The Sound Mill | P.E.I. Recording Studio

Hello, and thanks for visiting thesoundmill.ca, the online home of The Sound Mill | Recording Studio!

Well, we’re in the trenches of another P.E.I. winter, although it feels like we’ve turned a corner. The days are getting slightly longer, there’s a bit of brightness in the morning sky as the kids trundle off to the bus, and, knock on wood, there’s been no “snowmageddon” to speak of.   We’re all shaking off the holiday food and drink excesses and getting back down to business! Here at the ‘Mill, it’s the time of year when I like to remind you that, even though it doesn’t seem like it, the busy summer season will be here before we all know it, and now is the perfect time to book your winter and spring sessions to have some new product in the can in time for summer.    Hit the ‘contact’ link and get in touch now…we’re all ready for you, whether you’re a novice or a pro, a solo act or band, any style, any genre.

I won my first Music PEI award 10 years ago. While the physical form of the trophy has changed over the intervening years, the feeling of being nominated for one remains the same: thrilling! This year, the ‘Mill and our clients grabbed a total of FOURTEEN nominations, and I could not be more proud. Congrats to The Royal North, Andrew Waite & the Firm, Jessica Gallant, and Maxine MacLennan, and thanks to ALL the wonderful folks who’ve chosen to work with me to realize your musical vision. I’m nominated for Recording Studio of the Year, Producer of the Year and Live Music Production Professional.  I’ve been named PEI’s Producer of the Year for the past 3 years…hoping to keep the streak alive! 😉

Another recent honour for the studio was a cover story spread in the pages of Professional Sound magazine.  This publication is Canada’s bible for pro audio, and it was a huge honour to be featured.  It was a grand time having the editor, Andrew King, out to the studio to chat and show him around, and I’ve already gotten a lot of teriffic feedback and comments on the article. Thanks Andrew and everyone at Professional Sound, and cheers to my pal Glen Strickey for taking the super-rad cover shot, and drummer extraordinaire Alan Dowling for being the drum model.  You can read the article HERE.

Who’s been in the studio lately? We’re continuing to work on a Christmas album with our very good friend Kelley Mooney, which is going to be a gem of a production, due out in time for Christmas 2017.  Also in the studio over the next bit: Brian J. Dunn, Andrew Waite and the Firm, Fiddlers’ Sons, and hopefully YOU!

Photo by Glen Strickey

Well well well. Another year has slipped through our fingers, and we are filled with the unlimited promise and possibility a new year brings.  I’m looking forward to collaborating with a lot of talented musicians once again this year…maybe you’re going to be one of them?  But before we march ahead, lets’ take a moment to reflect upon the year that was.   I’ve had the pleasure of bringing a number of amazing projects into fruition this year.  Here are some of the highlights.

One of the most rewarding projects I worked on this year belongs to roots-rockers Andrew Waite and the Firm: their debut EP “Burning Through The Night”.  The songs and musicianship are top-notch, and no one brings more passion to singing than Andrew.  This one is really special.  Have a listen to the slow burn and atmospherics of “Immaterial World“, one of my favourite tracks on the record.  Co-produced, mixed and mastered by me here at the ‘Mill.

It’s not too late for Christmas music, right? This year, I had the joy of rounding up ten different PEI artists (or groups of artists) to contribute new versions of holiday classics on “A Special Island Christmas“, a Christmas album in support of Special Olympics PEI.  I got to have a dream list of artists join me in the studio: Lennie Gallant, Tim Chaisson, Paper Lions, Meaghan Blanchard, Gordie MacKeeman and his Rhythm Boys and many more, and I think we achieved our goal of making a timeless Christmas collection to be enjoyed for many years to come.

If you like hard-edged, straight ahead, pedal-down rock and roll, look no further than Loyal Thieves.  These are a great bunch of guys who just wanna play it loud and have a good time.  I had a blast producing their self-titled EP.

Speaking of rock and roll, The Royal North lives and breathes it…these guys are the real deal.  Featuring an A-list cast of PEI rock royalty, paired with the soaring vocals of Chris Dalziel, the results are sweaty and fierce.  Check ’em out.

Switching gears to country/gospel, one of PEI’s best-selling and most loved artists is singer and songwriter Kelley Mooney.  I had the pleasure of co-producing her debut inspirational album, “Still”, with a blend of reimagined gospel favourites alongside Kelley’s own personal and affecting compositions.  This record features PEI’s best session players and I think it’s a “big league” production all the way. Check out our arrangement of the traditional “O Happy Day”, complete with childrens’ choir!

Folk singer-songwriter Bryson Guptill realized a long-standing goal to release an EP of his lovely songs this year.  We’ve been working on the tunes for a while now, and it’s wonderful to have them out there in the world.  Featuring a top-notch band of Alan Dowling, Deryl Gallant, Kim Dunn, Dan Currie, Sean Kemp and more, I strived to really serve the songs as best I could.  Have a listen to his terrific song about the many seasons of love, “One Little Note”.

Those are just a few of the many excellent projects I had the honour of working on this year, as producer, engineer, mix engineer, mastering engineer, or session player…and sometimes all five!   If you like what you’ve heard, I’d love to help you realize your musical vision in the studio here at The Sound Mill.  As you can see, I work in just about any genre, and I’m standing by to help you with your musical goals in 2016!  Drop me an email, Facebook message, or phone call to get the process started, and see how easy it can be to make it happen!