I’ve always been fascinated with running sound. When I was in third grade, my school got a new sound system. It wasn’t anything too extreme, just a basic PA system with only a couple inputs. But I realized that it was something that I should figure out how to use, since I was big into music and would most likely be around sound equipment all the time. Little did I know how true that was.
Now, 9 years later, I’m in the process of recording and producing a full-length album for Here on Earth Worship. I’ve been running sound for the band since we started, and we’ve done a few smaller scale recordings during rehearsals or gigs, but these recordings have been a lot different, for one primary reason: everything was recorded separately. There was only one day where we had more than one band member recording at once, and that was when Sammie and I recorded a live acoustic track (stay tuned for that!), but other than that we only had one band member recording at a given time.
One of the coolest things about recording that way is that I can solo individual tracks — meaning that I can hear how each instrument contributes to the song as a whole. Every aspect of every track is important, and it was so cool for me to be able to hear each track on its own.
Nick is one of the best drummers I know. Not only can he hold down a solid groove, he can add some crazy fills as well. He does an amazing job knowing how to tone things back in church, but he can also play some insane metal drums when the setting is right.
Justin has been playing bass for less than a year. But if you listened to him play you’d never know. Take a good listen to some of the tracks and you’ll hear some crazy licks that he throws in out of nowhere. He’s also really good at listening to the other instruments and changing his bass part on the spot to match other parts.
TJ is insane. He can go from playing a single note every other measure to crazy slash-like solos with a billion notes a second all in one song. He’s also really good at transposing in his head... which is a really good skill to have in this band because we change keys on the spot almost every gig.
I don’t even know how to describe Sammie’s voice. I’ve used words such as “angelic” in the past, but honestly I don’t think that does it justice. She can sing a song like Oceans and make an entire room start sobbing within the first line, but she can also take everyone to church in a completely different way when she brings Nashville to New England (hint: take a listen to the final track on the album when we release it). Nobody in the world has a voice quite like Sammie, and we’re so blessed to have her.
All these musicians are incredible on their own, but what makes them all really special is their ability to take their talents and put them together and feed off each other. I’ve played in a lot of bands, but this is the first time I’ve felt like everyone is constantly on the same page 100% of the time.
It’s such an amazing honor to play with such an amazing group of musicians, and I’ve truly enjoyed being able to produce this album for the band. I can’t wait for you guys to hear it!
God bless,
-Spencer