...I could sit here reciting lines from my manual to prove that I am learning but I figure it might just be best if I told you that there are few things that I have felt so intrigued by than the principles of sound recording. It has been less than a week since I got here and I already feel as if I am more knowledgable in this area. It's been a relatively smooth transition thanks to all of my family, friends and new acquaintances. I am ready to see how this all plays out.
Oh, and my dad called me last night, and in the middle of our conversation I started telling him about the differences between analog and digital.
With endless gratitude...
Brett
BIO
March 8, 1007
My name is Brett William Johnson.
Before you begin reading this I would like to thank you for taking the time and for helping me to remember just were my roots are.
I was born in the small town of Stillwater, OK, conveniently located between Carney and Morrison, Oklahoma. My father's name is William Johnson and he was raised in Morrison. My mother's name is Loretta Johnson and she was born and raised in Carney. I am also blessed with an amazingly supportive, younger brother, Kyle Johnson. While growing up in a college town, there is alot that I have learned about music by listening to local bands perform in coffee shops and record stores. The college supports local music and even provides venues on campus to help these artists showcase their talents.
I don't claim to know about much outside of the midwest. I've been rooted in Stillwater for most of my 18 years of life and it's just recently that I have started to venture further out into the world to meet other types of people. I owe most of this experience to music. I've been traveling to shows frequently in the last two years and was even lucky enough to attend the Van's Warped Tour twice last summer, once in Kansas City, MO, and again in San Antonio, TX.
During these road trips and visits to unfamiliar towns, I started to realize the differences in people and their lifestyles as you move from one town to another. It seems that a city dweller and a "good ol' boy" from a small town could not be any more different from each other. A city dweller may be too tangled up in a deadline or too busy fueling their dreams to sit down and have a conversation with a total stranger. Life is far more simple for the country boy who is content with the same back roads that he has traveled a thousand times over. He would be more than happy to make your acquaintence on a Sunday afternoon.
Who can say what it is in a person's makeup that causes them to lean one way or the other? Are we all products of are own upbringing? Are the curious ones those who venture outside of their element to try someone else's way of life?
What I am trying to get at is that both of my parents were never concerned with anything other than making a living, having nice things and raising a family. They are here, settled down within fifty miles of their hometowns to live "the American Dream". I don't believe that i could ever be content with staying in one spot for so long without ever venturing out into the unknown. Music has taught me more about myself than I could have ever thought possible.
I am the city dweller. My friends mean the world to me, and although I may over-analyze even the most simple of things, it helps me to appreciate all walks of life.
During the entirety of my high school career, I have always had two subjects that I enjoyed above all others, journalism and English. I often write and hope to one day let people relate their lives to mine just by reading some lyrics in a cd spread. I can't even count how many times my friends and i have done that same thing with our favorite artists.
I've been thinking a lot this past week about where my love for music originated. One album and one year seem to stick out in particular. My sophomore year of high school will be referred to now, and in the future, as the most memorable time of my life. The friends I have made and held on to in that year mean everything to me. The album that brought us together was Taking Back Sunday's first record titled: Tell All Your Friends. This album is a shining example of how music can pinpoint a time in your life.
I believe that once an artist has created something so powerful, the second you hear those first notes your memory is jogged and you feel the way you felt the first night you heard it, that's when they have accomplished what they were meant to do. I decided from that day on to devote myself to music. I went to the local music store Daddy O's and bought my first guitar. I took lessons with a local musician. Jesse Tabish, who during his high school years played in the All-American Rejects.
Now he is a local legend and fronts an indie band, "Kunek". He was one of many that encouraged me to push myself and explore the endless universe that music offers. If there was one reason why I feel privileged to be living in Stillwater it would be that the college attracts a very large and always growing music scene. I continued with lessons for about four months and then decided that I wanted to begin teaching myself in the hopes that at one point, I would be able to identify with the fret board so well that I could know by ear what chords complimented others. I knew the basics so I took them and ran.
