Trust Music

I had a great evening earlier this year with two of my best friends, band mates, musical collaborators.

We’d scheduled a night in the studio to begin the process of developing new recordings. Naturally, for all of us it meant setting up in a live rehearsal situation to play through new songs, to dissect and finally settle on structure.

We set up as we normally do, however, tonight, we didn’t play a note.

This is pre-production from the bottom up. The basis of our session, the most important and enjoyable aspect was simple discussion, yes about songs, but more importantly about trust, connection and respect for the content and each other.

Songwriting, for many, is a deeply personal, therapeutic process on one hand and an exercise in problem solving on the other.

A producer then, requires an equal ability to relate, be compassionate and to pinpoint emotion with respect and dignity as well as implement the mechanics, the structure, and the roadmap to solve the song puzzle.

In my opinion, the latter can be taught, the former, not so much.

Developing respect for a person takes time, building trust takes time, feeling safe enough to expose vulnerability takes time.

Great songs combine these two elements.  Good songs may be structurally sound however can lack a true beating heart, emotion, commitment, trust and the vulnerability that many ultimately attach to.

A great producer offers life and studio experience and maintains a subtle ability to connect with a songwriter in order to not just document a song, but to justify its intent.

A great song is often about the gaps, the space, the blank canvas.  The space is the invitation for an audience to engage. It’s the gaps that must be acknowledged and agreed upon.

The invitation extends from the songwriter/s, to the producer, from the producer back to the songwriter/s and collectively to an audience.

The process of songwriting takes time and relies on the perfect timing of many elements to cooperate. It’s beginning exists in simple conversation.

Without a note being played, simple conversations are often the most effective and vital piece to the song writing puzzle.

A great producer knows when the cake is cooked, they know when to walk away, leave it be.

That night ‘Into Tomorrow’ emerged from a simple phone demo into something real and important.

I’ll always remember the song for the process we undertook, the outlook we shared and the result that offers space and restraint.

Most importantly I value the trust that exists between Brad, Jules and myself. Without it the music simply doesn’t exist.

Into Tomorrow will be released 16 November 2018.