Case Studies

Starting as a simple phone demo, this song took on a new dimension with the addition of drums, upright bass, electric guitar, keys, and backing vocals. The lyrics deal with feeling the weight of the absence of a departed loved one, so we arranged the song to feel "empty" using negative space.

Simple Pleasures was transformed from a simple guitar-and-vocal demo to a fully produced song with upright bass, drums and percussion, banjo, and backing vocals. While sticking to acoustic and traditional folk instruments, the vibe of the song took on a moody, almost ominous feeling as we arranged the parts. I especially like the echoed-out backing vocals, which make me feel like ghosts from the past are calling out.

This nostalgic romp is a modern tribute to early American rock and rockabilly music. The demo was pretty fleshed out when it came to me, but we wanted to replace the artificial drums and guitars with the real deal. Though I was not one of the original producers on this, I added upright bass and electric guitars, hired the drummer, and mixed the song. Have fun with this one - it's hard not to want to dance!

Kelli Welli is a children's/family music artist and John Lennon Songwriting Contest winner. For Ryan the Lion, we took the playful and humorous phone demo and turned it into an audio storybook, with layers of propulsive percussion and whimsical sounds representing different animals and objects in the song, really bringing it to life.