I began to rehearse with a long-time friend of mine, Andrew Roberts, in the spring of '06. At this point, we were just another garage band and I could have never imagined it going as far as it has. We slowely built our roster up from two ambitous young men with the world at our fingertips, to a full band of four kids. I eventually stepped down from the position of guitarist and assumed the role of lead singer. I had been writing lyrics religiously for almost 18 months by then, and they were still trash, but they meant a lot to me. I still threw myself into every song I sang.
Unlike the average garage band, we never really started out with covers, we just played and played until it caught on. Every song sounded better than the last and we've now been a full band for nine months, played two successful shows and if ever a week goes by where we don't play, I feel like that week was empty. I can't imagine something you live for being taken from your life in an instant but I wouldn't have ever thought three years back that I would be so attached to creating music. So, here I am, about to graduate from high school while being constantly reminded where my head and heart are.
Sometimes, when I'm driving with the music up, moving my hands with the rhythm and singing along, my brother looks over at me and asks "Why do you get so into it?"
Well, here I am, at 1:00 in the morning, typing and listening to "Tell All Your Friends" and I guess that now, I finally know.
PROGRESS REPORTS
May 28, 2007
I have allowed myself a new sense of optimism and I pray that it sticks around for the next year, although I know that will not be completely true as I know that I will be challenged, body and mind, in preparation for my new life in the ' Real World. '
I will approach the subject of recording and my feelings about the events that have already transpired with the utmost honesty. I hope this to be an accurate representation of my experience so far.
The bell rang and I left journalism class for business, as I did on most weekdays. I remember that on this day I was especially uncertain of a lot of things in my life. I believe that it was still Febuary and let's face it when you have a bad feeling in the winter time, it is expected to be multiplied tenfold.
I arrived in my fourth hour and unlike most days continued to keep to myself while I pondered my life. I still believe to this day that you will always find happiness in ignorance, but ignorance will also prevent growth.
Our assighnment that day was to scout out institutions of higher learning. While most found community colleges, others found Ivy Leagues and I found Mr. Trout's program. Once I talked to Phillip I felt a bit more secure in my pursuit of a decent life after high school. It's not like my grades were shameful or anyhting, but until that call I knew what my life was going to be like - it was to be four to six more years of classrooms, textbooks and new faces that would all accumulate to the entrance into a field that I would most likely never love half as much as I love music.
I don't disagree with college but I do disagree with settling on something just because it is what's expected of you. I have slowly begun to make music my life in these last three years and while I'll admit that my grades have suffered somewhat, I have known what I wanted out of my life and what was right for me. So many kids use music as an excuse to avoid things, but I used it as a tool for interpreting my own life and the lives of others. I never once said to myself, "I don't need to try because I'm going to be a great musician." Being a great musician doesn't just happen. It takes a whole lot of trying.
One thing that this program has already taught me is that there will always be opportunities for those who are willing to seek them out and not let themselves settle for the mundane. Life has thrown me my fair share of curve balls already, but I have realized that every situation, whether it be good or bad, is much easier to accept when you know that everything is just one big learning process.
Don't feel hopeless, because your life is a gift and as long as you've learned something new each day than it was not a waste. I know that this will work out well for all parties involved and we will help to create something beautiful. On my drives down to the cities of Dallas and Kansas City, I have learned a lot about my father and I am thankful for that valuable time. I will savor those memories and they will help me through my late nights.
I am to start in early August at High Point Studios, under the watchful eye of Joe Mills. Every day will have its own original quality and I am counting down the days until I begin my new life in KC.
I graduated last Friday from Stillwater High School and I am happy in saying that I did not shed a tear for the loss of my classmates. It was a nice foundation, but I am ready to see this new world set out in front of me. My uncle used to always say, "We're burning daylight," and the more I grow, the more I realize how much of my character is represented in his words.
September 23, 2007
The date is the twenty-third of September and I have
now been in Lenexa, Kansas for almost a week. I have
already secured a job that I start on Tuesday at
Applebee's. It's a job serving so I think it will
help me to learn how to deal well with many different
people in a fast paced enviroment, a trait that I
think may prove beneficial in a studio. Even from the
first visit I took to Lenexa I knew that I would fit
in well with the big city.
