Photograph by Nolan Regan (nolanregan.com)
Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Sheil.
Hi Brian, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I guess my curiosity for sounds, be it music or audio in general, really all started for me around 6 or 7 years of age. I distinctively remember listening to a Mariah Carey record feat. Boyz II Men with my cousin John. I think he had bought the album that day and was listening while doing his homework. I was just goofing around until this song ”One Sweet Day” came on and I was intrigued by the sound of it. All of the vocals together, the production, the actual melodies. I also remember wondering why what I now know as an electronic snare sound was only coming from one speaker and not two. That technique is called panning. So, I often think to myself that this was actually my first memory of thinking about music or audio in a different way that a normal kid might not have.
That curiosity progressed then to me learning how to record songs from the radio. I also remember seeing my cousin Mary Clare having these different mix tapes in her room and wondering how she had all these amazing songs. Jeez, it’s crazy remembering all this when being asked about it all. Anyway, my parents saw this interest and enrolled me in keyboard lessons with yet another cousin of mine, a musical legend, Dale Hennessy. These lessons then combined with listening to what was on the radio and what my Mam and Dad were playing really set the wheels in motion for where I am today.
I can still remember listening non-stop to Celine Dion’s ‘Falling into You’ album going to different sports training sessions, be it soccer or basketball. I’m not sure you want this type of information but I can recall during a few training sessions with Jim Connolly, an incredible basketball coach, still thinking about how all these sounds on that particular Celine album were created while actually going through whatever drill Jim has us doing. That’s probably a sign there’s something else happening, lol.
Around 14 or 15 years of age, my love of technology and sounds really crossed over, and I started building my own little recording space in my ‘playroom’. I went from playing with Action Man as a kid in that same room to now learning the craft of recording, mixing and production. That same year, I created Ireland’s first internet radio streaming music station called Klubb FM, where I broadcast my own radio show every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. I did it because I really felt that streaming was the future but also I just loved and still love how records sound on radio – they sound different there, and in general, more exciting to me.
I began recording different local Artists from my area and jumped right into the steep learning curve of the music business at 15 years of age.
Later then, I enrolled in a Music Technology and Sound Engineering Diploma course with Pulse College, and after that, I completed a BA Hons. Degree in Music Production from the University of Central Lancashire in the UK where I graduated top of my entire year and with a First Class Honours Degree. I did my thesis on 16-time Grammy Award Winning Songwriter and Producer David Foster and 16-time Grammy Award Winning Engineer and Producer Humberto Gatica where I pretended to be them and produce/engineer a song with the limitations that presented themselves back in the year 1987. I interviewed both David and Humberto for the thesis and later actually got to meet them in person in the same room in Santa Monica – crazy to think how you’d meet your two of your idols at the same time in the same room.
At 17 years of age, I also was lucky to have started as the House Engineer at VISUAL in Carlow, Ireland – Ireland’s largest gallery space and a 350 seater auditorium.
I’m now 32 years of age, and have my own professional recording, production and mixing studio. I’ve x8 Number 1 records on iTunes UK and Ireland, was awarded a gold-disc for my Mastering work on Irish country star, Derek Ryan’s, album ‘’The Simple Things’’ which went to Number 1 in the Official Irish Album Chart in 2014, and my records have been streamed over 25 million times on Spotify. I collaborate with different Artists all over the world.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s a great question. I don’t think anything in the music business is really smooth to be honest, haha. I’ve often be told even when you think you’ve ‘made it’, things can still be a struggle in a certain sense. The struggles along the way I could write a book on at this stage. I think if we take a step back and think about what the actual music business is, it may be helpful. To me, it’s a business based on fear and in search of something that we think the public will like. Of course, it’s not quite as simple as that, but it’s a good place to start when thinking about the struggles. There is no formula to it. Some people want to be famous, some people want to be rich, some want both, some just want to make a living. It’s a heavily relationship-focused business which features incredibly talented artists, songwriters, producers, engineers, mixers and executives. But it also features many people who aren’t that talented who still are successful. Some of my own personal struggles generally relate to gatekeepers of the business, the struggle or striving to always be improving as a producer or mixer.
I think how the whole business model of music business is changing can be quite challenging because a lot of the revenues now are being generated outside of pure record making, but the record-making process and the elusive ‘hit song’ is still required to generate a business within an Artist’s brand.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
So, I’m a music producer, engineer and mixer. Essentially my job can sometimes be split into three categories whether that be producing on a record, engineering the recording session or finalizing the track by mixing or mastering it. Sometimes this process can happen all at once, or sometimes I can be brought into a project as a Mixer or Mastering Engineer.
