James Paul
James comes to the Tank from a career of more than 20 years as a grant writer, arts administrator and executive director of non-profit arts organizations. In New York, James headed the House Foundation for the Arts, which represents the work of singer and composer Meredith Monk, and worked at SummerStage, which conducts free concerts in the parks of the city. For 12 years, he operated a country opera house in Ancram, New York, 100 miles up the Hudson from NYC. He is originally from San Francisco, where he worked with the Exploratorium, the Headlands Center for the Arts, and other organizations. A Guggenheim Fellow, Paul is a poet and writer, author of several books, and holds a doctorate in Medieval English Literature. Now in his fifth year as Executive Director of the Tank, James organizes board meetings, writes grants and raises funds, books the Tank’s recording sessions, maintains the website, oversees marketing and publicity, and occasionally rakes the winter ruts out of the gravel parking lot.
Samantha Wade
Samantha has been Resident Recording Engineer at the Tank since 2014. Her passion is sonic exploration, and she has a deep understanding of the Tank’s recording studio equipment and protocols, with a specialty in mic placement. She represented the Tank at the Vital Currents Conference in Miami in 2019 and at the Colorado Creative Industries Summit in Steamboat Springs in 2021. In 2018, Samantha received a Colorado Creative Industries Career Advancement Fellowship and a scholarship for a Residency at the Music District in Fort Collins, where she honed her Pro Tools DAW skills and shadowed engineers in recording sessions at The Blasting Room, Mighty Fine Productions, and Stout Studios. At the Tank she has studied with engineers Bruce Odland, Mark Fuller, Greg Heimbecker, Bob Burnham, Tom Wasinger, James Tuttle, Steve Skinner, Jeremiah Moore, Michael Van Wagoner and others. She also photographs Tank sessions and visits, produces a vlog on the Tank and other subjects, and assists on outdoor concerts as a diffusionist.
Michael Van Wagoner
Michael has been a technician and recording engineer at the Tank since 2018. Originally from Price, Utah, Michael is a multi-instrumentalist musician, who came to sound engineering as the natural extension of his musical practice. With Samantha Wade as his mentor, Michael mastered the recording tools in the Tank studio and now runs professional recording sessions with clients as the second Resident Sound Engineer and general Tank Technician. Inside the Tank, Michael sets up sessions, coaches the artists, and places microphones and speakers for maximum response. For outside concerts, he installs the Tank’s 5:1 Meyer Sound speaker system. Michael worked with sonic artist and Tank board chair Bruce Odland to develop his skills as a diffusionist, putting them into practice when he and Samantha Wade constructed the Tank’s Slow Beethoven outdoor installation along the Yampa River, for a conference in Steamboat Springs in 2021. Michael also hosts the Tank’s free Open Saturday program, playing guitars, keyboards, flutes and percussion to demonstrate the Tank’s sonic depth for visitors.
Caleb Wiley
The newest member of the Tank staff, Caleb joined us in 2021, as our Lighting Intern. As such, he became adept at running the Tank’s new theatrical lighting system. He developed looks and ran lights for the Solstice Festival and for The Tank and the West, our film and music event with Bill Frisell and Bill Morrison. In 2022, Caleb will be a regular staff member, working all events. Caleb is a Rangely native, who has been making noise in the Tank since the age of five. He is a passionate participant in the Junior/Senior High School Band, playing the trumpet and learning other brass instruments. Caleb will graduate from Rangely High School in 2026 and dreams of attending Julliard, with law school as a backup.
