THE GRAVITY BEHIND THE MUSIC
By StudioPros LA and InfiniteEar Records
By StudioPros LA and InfiniteEar Records
Like many singer-songwriters, Davia, of The Sound Of Gravity, began his music journey an early age. “I’ve been into music for as long as I can remember. I took piano and trumpet lessons at 10 years old. Then I discovered the guitar, started a band with friends, and there was no turning back.”
The Sound of Gravity are based on the east coast of the USA in the county's smallest state, Rhode Island. But it was on the west coast where “Breaking Up Around Me” was recorded at StudioPros in Los Angeles, California.
The Sound of Gravity are based on the east coast of the USA in the county's smallest state, Rhode Island. But it was on the west coast where “Breaking Up Around Me” was recorded at StudioPros in Los Angeles, California.
Behind The Scenes Recording Breaking Up Around Me
Growing up, Davia’s home was filled with the music of Simon & Garfunkel, The Mamas & the Papas, and The Supremes. These early influences and love of radio inspired the young musician to start the vinyl record collection he still has today.
“As a teenager I was into The B52’s, Gary Numan, and The Cars – all the new wave stuff. Then I became obsessed with The Rolling Stones and learned every Keith Richards riff I could get my hands on. That’s when I really got into the guitar. A teacher of mine told me that bad guitars make bad guitar players — so I worked, saved money, and bought a beautiful used three-pickup Les Paul Black Beauty and a Marshall amp from a mom and pop music store. The one piece of advice I still give to any aspiring musician today is to learn on quality gear. With that guitar, I’d lock myself in my room after school, play pass my bedtime, and go to sleep with headphones on listening to music. I grew up a full-out music geek, and loved every minute of it.”
“As a teenager I was into The B52’s, Gary Numan, and The Cars – all the new wave stuff. Then I became obsessed with The Rolling Stones and learned every Keith Richards riff I could get my hands on. That’s when I really got into the guitar. A teacher of mine told me that bad guitars make bad guitar players — so I worked, saved money, and bought a beautiful used three-pickup Les Paul Black Beauty and a Marshall amp from a mom and pop music store. The one piece of advice I still give to any aspiring musician today is to learn on quality gear. With that guitar, I’d lock myself in my room after school, play pass my bedtime, and go to sleep with headphones on listening to music. I grew up a full-out music geek, and loved every minute of it.”
The B-52's, The Cars, and The Rolling Stones – early musical influences still in Davia’s vinyl collection.
Davia performed at local clubs with cover bands before he was old enough to get into them legally. But he was more interested in original music and songwriting than playing covers. “Before I knew what a singer-songwriter was, it was songwriting that intrigued me most.”
Years later, when Davia was looking for a studio to record one of his songs, he found StudioPros in Los Angeles, CA.
“I called the studio and talked with producer Katie O'Tolle. She told me about the great variety and caliber of musicians the studio had, spoke about their live drum set up, strong mixing and mastering skills, and an openness to receiving tracks produced by other recording studios. All this was a great fit for me, but I was most inspired by Kati’s interest in the story and vibe of the song that I wanted to recored. Her dedication to making sure StudioPros would produce what was needed for that song cinched it for me. “
Years later, when Davia was looking for a studio to record one of his songs, he found StudioPros in Los Angeles, CA.
“I called the studio and talked with producer Katie O'Tolle. She told me about the great variety and caliber of musicians the studio had, spoke about their live drum set up, strong mixing and mastering skills, and an openness to receiving tracks produced by other recording studios. All this was a great fit for me, but I was most inspired by Kati’s interest in the story and vibe of the song that I wanted to recored. Her dedication to making sure StudioPros would produce what was needed for that song cinched it for me. “
StudioPros Producer Katie O’Tolle
Davia decided to record Breaking Up Around Me with StudioPros, a song inspired by the emotional turmoil some of his closest friends were going through at the time.
“Relationships were collapsing all around me. I saw the struggles my friends were experiencing with matters of the heart, related to them because of my own experiences, and felt others would relate to those struggles too. Finding courage is what Breaking Up Around Me is all about — it’s a universal search we're all on whether we know it or not, a sound that's always vibrating in us. That comes through most in the lyric 'Do you dare to do it over again?' You just have to keep moving on in life."
Davia recorded a demo of the song at his home on an acoustic guitar while sitting on his living room floor with his dog Gibson by his side. He uploaded the demo, the song's lyrics, and some references that captured the vibe he was after for StudioPros to reference.
“Relationships were collapsing all around me. I saw the struggles my friends were experiencing with matters of the heart, related to them because of my own experiences, and felt others would relate to those struggles too. Finding courage is what Breaking Up Around Me is all about — it’s a universal search we're all on whether we know it or not, a sound that's always vibrating in us. That comes through most in the lyric 'Do you dare to do it over again?' You just have to keep moving on in life."
Davia recorded a demo of the song at his home on an acoustic guitar while sitting on his living room floor with his dog Gibson by his side. He uploaded the demo, the song's lyrics, and some references that captured the vibe he was after for StudioPros to reference.
American singer-songwriter influences Jakob Dylan (pictured),
Tom Petty, and Lady A.
Tom Petty, and Lady A.
"I always loved how Tom Petty told stories with his voice and how he came across on a record. Jakob Dylan’s One Headlight was also a reference for an overall vibe. And Lady A's classic bass and drum sound is so sweet. Those artists are all great inspirations to me, and their records helped shape the vibe of Breaking Up Around Me."
Davia worked closely with Kati and laid out a vision for the song. After a few pre-production calls, StudioPros was off and running and started the recording process.
“Throughout the process I would receive tracks to review and provide feedback on. From there, StudioPros would refine them and created a foundation of bass, drums, guitars, and keyboards for the recording. It was a blast. Every time I received a track, it was like getting a present!”
Davia worked closely with Kati and laid out a vision for the song. After a few pre-production calls, StudioPros was off and running and started the recording process.
“Throughout the process I would receive tracks to review and provide feedback on. From there, StudioPros would refine them and created a foundation of bass, drums, guitars, and keyboards for the recording. It was a blast. Every time I received a track, it was like getting a present!”
Davia of The Sound Of Gravity at the Alex And Ani Lounge
on GoLocalProv’s live webcast promoting a show.
on GoLocalProv’s live webcast promoting a show.
When everyone was happy with the tracks, Davia received a rough mix of the song and brought it into a studio local to him to record the vocals. “After receiving the rough mix from StudoPros in LA, I worked with Triad/Normandy Sound in Warren, Rhode Island to produce vocals for the mix. When we finished, we simply uploaded the new mix back to StudioPros in Los Angeles, where they produced the final mix and master.” From the east coast to the west coast, everyone involved in the recording loved the collaboration and quality of the record.
Producers Tony Ricci and Phil Green
at Triad/Normandy Sound in Warren, Rhode Island.
at Triad/Normandy Sound in Warren, Rhode Island.
“Collaboration is key to making music and indie artists need studios with that mindset. StudioPros and Triad/Normandy are really unique in that way. They give a songwriter access to a variety and high caliber of musicians, work with your sound or helps you create one remotely, and are open to collaborating with another quality studio. All this allowed me to focus more on what I love to do most: songwriting and performing.”
Because at the end of the day, there is nothing a recording artist wants more than to inspire others through music — just like the artists Davia was inspired by growing up.
Because at the end of the day, there is nothing a recording artist wants more than to inspire others through music — just like the artists Davia was inspired by growing up.