What, pray tell, does a "pre-mastering assistant" do for an album entitled Abend the Knurled Stitch? Would such an assistant make sure all stitches are knurled? Perhaps a pre-mastering assistant does the same thing on every album, regardless of the amount of sense the record's title makes. Logically speaking, "pre-mastering" would describe just about anything that happens prior to the mastering, which in the case of In Gowan Ring must be pretty weird. The group, which released three albums in England since 1994, is led by a composer and arranger who calls himself B'eirth and surprisingly enough hails from Salt Lake City. Adams may have actually gotten the most reasonable credit of any of the participants in these albums, opening sarcasm aside. Other performers on these recordings include Lincoln Lysager on "crystal" and "water" and Rubin Clinger on "arrow" and "bow," not to mention the bandleader, whose axes include "fire" and "chalice." There is no record of Adams laboring in his function as pre-mastering assistant at any other sessions by any other bands. As for the actual mastering on these recordings, that was done by Denis Blackham. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide