Print ArticleIN THE STUDIO: The Session Connection
Resources for Producers and Players
Producers may want to find players for their sessions. And these players want to make themselves known to those producers. So how can these two groups connect?
Generally, there are two ways to make this happen. Various referral services offer lists of musician names, contact information and qualifications for producers to access. Several of those that serve the Nashville community include:
www.backpage.com
(listings updated daily for work being sought and offered; basic listings are free, with minor charges required for prime display position and larger amounts for additional ad placement in the Nashville Scene)
Dick McVeys Musician Referral Service
(founded by Nashville musician/publicist Dick McVey; dedicated to helping musicians find work via listing distributed online and by fax to potential employers each month and posted on www.dickmcvey.com; annual payment is $125 plus filing fee of $20 for Tennessee residents and $30 for non-residents)
Recording Musicians Association
(independent directory and information source for musicians; annual rates vary from $75 to $200 for patron level, with membership restricted to AFM Musicians Union members; Nashville chapter at www.rmanashville.org)
www.studiotraxx.com
(facilitates global booking and delivery for individual parts as digital files via StudioTraxx portal;all user accounts are free,with fees charged only when sessions are booked).
The other conduit, word of mouth, is far older than any online resource. To make sure they're being discussed within music industry circles, musicians might sign up for one or more referral services and then take any gig they can, including entry-level demo sessions they might arrange for artists or songwriters for whom they've played at clubs, coffeehouses or songwriter circles. With luck, a producer with an open mind will hear and take action.
Producer and guitarist Kenny Greenberg, for example, has recently helped young guitarist Ben Brown gain a foothold in Nashville. His lead came from a friend, singer/songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman, whose son attended Hillsboro High School with Brown. Greenberg brought fellow producer and session keyboardist Matt Rollings to hear Browns band at a local gig. Within days, all three were writing songs together, which Greenberg forwarded to CMA Awards-winning producer Tony Brown; this triggered a series of referrals that led to a Maverick/Reprise Records deal for Browns band, American Bang, as well as what Greenberg sees as a bright future in Music City studios.
"Ben is going to be one of the great session guys of the next generation, Greenberg said. You find guys like Ben by reading the local papers and seeing what showcase they're playing. You listen to demos, and if you hear something cool, you get back to the producer and say, 'I want that guy. And you listen to the artist you're recording, who might say, 'My cousin is in this band with a wild guitar player. I want him on my recording too.' You listen to everything and everyone you can. Sometimes that's a little more work, but man, if you're a producer, that's part of the game. And when you find someone like Ben, it pays off.
2008 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association ®, Inc.
Resources for Producers and Players
Producers may want to find players for their sessions. And these players want to make themselves known to those producers. So how can these two groups connect?
Generally, there are two ways to make this happen. Various referral services offer lists of musician names, contact information and qualifications for producers to access. Several of those that serve the Nashville community include:
www.backpage.com
(listings updated daily for work being sought and offered; basic listings are free, with minor charges required for prime display position and larger amounts for additional ad placement in the Nashville Scene)
Dick McVeys Musician Referral Service
(founded by Nashville musician/publicist Dick McVey; dedicated to helping musicians find work via listing distributed online and by fax to potential employers each month and posted on www.dickmcvey.com; annual payment is $125 plus filing fee of $20 for Tennessee residents and $30 for non-residents)
Recording Musicians Association
(independent directory and information source for musicians; annual rates vary from $75 to $200 for patron level, with membership restricted to AFM Musicians Union members; Nashville chapter at www.rmanashville.org)
www.studiotraxx.com
(facilitates global booking and delivery for individual parts as digital files via StudioTraxx portal;all user accounts are free,with fees charged only when sessions are booked).
The other conduit, word of mouth, is far older than any online resource. To make sure they're being discussed within music industry circles, musicians might sign up for one or more referral services and then take any gig they can, including entry-level demo sessions they might arrange for artists or songwriters for whom they've played at clubs, coffeehouses or songwriter circles. With luck, a producer with an open mind will hear and take action.
Producer and guitarist Kenny Greenberg, for example, has recently helped young guitarist Ben Brown gain a foothold in Nashville. His lead came from a friend, singer/songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman, whose son attended Hillsboro High School with Brown. Greenberg brought fellow producer and session keyboardist Matt Rollings to hear Browns band at a local gig. Within days, all three were writing songs together, which Greenberg forwarded to CMA Awards-winning producer Tony Brown; this triggered a series of referrals that led to a Maverick/Reprise Records deal for Browns band, American Bang, as well as what Greenberg sees as a bright future in Music City studios.
"Ben is going to be one of the great session guys of the next generation, Greenberg said. You find guys like Ben by reading the local papers and seeing what showcase they're playing. You listen to demos, and if you hear something cool, you get back to the producer and say, 'I want that guy. And you listen to the artist you're recording, who might say, 'My cousin is in this band with a wild guitar player. I want him on my recording too.' You listen to everything and everyone you can. Sometimes that's a little more work, but man, if you're a producer, that's part of the game. And when you find someone like Ben, it pays off.
2008 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association ®, Inc.
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