Recently I had the opportunity to speak with one of the most influential record producers, engineers, and all around bad ass music men in Southern California today Eric Lilavois. Eric has worked with some big name bands and up and comers including Atlas Genius, My Chemical Romance and Saint Motel. He owns two recording studios including the famous London Bridge Studio where Pearl Jam, Blind Melon and Soundgarden have recorded. Eric Lilavois has also produced and composed over 70 original cues for television and independent films including Pawn Stars, American Restoration and Cajun Pawn Stars. I asked Eric about his hectic life and what it is like to live the dream in one of today’s most competitive industries.
1. So you are a record producer, musician and studio owner- pretty much a dream job. How did you get started?
HaHa! Well, a meticulous transaction with the devil, naturally… Truly my story starts pretty far back in a dusty liquor cabinet where my dad kept the records he treasured. Mostly Haitian music, a few Spanish records, and count um, three American records. Johnny Cash “Live at Folsom Prison”, Bruce Springsteen “Born in The USA”, and the Beatles “Abbey Road”. I’ve always been fascinated by sound. I couldn’t fathom how all of that magic ended up on a spinning black frisbee looking thing, but I was hellbent on finding out. The musician thing was the next step, evolved into spending a lot of time in studios which led to my love affair with analog recording gear, and exposed me to the realization that I was pretty damn good at helping artists organize, revise, and grow ideas, or at the very least create an environment that allowed them to do so.
2. Who are some of your favorite acts you have worked with?
I recently finished a track called “Viejo” with The Smokey Brights in Seattle for our new record label up there “London Tone Music.” One of those magic whirlwind sessions, where everybody was wide open and in it for the best possible results, both as far as the music is concerned, and the time everyone is spending together. Saint Motel holds a special place, I produced a good part of their debut full length “Voyer”, we spent a really long time working together, and we recently did a cover of “A Quick One” by the Who for a tribute album from the music of Wes Anderson films that was just a blast. Working on the Acoustic version of “Trojans” with Atlas Genius stands out too. Keith and the guys are very present and we had a lot of fun geeking out together on gear and talking shop. Honestly though, each and every artist and session is memorable, even if some of those memories are, you know, hazy, haha! I never view the process as just a few days in the studio. I deal in moments, and my single most important ideal is to help the artist achieve some insight and clarity into the moments they are experiencing and creating, in and out of the studio. Everything we record is a by-product of that. Sometimes it takes a while to get there, sometimes it’s as simple as lowering the lights, but it’s all part of it.
3. How do you select your talent?
Much in the same way I select what I listen to. It has to move me, and it has to be genuine for me to really, really be behind it. I don’t necessarily give a shit about what’s popular, or the genre of the minute, but I don’t recklessly trash that either. There’s truth everywhere, even if you have to peel back a few layers to find it, but for me, I think if you have something genuine to say, and I can feel that you believe in it, that you bleed it, need it, feed it, then no matter what “it” is, you’ve got my attention. I’m drawn to artists who are deeply passionate and artful in the way they approach things, and I’m not afraid to take on a project that goes against the grain.
4. Would you say you have a signature sound?
I would say I’m committed to helping the artists I work with achieve their signature sound, and inevitably if you choose to work with me and I choose to work with you our colors are going to mix. I’m a gear head, I have a pretty serious collection and I like to use it. I like throwing a mic 50 feet back, or in another room down the hallway, or in a soda machine, why not? I like big drums, and sounds with space around them. I wanna hear the room, and the desperation or calm that is happening in it. I tend to lean towards recording a band live at first, overdubbing and stacking away, then peeling things back in the mix and seeing what we really need, maybe reproaching some parts more consciously with some perspective. But I’ve worked in a lot of different ways, with a lot of genres and a lot of personalities, so I generally take it on a case by case basis and leave the rules somewhat to the wind. I mean, there are certain fundamentals, some underlying manifestos, but I approach things openly because I ask that of the artists I work with. As long as we’re all challenging each other, evolving and working towards the best representation of the collaboration, nothing is off the table.