Mr. Mills has been busy catching up this week and I
have spent alot of my time absorbing the basics out of
my recording manual. I feel that myself and Mr. Mills
will not have much trouble getting along and it
wouldn't surprise me if we were to become good friends
before my time here is over with.
He is a very good guy and a pleasure to be around. One other positive thing that has stuck out in my mind lately is how fast time passes while I am in the studio. On average I have been spending five hours a day there and it is the quickest part of my day.
I could sit here reciting lines from my manual to
prove that I am learning but I figure it might just be
best if I told you that there are few things that I
have felt so intrigued by than the principles of sound
recording. It has been less than a week since I got
here and I already feel as if I am more knowledgable
in this area. It's been a relatively smooth transition
thanks to all of my family, friends and new
acquaintances. I am ready to see how this all plays
out.
Oh, and my dad called me last night and in the
middle of our conversation I started telling him about
the differences between analog and digital.
with endless gratitude,
brett johnson
October 9, 2007
It is the ninth of October and I am presently
seated in the lobby of High Point Recording Studios
located in (my home of three weeks now) Lenexa, KS. We
have the young and ambitious guys of Empathy, Ryan and
Shaun here to listen to their mixdown. Joe has been
finishing their song up for the better part of the day
and it should be sent to be mastered before the sun
sets.
This weekend was hectic at best and I am
actually feeling relieved to be back in the mid-week.
I am working a lot and learning how to pay bills, be a
good friend even when I'm six hours away, and (the
scariest undertaking yet), trying to cook for myself - because you know I'm not completely lazy and a man can't survive on Fruity Pebbles and turkey sandwiches.
I've been making friends at a quicker rate than I was
expecting and I know that I owe most of that to my
increasing abilty to play anywhere in front of
anybody.
I drove to Westport (resident nightlife district
of KC) on Sat. night. I arrived on the street corner
at somewhere around midnight and played until two in
the morning. It was a great experience.
So I know what you might be thinking now, Phillip.
"What have I done. He'll be living on the streets
before he's finished." But I promise you I am taking
care of my bills, and although my willingness to
perform and my need for entertainment sometimes takes
precedence over sleep, I am still attending to my
duties at the studio, and with each passing week am
feeling more fulfilled with all the knowledge I am
gaining.
Right now I am studying amplifiers and writing
songs in my downtime. This town has been gracious so
far, and sometimes I can even start to forget how far
away I am from home.
I hope all is well with you in the world
- brett
December 5, 2007
It's almost been three months now since I packed my
bags and left for Kansas. I must say it has felt like
much longer.
I'm still learning and at this pace I am
expecting to be able to carry my own weight very
soon. The Modern Recording book has been an invaluable
tool and I trust will be for years to come.
I've been experimenting with my Protools system religiously for
the last few weeks and I'm growing more and more
familiar with the edit tools, software plug-ins and
general shortcuts that have made Protools such an
efficient system. The last few days have been devoted
mostly to book work and this evening I am becoming
familiar with the basics of MIDI and its many
applications in audio.
The whole process of client relations is becoming something very comfortable for me. I am beginning to feel more at ease in the studio than i have previously and I see that as a great sign of progress.
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!
-brett
January 9, 2008
I'm back from vacation...
and things are about to start picking up a lot.
I had taken a few weeks off for a sickness in
mid-December and then Christmas towards the end of
December but now Ii'm back for the next four months.
I am entering into the part of the program where I
begin to record my own clients. I've found a band in
the Johnson County area that I have opened for a few
times and they will be joining me in the studio in the
next few weeks to work on a short EP.
This EP will consist of somewhere between four and seven songs and there will be everything from violin to trumpet featured on the tracks.
I am really excited and am very relieved to be
able to take a little break from the book work.
Good things are happening.
with much gratitude!
-brett
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