Willamette MTN — recording studio in American Fork, Utah
Rambler
There is a large state in the western side of the United States. In that state, a small town.
That town (of which you are thinking) should be famous for something, but it ain’t. It should be a landmark on every road traveler’s map, but it ain’t. There is magic everywhere, but more here than there. But because it ain’t famous for nothing, and it ain’t on the road traveler’s “every day” road map — it maintains its diamonds. It holds them close to its chest. It comes out in as many forms as you can imagine. The sky, the lake, the tree, the whipping wind. Manifestation is of divination, and she knows it. Every now and again it will float through Willamette MTN, kissing the sound that is created within her.
That’s it, that is ALL we try to do. Capture it, hold it, even for just a moment. And if we are lucky enough it seeps into the record.
Record inside the MTN
Previous artists · recorded at Willamette MTN
- Isaac Russell
- Desert Noises
- The Vibrant Sound
- Joshua James
- Parlor Hawk
- Cub World
- Night Night
- William James and the Underground Railroad
- The Moth and the Flame
- Pablo Blaqk
- Timmy The Teeth
- Andrew Burden
- Grayson Schick
- Armon Jay
- Luke Mitchem
- Aaron Joseph Puzey
- Kelly Bryant
- The Coyote Howlers
- Kyle Henderson
- The Blue Aces
- John Allred (Forest Eyes)
- Kenz Hall
- Brumby
FAQ
I really do hate documents that require (or appear to require) a more somber / serious / silly tone, but, some (serious) things give other (creative) things a better spirit / atmosphere / habitat to prevail under. And so that being said, I will rave and rant on.
Life & Creating
As a studio located at Willamette MTN (a place that I reside), it must be understood that there are other living / breathing / eating creatures that require small amounts of time / love / attention through out the course of a day. Please do understand that taking small breaks to attend to such matters is just part of the JOURNEY of making music / art / recordings inside of the MTN.
Busyness
(And other odd requirements before beginning the WRECKORDING process.)
- All songs that are proposed to be worked on / recorded should be sent in a zip file (all together) with very little (none) “added elements.” In other words, send the songs stripped down to their basic forms. Quality of recording is not important.
- Half of the agreed budget for the project will be paid upfront before any microphones get sung into. Creating a creative environment requires TRUST. And the middle of the road in regards to monies and the terrible burden that she puts on us is HALF DOWN and HALF WHEN the record has been completed.
Songwriting & Producing
There are many articles and books written on the subject and even “like minded” individuals may disagree on the differences between songwriting and producing. Here is how things usually go inside of the MTN.
Scenario one: a song is brought to be worked on / produced / recorded and is done as it was presented. Structure / lyrics / melody all stay the same. In this case there would (obviously) be no songwriting shares to be discussed.
Scenario two:a song is brought and someone working on the song — whether it’s me, the guy playing bass, Tuck the dog, or whoever else might be there — writes a bridge or changes the structure / lyrics / melody of the song. This would be considered songwriting, and all parties involved should discuss what ALL would deem to be fair in this case.
If a song’s structure (chord progressions usually) / lyrics / melody is changed, that is changing the nature of the song and so it would fall under songwriting. A good reference would be “All You Need To Know About The Music Business” by Donald Passman.
Producing: a producer has an overall vision (at least you hope) for the music, the sound and the goals of the recording project, and brings a unique (again, here is to HOPING) perspective to inspire, assist and provoke the artist. There IS a difference between engineering (the actual recording aspect of making a record) and producing (the giving and making of creative ideas / suggestions / decisions).
Points: if I am to produce the album I ask for 3 points on the record.
The Scheme of the Dream
Each project is / will be different than the last / next one. The aim is to make good art / music and to make sure that the artist is excited / happy about the final product. That’s it. Make good music. Write good songs. And if you want, record them inside of the MTN.
Quotas / Preguntas / Quejas y Otro
“How much does it cost to record inside of Willamette MTN?”
It depends on what you are lookin’ to get recorded. Do you got your own band? Do you need a band? Do you want a band? The plain numbers are these: $400 a day if you bring your own engineer / $700 a day if you want ours. And if you are wanting the record PRODUCED (see above), that is a different conversation. It’s probably just best to email theamericanfork@gmail.com. That way we can CHAT it out.
“If I come from out of state is there anywhere I could stay for cheap while recording there?”
I know a couple of cats that like the traveling sort.
“Could this song be more CHURCHY?”
Absolutely.
If you have ANY questions DO NOT HESITATE to ask. To learn is to live.
theamericanfork@gmail.com→Yours in life & death,
Joshua Fred.