Tag Archives: production

Reflections

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It has been just over a month since the release of Winter. I still find myself recovering mentally and physically from the event. The months leading up to the concert were filled with rehearsals and show logistics. Quiet moments were few. The band gathered on March 10th to watch the concert video before the official release on the 11th. It was the first time since the concert that all of us were in the room together.

The next morning, I reflected on the evening and the group. As much as I missed being on stage, I realized what I missed most was spending time with these wonderful people. There is magic when people gather and create art. We each pour pieces of ourselves into the work and the result always exceeds what we could have done alone and what we ever imagined. The album and concert would not have sounded and looked as good without the band.

It is rare to find a group of people that you connect with on a deep level. We can go months without seeing or talking to each other, but the minute we gather, it is as if we were picking up a conversation we had yesterday. It is amazing to be able to create music with these people. We are critical of each other’s work and expect the best performance; not for any personal gain, but to deliver the best product collectively. We have each other’s backs, trust, respect, and love.

I miss the rehearsals and the time making music. I miss the banter, the jokes, the laughter. I miss the process of starting with chaos and working towards unity. I suppose the journey continues to be more important than the destination.

There are hours upon hours of rehearsal footage to watch and perhaps I will assemble behind the scenes footage to share.

If you have not watched the Winter Album release concert, it is available on YouTube.

The album, Winter, is available on all streaming platforms.

Producers

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The word “producer” gets used a lot in conversation and I often wonder if the person using the word to describe themselves understands the weight of the word.

In the most basic definition, if you create any art on any level, then you are a producer. This means if you write a song, you could call yourself a producer. If you created a beat for a song, you could also call yourself a producer. But for me, there is much more work required before you can call yourself a producer.

In the late 80s through the mid 90s I worked with a good friend, David Ozab on a number of albums. We were recording to analog systems in school studios. This meant that studio time was precious, and we had to work fast to complete a song. Within a four-to-six-hour time block, we would finish an entire song. I would arrive with an idea and we started sequencing immediately. Often, we would track the main keyboard part, then add parts with each pass. Sometimes I would ask David to add a guitar part and he would create one as we were recording. It was fun and rushed but at the end of the block, I had a song written, recorded, and mixed. I would go home with a cassette copy of the song and say, “look what I recorded and mixed.”

I never used the label “producer” because the process was not thought out and planned. I relied on spontaneity and the rush of inspiration to create the song. Nothing was ever though out or planned. Yes, I had ideas and sounds that I wanted to get across, but I never took the time to really question every note, word, and inflection. I just needed to get the song done.

Production is a process that requires time and effort. Production is looking at each word in the lyric, each note in the melody and progression, and even the form of the song. Production is examining every element of the song and refining them until the song achieves its full potential. Production is assembling the best songs into an album and ordering them in a way that takes the listener on a journey. Production is taking the idea of a song and turning it into a complete work that best represents the artist’s intent and vision.

I could go on and on about this, but I will stop for now. But I will leave you with one thought to contemplate…

If you continuously ask yourself and others “how do I know if the song is done,” then you really have not produced a song yet.

A producer knows when a song is done.