Why are You Creating Music?

So you have a band huh? You guys have a rehearsal space and practice three or four times a week? You’re in the studio recording the next White Album? You even did some research and found the best price to press the disks? Your band is on top of it and bound for success, right? Wrong. If you think writing, practicing, recording, playing shows and waiting for your “break” is all it takes, then you should quit your night job and stick with the day job.

There are two types of artists, those who play music for the sole purpose of creating art, and those who are trying to make a living at it. Not one of these paths is less important that the other, but they are different.

Here is the biggest difference:

Say someone sits down and happens to write the greatest song sense “Hey Jude.” In Artist 1’s case the song will be heard by friends, family, perhaps even attendances at the local coffee shop. Then one day someone else hears it, records it, copyrights it, and sells it to a publishing company for 2,000,000 dollars. Now if artists 2 had written the song, it would be recorded, copyrighted, pressed, sold online, reviewed in publications and blogs, placed in film and TV, and shared with the world.

This is a very extreme case in both scenarios but the idea remains the same. You need to decide now why you are playing music. Are you serious about making is a career, or are you making music for the sake of art. Regardless of which path you choose I’m warning you now, it is not easy. By treating your band like a business you will be working more hours and will receive less pay (at first) then just about any other job.

But here is the encouraging part. If you are diligent, resourceful, and completely relentless, you can work for yourself doing what you love. How many people do you know who are making a living doing what they love? We are artists. We have to work for ourselves. We are an eccentric, free spirited, stubborn, inspired, strange, obsessive race that must create. By working hard and taking care of the business first, it allows us to give in to our creative nature, dreams, and imagination while simultaneously building a good life for ourselves as well.

Now let’s go out and do something that matters.

-B

Your Future is in Your Hands

I was at concert the other night and happen to see a really great band. They sounded very good, connected well with each other on stage, and the songs were well written. After the show I eagerly approached the singer to tell him what I great job they did. He was very receptive of my opinion. It wasn't until I asked him what their plans for the future were that I realized the bands big misconception. "Playing shows and selling CD's" is what he said to me. This is a mindset that I think far too many bands still have. They tend to focus all energy and planning into nothing but playing shows and recording.

There is SO much more bands can be doing and all of the tools are available and ready to be used. There are no more secrets. Anything you need to know can be found by the click of a mouse. The Internet has changed the way artists achieve their goals. It has leveled the playing field. You now have the same advantages as anybody else.

The way I look at it is like the Gold Rush. Over night the average person found a way for his dreams to become reality. The gold was there and ready for the taking. Driven by opportunity men took everything and embarked on a long and hard journey through the wild west. Only those who were willing to take their future into their own hands and see it through to the end found the gold.

The road to turning your dreams into reality is not an easy one, but it is achievable, and it's entirely up to you. Bands ask me all the time, "How do we get to there? How do we do what that band is doing? How do I make a living in music?" The first thing I always tell them is, "You just do it." I think it's hard for some artists to understand this concept at first. But it honestly is the best advice I have for any artist trying to survive in our modern wild west.

Now let's go out and do something that matters.

-Barrett

The Song vs. The Production

I was talking with a manager friend of mine the other day. He was telling me how important the sonic quality of an album is, and how a great album has to have unique production. After listening and thinking about this idea I asked him two questions. “How long do you think an album with horrible songs and great production would last?” After thinking about it he said, “Not very long.” I then asked, “what about an album with amazing songs and not so great production?” He agreed an album like that would have a much greater chance for longevity.


Every great album has to have great songs. This sounds like an obvious statement, but far too much time and money is spent each year trying to cover up bad songs with cool production. These albums may do well for a while, but in the long run they will be lost all in the music biz buzz.


I once heard this concept related to a property of land. Imagine the actual lot is like the song, and the house built on the lot is everything else, the production, the mix job, the cool guitar effect on the second verse, etc. You should be able to replace the house with a new one, and still have a solid foundation. The role of the producer is like the grounds keeper. We make sure the grass is green, the soil is fresh, and the lot is flourishing.


