and others in the entertainment industry.

Joe Smith

Engineer

Joe Smith is the newest addition to Mystery Street, and comes aboard as the metal connoisseur. With a diverse taste and background in music, Joe brings his experience with playing in different musical genres to the console. While all forms of metal are his specialty, slow, fast, or otherwise, he can help your band find the tone or theme you are looking for while preserving the uniqueness of your own sound! Furthermore, Joe has worked with Chicago rap artists in both producing and engineering.

As a musician, Joe is the drummer and original singer of the technical death metal band Truculency (Amputated Vein Records). Additionally, he is the guitar player and singer for the thrash metal band Lightning Thrash Attack.

He has also been a session drummer for various bands throughout the Chicagoland area. Need a drummer for your session? Contact Mystery Street for rates and availability!

Ron Sansone

Freelance Producer

Ron is a multi-talented musician and music producer. If you need custom backing tracks or remixes, he is the guy to talk to!