International Musician And Recording World, March 1985

On Keyboards
By T Lavitz

Going The Indy Record Route

Sometimes the only way to get noticed is to make sure that it happens yourself. For this reason, another title that could be given to this month's column is "Taking Charge of Your Career," because that's what it's all about.

Today it is as popular as ever for artists to release their own recordings, in hopes of creating a stir. After all, music is the sort of communication that relates to emotion, and nobody else will know your feelings without being exposed to them. And, of course, with a professionally assembled package of your music, you will have a much better shot at getting live gigs and even a deal with a major record label. The way to be a viable product is to become one. And if that's what you desire, you must be dedicated to this goal.

Being that I'm presently involved with an independent release of my own, I will relate to you my firsthand experience. My company, Macon Records, was initially brought into existence because I felt it was time to stop relying on others to promote my music. I really felt that a contract with a major label was the ticket. But the more thinking I did, it became apparent that for right now, it wasn't the answer. Based on the interest that was shown, I don't feel that the support would have backed up my product enough to make it worthwhile. On the other hand, when my American Federation of Musicians labor agreement was completed and the record started to become a reality, other people began to take notice. Maybe I'm a bit lucky, but a short while after I committed myself to releasing this record, the Atlanta-based company Landslide Records caught wind of it, and we have since come to an agreement for them to distribute the album here in the U.S. European audiences are known to be receptive to all types of music, so of course I wanted to tap that market. No sooner than I could say "Take the market by storm," the English label Press Records put in its bid, and the lawyers went to work.

I love a good singer, and strong, vocally oriented music enhances your chances of getting some interest from the people in power. However, a strong vocalist I'm not; therefore, my debut solo release remains instrumental. As you will probably want to feature original compositions, it is imperative to have the musicians understand your writing and interpret it accurately.

Picking Musicians

Rod Morgenstein isn't just the type of musician I want around because of his winning personality, but because he happens to be one of the best drummers anywhere. He lights a musical, rhythmic fire under the band. Spyro Gyra's Eli Konikoff and Chet Catallo on drums and guitar added their share of creative input.

It is also very important to have a person who can communicate to everyone how to approach a piece or a part. Whoever is producing must have a keen ear that is trained to accurately discern what sounds right and wrong. My experience is that a competent producer has enough musical knowledge and creativity to polish even the brightest composition.

It is for this reason I recruited Eddy Offord to help me with the production. Besides being an objective listener, Eddy has the experience that anyone would want. He's worked with Yes, ELP and other rock giants, while still managing to find the time to produce some lesser-known artists. Credits like Eddy's are nice to have, because you can be great at what you do, but without proof of your talent it's harder to get what you may deserve from a situation. You, the artist, must decide if you're ready to pay for a name producer.

Egos tend to play a big role in the way some recordings go, and this must be overcome. One approach is to give everyone the spotlight at some point. For example, if I'm the composer of a song being recorded, I will do my best to give a horn player a solo spot before a keyboard lead if it is feasible. That is, you should be flexible in determining whose role is what yet keep the integrity of the piece intact. Another approach is to design the music for the players. This works well in a band situation, as you should know one another's playing or singing well enough to feature the strong points.

One very important point:
As the project leader, you must make sure everyone understands the financial arrangements. Once those arrangements are made, however, the subject of money seems to dwindle in importance during the sessions. The whole reason for all of this music making is to get a response from other people. And if you try hard enough, you might even manage to see a monetary profit.

After you have the master tapes mixed to your satisfaction, the actual manufacturing stages of production will begin: mastering, artwork, plating of the lacquer, test pressings and mass duplications, which will all take time and thought.

We'll pick up next month on the postproduction stages of the independent record release.