They say that a great song can stand on its own. I know producers and A&Rs who listen to demos sent to them on the worst set of speakers they can find. I think this is a fantastic idea! Truly great songs will be able to shine through the worst recordings. This is why above all, we as producers should always be pushing the artist’s songwriting.


As I talked about in a previous blog, the first thing an artist has to figure out is their statement, what they have to say to the world. Once that is accomplished, the songs are their way of getting that message out, and it’s your job to make sure that message is clear.


Now let’s go out and do something that matters.


-Barrett

How are you building your community?

Just last week I was on the phone with one of my bands, when one of the members expressed some concern about a concert they were putting on. Two of the acts they booked for a gig dropped out days before the show. I told him not to worry and called a few of my other clients I thought would fit the bill. The next thing I knew the entire night was all groups I was working with. It was such a joy to see the bands connect musically, and socially. I felt like a proud papa. All of the groups are now friends and have already started booking shows with each other. I know it gets hard with all of the time we spend in the studio, but taking it a step further and actually supporting your band’s performances, giving them advice on the crazy business of music, and introducing them to other bands is huge.

I was reading a book the other day called Walking on Water by Madeleine L'Engle. She describes art as a huge body of water fed by raging rivers and tiny trickling streams. It’s the artist job to contribute in some way to the universal collection of art. It doesn’t matter if they are a river or a small stream; everyone is working toward the same goal. Creating a community of artists is important for the growth and promotion of art and the artists themselves.

It is often too easy for us to get so wrapped up in ourselves that we completely lose focus of the bigger picture. Art has always been about community. Some of the greatest English writers like C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Sayers and a few others, would meet weekly in a pub to discuss ideas and stories over pints. The Funk Brothers from the Motown era were just a bunch of guys who loved music. They build a community of their own and changed music forever.

My challenge for you is to put in a little extra work. Find ways to connect the dots. Look for opportunities to bring your clients together. Another way I do this is by hiring members from old projects to play on current projects. Once an artist records anything they instantly feel a connection to it. This is one of my favorite ways to bring my clients a little closer and my community a little bigger.

Now let’s go out and do something that matters.

-Barrett

Do You Have the Right Perspective?

The art of illusion is very closely correlated to making records. The magician will only show the audience what he wants them to see. Through prospective it appears as though the sword is actually running through the body of his lovely assistant. We too have the ability to create these types of illusions. Only instead of using visuals, we use audio. We are able make a drum set tracked in a small room sound as if he is performing in a huge stadium. By the mere vocal level can create the illusion that the singer is sitting right next to you. But that’s the easy part. The real trick is finding the right perspective for each artist.

So how do we make sure to find and maintain the proper perspective? One of the things I always make sure to do before starting any project is see the artist perform live. This is the best way to figure out what they are all about, from the overall energy, to sound of the band as a whole, and even the message they are trying to convey. I use that image when I'm mixing. I close my eyes and try to picture the group actually playing the sound that’s in front of me. Another trick I use is during pre-production I always make sure to record each song with my mp3 hand recorder. This little piece of equipment is one of the most important to me. Every morning on my way to the studio I listen to each song. This allows me to stay focused on the true nature of the band and what it is they are doing. My job is to capture the magic that an artist has and share it with the world. That's a huge responsibility.

-Barrett

How Flexible Are you?

I feel like too many studios, producers, mixers, and engineers have a system they simply run each project through. It doesn’t matter what the songs sound like, the outcome is the same. Like an input/output formula. I understand that,for some, it's necessary to have a system like this. However it’s equally as important to have people that are willing to take each artist as they come.

