Recording - May 2014 - 72

Musings On The Value Of A Truly Good Producer

Guest editorial by Peter Bolland
Making an album is not for the timid.
It's going to cost you some sleep, and
more than a little money. It's going to
occupy your every waking moment for
months. It'll damage your health, your
serenity, and your relationships. Some
days you'll be gripped with self-loathing
and the compulsion to throw in the towel.
Other days you'll secretly entertain the
thought that you might be a genius and
your record a masterpiece. Then your
sanity returns and you get back to work.

expanding work as a writer and speaker
pushed music off of center stage. I'd even
fired myself from my own band The
Coyote Problem. It was just all too much.
But the songs kept coming. Seven years is
a lot of songs. I had to do something. It
was time to make an album.
As the song list came together I realized I needed a title song, one last piece
to tie all the themes of the record together. I tuned my Taylor to a double drop D
and wrote "Two Pines."
I decided to call Sven-Erik Seaholm, the
producer of The Coyote Problem's two
albums, Wire in 2005 and California in
2007. We'd worked well together, we
had exceptional rapport, and most importantly we got great results. The two trophies for Best Americana Album from the
San Diego Music Awards didn't hurt. Art
contests are weird but hey, I'll take it.
At our first meeting we talked about
what kind of record we wanted to make.
Like Stephen Covey says, begin with the
end in mind. I wanted a raw, warm, open

I'd do nine takes of Dobro on a song,
and then Sven and I would start editing.
It's agonizing-which licks of which takes
to put where. Thankfully, Sven has the
uncanny ability to remember all of the
moods and feels of all of them, and deftly moves through the song mousing and
clicking and splicing and blending and
bringing the best of the best together into
one seamless performance. I'm always
torn by indecision and haunted by the
takes not used-what if there's a gem in
there we're leaving out? Watching your
producer edit is like handing him a
scalpel and closing your eyes. This is why
trust is so important.
I came to rely on Sven to do the right
thing, and nine times out of ten we
agreed. When we didn't, he'd listen and
either change his mind or gently make his
case. It often felt like we were one person,
one man with two heads and four hands,
and we were making music together.
People who don't make records have no
idea how deeply embedded a producer

I'm always torn by indecision and haunted by the takes not used-
what if there's a gem in there we're leaving out?
Watching your producer edit is like handing him a scalpel and closing your eyes.
This is why trust is so important.
A journey this treacherous should never
be taken alone. You're going to need a
great producer.
A producer is many things. A friend, a
technician, a guide, a strategist, an organizer, a cheerleader, a shaman, a mom,
a barista, a host, a roadie, a therapist, a
confidant, a diplomat, a savant, a maker
of sandwiches-but more than anything
else, a producer is a trusted collaborator
whose decisions at a thousand forks in
the road could mean the life or death of
your record. Sure mic placement matters.
EQ, preamps, signal paths, and compression settings are all important. But the
single most important element in any successful recording project is the relationship between the artist and the producer.
If you don't trust, rely on, respect, and
admire your producer, you're doomed.
I hadn't made an album in seven years.
Life got in the way. My day job as a philosophy professor and the demands of my
72

RECORDING May 2014

sound. I wanted three things front and center-the holy trinity of acoustic guitar, bass,
and drums. We talked about Neil Young's
"Out on a Weekend." We talked about
Tom Petty's "You Don't Know How it Feels."
We talked about Nashville vs. Austin, hi-fi
vs. lo-fi, and Steve Earle. We talked about
the nearly impossible goal of getting a
recorded acoustic guitar to sound like an
acoustic guitar. Sven listened carefully,
took it all in, and found a way.
As our first scheduled session grew
near I upped my practice schedule. I
wanted to be ready. I searched deep and
long for the soul of this album. In any
artistic project or process, the most important question is always the same. What to
leave in and what to leave out? The pressure began to build.
I wasn't nervous in front of the mic. I know
how to play my songs. In fact, recording is
really fun. It's the editing that'll get you.
Especially when it came to guitar overdubs...

is. I was there for every edit, but there isn't
one note on this album that Sven hasn't
touched, nurtured, birthed, and brought to
life. Sure, I sang it and played it. But in a
very real sense, so did he.
In the end, that's the greatest gift a producer gives an artist-a safe place to be
who they really are. It's the little things.
Having the coffee ready. Knowing when
you need another take and when you
don't. Supporting you through a thousand
decisions, sometimes leading, sometimes
following, until you don't know who's in
charge. You just know that something
good is happening, and you're thrilled to
be a part of it.
Peter Bolland is an Americana artist,
writer, and educator who lives and
records in the San Diego area. Keep an
eye on peterbolland.com for information
about the upcoming release of his new
album Two Pines.

http://www.peterbolland.com

Recording - May 2014

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