5. Who in the music industry is making money these days?
Ticket scalpers? Kickstarter? Coachella? Yeezus? Oh, and Merv Griffin, or his estate rather. I just read the other day he made over $70 million off music royalties for the Jeopardy theme. I think the bands hitting the pavement, playing their asses off, building real fans on their own, and keeping old ones, still have a shot at building something lasting, despite the dysfunction. There’s a lot of back and forth about what shambles the industry is in, but it’s actually put a lot of power back in the hands of bands to be REAL artists again. I don’t see it as such a bad thing that labels aren’t throwing money around to sign rip off bands simply as a tax write off anymore. All those million dollar advances didn’t necessarily lead to great music. It is troublesome that so many people have been raised on the idea that they don’t need to pay for music, or that an mp3 is an acceptable standard, or artwork and credits don’t matter, that’s sad. It will be interesting to see what other industries feel the burn and slip through the cracks, both in terms of financial loss and loss of quality as we head towards 3D printing and god knows what else is around the corner in a big way, and as our laptops and cell phones become more and more powerful virtual tools by the minute. The illusion of “better” is a powerful thing, especially in HD with a retina display.
6. What are your tips for bands and musicians to get noticed?
Don’t suck cause that will get you nowhere and that would suck. Play your ass off, own your craft, your vision, and your art. Think about and pe into what inspires you, but don’t necessarily live strictly by the rules of your hero’s. Learn from them, but be mindful that they have different lives in different time zones. Be relentless, and don’t be afraid to surround yourself with people who are different then you musically, artistically, but make absolutely sure you surround yourself with people who share your desired destination, and are willing to work as hard as you to get there. Find people you respect and trust to work with, seek them out and once you do, actually trust them. There’s no use in working with a producer or A&R guy, studio or anyone else if you’re just going to revert to every old decision you would have made without them. At some point you need to say to yourself I’m working with this person in this place for a reason, and if you don’t believe that deep, deep down, then just don’t do it, do the other thing.
7. You own two recording studios one in Pasadena called Crown City Studios and the famous London Bridge in Seattle where lots of grunge acts recorded. I hear recording studios are pretty insane. What is the craziest thing you witnessed?
Well I would tell you, but then I’d have to kill you, then I guess THAT would be the craziest thing I’ve ever “witnessed” . There were some questionable moments on the roof of one of the studios, but that’s officially off limits now. I’ve found other ways to help folks (myself included) embrace our inner golden god without getting it all over the pavement if we slip. I’ve heard some pretty hilarious tales from the yesteryears of London Bridge, the parties, meandering sessions, discoveries of mysterious white powders, everywhere. The studio can kind of be whatever you want it to be, whatever you allow it to be. True it has the potential to turn into the final hotel room scene from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, random memories floating by in a pool of stench, something taped to your face, perhaps an eyebrow missing, and very little actual results down on paper or on tape to show for it, but it can also be meditative, introspective, and even incredibly lonely. It’s not always the party you might imagine, rightfully, and thankfully so. It’s whatever you harness, or will, or don’t, and I’ve got to admit, it’s pretty admirable when a band is past all of that, comes to understand that though this is all temporary and fleeting, maybe the song isn’t alwayssung best at the bottom of a bottle of Jack. It might be that one time, but it’s probably going to suck. Plus, Morrison could throw a fucking TV through a window cause somebody was going to pay for it, and then pay for more studio time the next day, week, and then for the next TV, well that and he was nuts but… There’s a way to ride the line, to harness the moment and the edge and hopefully not fall off, have a good time and get shit done, on purpose, with purpose. I put a lot of stock in having my friends Nietzsche, Castaneda, and Coelho on the bookshelf to help, and countless other books, records, mementos, and things I keep at the studios or carry with me. I guess what I mean to say is recording studios aren’t necessarily inherently insane, much in the same way insane asylums aren’t, but fill either with fucking crazy people and well, watch out.
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