Other than songwriting, high quality musical production is one of the great passions of my life. Not only does it provide the song itself with an aesthetic audio backdrop, but it adds color and dimension to the overall vision and direction of the final product. In my opinion, it is what brings the song to life. The idea for a song is conceived in real time, and as a songwriter, I consider it my job to carry the purest version of that idea through to the end, with as little input from my self-conscious mind as possible. A good song should be able to stand on its own, and can be performed in a multitude of scenarios, instrumentations, and variations. For me, this is when I know a song will work, but also means that the most difficult part is yet to come. With the opportunity for so many audible outcomes, who’s to say which would best suit the idea itself? This is where high quality musical production becomes important, and having someone at the helm who is able to not only consider multiple outcomes, but also weigh them against one another is the difference between a song being lost in translation, and reaching self-actualization.

 

The job of the producer is to hear the initial, pure version of a song, and project themselves into the mind of the songwriter, to understand exactly what that song is trying to say, and where it exists. From there, they are essentially manifesting the universe that surrounds a given idea into physical and audible existence. The producer is just as important as the songwriter, and the perfect pairing of the two is what creates a final product that will stand the test of time. A high quality producer is an artist, and their canvas is a blank soundscape, to be decorated and enhanced with the colors of specific tonality, instrumentation, and energy. They are essentially understanding an artistic idea and saying, “paint it this way, with these colors”.

 

I’ve been writing songs for ten years, and over that course of time, I’ve come to understand my process, with all of its intricacies. I’ve had many failures, but come through each of them with an understanding of what doesn’t work. That has helped me tremendously, and probably even more-so than understanding what does. I have been on a journey of streamlining my process, so I can get closer to my musical ideal; a pure, uninterrupted vision of a song, from start to finish. I always knew that the time for a producer would come when I would no longer have to ask myself, “how do I finish this idea?”. The songs that I wanted to share would guide me through the process of their unfolding, so long as I was confident enough to hold on for the ride.

 

My love for songwriting goes beyond its musical and audible qualities. It comes from the eternally challenging, mysterious, and ever-changing wellspring of creativity itself. It is one thing to understand the technical components that go into writing a song, but there is something beyond that that can never be understood. A sort of magical, enigmatic underpinning that cannot be fully grasped, and only makes itself known when you become quiet enough to let it tell you the story.

 

Until now, I’ve produced all of my seventy plus songs myself, with results ranging across the board. In doing so, I was able to clearly understand the role that production plays in how a song translates. A song can so easily be lost in translation, and given the songs for this EP in particular, and my belief in them, I knew it was time to take the final step of finding the right producer for the project.

 

I first discovered Jon Gilbert’s work when I heard Mt. Joy’s self-titled album, which he produced. I was immediately struck by the warm, timeless quality of sound, and the thoughtful production. I got the sense that on a sonic level, each song was its own world, with instrumentation and direction providing the setting for the story that was being told. It wasn’t just about serving each song with what sounded good, it was about understanding the environment where the initial idea came from. From front to back, the album read, to me, like all great albums should; Like a great book, or movie. With the start of each song, I was transported into an individual chapter or scene of the overall story. I knew immediately that whoever produced the album was not only incredibly talented, but also had a deep understanding of the aesthetic quality of a recording. I knew that I needed to get in touch with this person.

 

After a quick internet search, I discovered it was Jon who produced the album, so I reached out to him through his website. After a few days, I received a response back saying that he loved my music, and he would love to talk some more about working together on my EP. Not long after, we got on the phone, and shared our stories with one another, and our creative convictions. We very quickly realized that we shared an incredibly similar vision for the creation of albums, and how my EP should be approached. Jon shared the same, DIY, by any means necessary attitude that I did, and he was incredibly proud to tell me how hard he worked to get to where he is. He started experimenting with a tape machine as a child, and would later use it to record and produce local bands’ demos with it.

 

When Jon was only fifteen, he started touring as a roadie, musician, and merch salesman, learning about music and the industry from the inside out. This incredible level of passion and dedication is what would eventually have him mixing for arenas like Madison Square Garden, The Forum, Barclays Center, and music festivals all around the world. The underlying theme of his story seemed to be, he never waited for opportunity to find him, he created it for himself with hard work, and determination. These days, Jon owns and operates Wildflower Recording Studios in Pasadena, California. When he’s not producing music for artists he loves, he still performs as a guest mixer at arenas around the world.

 

Since our initial consultation, we have had many great and meaningful conversations about the project, and that has only fueled our desire to get to work on this EP. We’ve gone so far as talking about specific players for particular tracks, and how each song should fit into the album as a whole. We have a shared vision for what this EP will be, and the importance of it for both of us moving forward. The only thing left for us to do was figure out how to fund it.

 

Those of you who know me know that I am completely independent, and that makes finding funding for a musical project of industry quality very difficult. There is no set standard for how to do something like that, and after what ended up being about six months of conversations and advice from friends who know much more about it than I do, a GoFundMe was the standout choice. There were many reasons for this, but most important to me was the fact that it gave me the opportunity to work directly with the people who mean the most to me, and who the music had always been intended for. The idea of a crowd funded musical project was not only exciting, but also felt like the most meaningful way to create something without the intervention of outside forces. In a lot of ways, this seemed to lend itself to the initial goal of keeping this process as pure as possible.

 

I have always felt like a musical outsider, and sort of “industry adjacent”. I consider myself someone who only writes songs because they want to contribute something beautiful and meaningful to the world. I have never put anything ahead of that conviction, and although that makes my road longer than some others, I could never live with myself being someone that I’m not. If I only get one life to create something that will make someone’s day a little brighter, I am going to do everything in my power to make sure I create it with the best of intentions, and with all of my heart. This EP is going to be just that, and I do not take the responsibility lightly.

 

If funded, Jon and I decided this would be an exciting opportunity to document as much of the process as possible. We will be filming as much behind the scenes footage as we can, so fans can see how the EP comes to life. The creative process can be so magical, and we want to bring donors as close to that process as possible. In contributing to this project, donors would be able to essentially watch the unfolding of their investment in live time via social media. The idea is to have this GoFundMe serve as music created by the people, for the people. That is the driving ideal behind everything I’ve ever done, and everything I will do.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to watch the video, and read about my campaign. It would be an honor to be able to create this EP with Jon, made possible by all of you. Anything you want to contribute would mean the world to me, and I can promise you, I will not let you down.

You can check out some of my older music here:
Brad Wilson Spotify 
The Really Old Stuff on SoundCloud