If you were to give 10 bands a chart with just the chords, and tell them each to write a song, you will have 10 different songs. Every artist in unique! Everyone views life with a different perspective. Art is a chance for the artist to say, “Here is life through my eyes.” And as I said in last week’s blog, it’s the producer’s job to make sure the artist’s vision is clear. So, my question to you is how flexible are you? Are you willing to try different mics or mic placements, experiment with cloth or blankets on the drums, or even track main vocals with a 58?

I was working on a record a while ago with a group called The Steelwells. The song we were tracking had a very tom heavy “jungle” type of sound, which stayed pretty consistent for the majority of the track. I knew the sound of the toms needed to be intriguing because the drums were the hook of the song. So, I tried two things I had never done before. Tracked the cymbals separately from the rest of the kit, and placed an extra set of mics under the toms. The mics under gave me some extra power, and without the cymbal bleed in the overheads was able to apply unusual compression and EQ settings.

I’ve had singers get too nervous or don’t perform well in the booth. I just gave them a 58, turned the music up, and had them sing their hearts out. This gives them something they are use to. I’ve had groups that were going for a retro 50’s or 60’s sound. I knew the drums needed to sound tight and thuddy, so I used various cloths or sheets, and even full blankets over the drum sets to create the sound. I had an artist tell me one time, “hey man, for the intro…it needs to sound like rocks…rocks that are taking over your brain.” I looked at him, smiled, and said, “I think I can handle that.” I simply took the guitar riff in the intro, ran it through a few delays and verbs, planned it all over the place and asked him what he thought. “Ahhhhh. It’s perfect!” He was right, the intro now sounded awesome.

We have to be flexible in order to capture the unique gems that each artist has. This is not an easy task because it places us outside of our comfort zone. But it’s a huge component for making great timeless records. Imagine what Darkside would have like without a team flexible enough to handle their vision.

My purpose in writing these blogs is twofold: to share and discuss information, but more importantly, to evoke thought and the philosophy of music as an art. We should always be questioning, always improving, and always striving to be a true servant of our work.

Now let’s go out and do something that matters.

-Barrett

What is Your Statement?

I was classically trained on the piano at very young age. Bach, Chopin, and Tchaikovsky were a few of my first friends. Then at age eleven I discovered the beautiful sounds of the 70's punk rock movement. In three months flat I bought a drum kit and started my first band. In high school my musical journey continued. I began embracing myself in anything music I could get my hands on. From the classic sounds of Floyd, to the soulful sounds of Mr. Brown, to old Jazz, even rap and hip hop. In that time I also found a knack for the guitar and bass. Since then I have played with a few groups, toured, been signed to Atlantic Records, and have had the honor of working with Grammy award winning producers Joe Chiccarelli and Brian Malouf.

I started producing records in college as a way of escaping a typical nine to five job. Everyone else in my band was working at coffee shops and offices, which they all hated. After a while of this I realized that I loved the production aspect of music than the actual playing and performing. So I left my group at the time, Great Glass Elevator, and started producing records full time. I am one of the few people that can actually say they loved their job.

Someone asked me the other day what I think it takes to make a great record. It always started with the artist. You can only polish a turd so much, and in the end it still smells pretty bad. It’s so important that the artist has a strong vision and a statement, every great artist has one. The Beatles said, “All you need is love.” Nirvana said, “I don’t care.” The one question I always ask my artists is, “what do you have to say to the world?” This will determine every decision that is made after. Next, a great producer is needed to fully realize the artist’s vision. For some artists the vision is very clear and other very dim. A great producer will always be able to find it. Lastly, a good mix and master job is needed. You can spend two years tracking the perfect album and if the mix isn’t right the whole thing is worthless. This is why a lot of producers will do their own mixing.

I don’t have an easy job. I sure don’t have a typical nine to five job. But, I am one of the few people who can honestly say love every second of my job.

Stay tuned. Next week I’ll be talking about a few helpful tricks I’ve learned over the years.

-Barrett

www.artisanslabel.com

studio.artisanslabel.com