More and more, and really since Covid, I’ve become known for the go-to guy to mix an Artist’s record and master it. I’ve had a lot of co-productions come my way too, which is generally where a song has been recorded, but either the artist, producer or even label feel the production is missing something, so I can be brought in there too to help. It really is a mixed bag to be honest (sorry for the pun, lol), and the lines can be blurred a lot very frequently. I always wanted to learn engineering as a first port of call, even as a kid, because I genuinely felt that’s where the secret magic was. I’m sure many will disagree with my reading this, but having a great Mixer can be the difference.
Actually, I have a story about meeting my idols, David Foster and Humberto Gatica, that I’d like to share. Earlier, I mentioned that I completed my thesis on these producers, but meeting them had such an impact on me for a variety of reasons. I was in Santa Monica and was asked to play piano at an Artist’s showcase for David. At the time, David was Chairman of Verve Records at Universal Music Group. To cut a long story short, I remember while playing a certain song, I think it was Macy Gray ‘I Try’ or an Amy Winehouse tune, looking up at the sheet music stand on David’s piano and there right in front of me was his e-mail address. I had a decision to make. Do I concentrate on the song, or do I remember his email address while playing? Remember I’m completing my thesis on him at this stage. I chose to remember his e-mail address, so as I’m playing this tune, the whole room is vibing with the artist in the hopes that she’ll be signed – I was busy doing something else, haha. So, as I’m reciting the email address (crazy to remember all this now, haha), my hands kept playing the song. I learned that day about muscle memory and how it helped me out big time!
A few weeks later, I emailed David and asked him could I interview him. He accepted and we had an amazing 45-minute conversation and interview. It was amazing! I was like 21 years old. I don’t think I ever told him or anyone that story, lol.
However, another strange thing happened as well in that same room in Santa Monica. I met an incredible producer and songwriter that same day without even realizing it. Oliver Bassil was working with David and ever since my interview, we have stayed in touched, and today we produce records together. It’s possibly one of the greatest relationships I’ve made. Olivier is just a genius, and most of all, an incredible human being. I don’t believe in luck but things happen for a reason I guess.
I’m really most proud of still being in this business, it’s such a difficult business to be in and navigate sometimes. I’m also proud of the work I’ve produced and mixed, the Artists I’ve helped achieve what they were looking for – nothing beats getting great feedback or a record doing really well on the chart or streaming. I’m proud of the relationships, and healthy ones at that, I’ve established in this business whether that’s with others producers, artists or executives. Of course, having x8 Number 1 records on iTunes, a gold-disc for a Number 1 Album in Ireland, and being nominated as ‘International Producer of the Year’ at the Music Producers Guild Awards in London makes me proud.
What sets me apart? I guess it’s my approach to making records. Having an Irish upbringing can be beneficial, haha. Producing an artist’s record can sometimes feel like a therapy session. I’m quite good at listening to an Artist and what they’re really trying to communicate or why something isn’t working. When it comes to mixing, I guess Artist’s come to me for the point of difference in how I make things sound essentially. A lot of the record-making process is taste based, there’s no real ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, but I always say the speakers don’t lie in how they make you FEEL a song. I’ve been known to pull in another producer on a project if I feel they can add something else to an Artist’s vision – that’s probably producing in a sense too because it’s all about the song and not anyone’s ego.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Jeez, there’s been so many. It’s a very two steps forward, one-step back type of business. Listening twice as much as talking is a good lesson. I’m not a massive ‘talker’ in that sense, but I’ll talk a lot if I feel I can add value to a situation or issue. I probably suffer a little from that thing Quincy Jones mentioned about ‘paralysis of analysis’. Another good lesson is maintaining healthy relationships but also having a point of view on something. Taking breaks is essential, exercise and just changing environments are all really great life lessons to be in the music business. My brother always says to me, and the more I am in this business I think he’s right. He’d say things like ‘No matter what way someone did something or someone says ‘this is the way to do it’, there is a completely opposite example of how it worked. Did I mention networking?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.briansheilmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briansheil/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briansheil/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briansheil/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lcb8RPkQB3M
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/briansheilmusic
Image Credits
Main Picture (black and white jacket) Credit: Nolan Regan Brian on rooftop in LA (black top) Credit: Esthy Brian in studio with Ryan Curran Credit: Marty Curran
