You can see the clip below or download the Quicktime file here. Note: I do not claim ownership or rights to this clip, which belong to MTV Networks/Viacom/Paramount.

Here’s an interview Ryan did over the phone during our last recording sessions. He talks about writing, recording, distribution, touring and of course, starving children.

It’s a great interview, but I thought I would point out that I completely disagree with him when he says “I know that anytime I try to raise my voice in any capacity to yell, I sound like I’m telling my dog to get off the couch.” There were a few times in the recording sessions when he would start to get really loud, and I thought, “this is what was missing from the last record.” I’m really glad we got some of that recorded.

The daily routine was something like this: Wake up, breakfast, record, lunch, record, dinner, relax, reflect, retire, repeat. It seemed like a schedule I would have if I had enough clients to do this full-time. It was a lot of fun, and I could see myself working like this every week, but I definitely need a break for now.

Anyway, this experience prompted me to write a post about the difference between the role of a producer and the role an engineer, and how to work one-on-one with a songwriter. I will put this up soon.

P.S. A quick technical note of reflection: in mixing, I realized how much I prefer Drumagog over Sound Replacer. Especially the large amount of velocity layers and being able to automate parameters like sensitivity/threshold – fun stuff.

Ryan Alexander

Back in July and August of 2007, I recorded a full-length album White Flags and Silver Spoons Have To Sleep In Separate Rooms with my good friend, Ryan Alexander. Recording that album was somewhat of a spontaneous notion at the time.

I’ve know Ryan since the fourth grade, and I knew he was writing and performing music, and Ryan knew that I had been recording and producing for a while, but he hadn’t worked together yet. But in the Summer, I told him I really wanted to work with his band, and that I would do it for really cheap.  So two weeks later, he drove up with demos and lead sheets and knocked out the whole album in about ten days. 

After releasing that album, getting signed then dropped by a distribution label, touring the east coast and California, starting a clothing line and going back to Skid Row, we’re getting back together. He’s driving up to Orlando with a laptop full of demos and music gear. Neither of us knows what exactly is going to happen, but both of us being out of jobs, we figure now is a good time for creativity. As a college student graduating to a dismal economic climate, I am celebrating my uncertainty. We’re living in historic times, so I want to look out for historic opportunities.