Jacob Interviews….Singer-Songwriter Brian Larsen

By: Jacob Elyachar

One of the busiest artists in the recording industry is singer and record producer Brian Larsen.   He recently released his tenth studio album: Breaking and he is already working on his next projects.    I recently had the chance to catch up with the multi-talented artist for another interview.    In our second correspondence, we talked about Breaking’s recording process, his record company: Protocol Records and

Jacob Elyachar: Brian, could you please describe “Building’s” recording process?

Brian Larsen: The process of recording “Building” was both a dream and a nightmare [laughs]. I thought I was just about finished recording the album when I met Michael James, a multi-platinum producer and mixing engineer. We got along extremely well, so I immediately hired him to mix the album. Michael saw what I was trying to do with the album, but strongly encouraged me to go back and reconsider and re-record some parts. Unfortunately, I had extremely strict deadlines that I had to meet, so I ended up recording for almost 21 hours a day for a little over three weeks. By day 20, I was exhausted and probably somewhat delirious, but in hindsight, I’m so glad that I did that and I’m extremely proud of the final product.

JE: How many songs did you record for this album? Was it difficult to remove them from the album?

BL: This was the first album where I started with an enormous number of demos and progressively whittled them down in the early stages of recording. I started out with two discs full of demos and a third disc of alternates, so I had something like 65 demos recorded.  By the time that I started recording vocals, I had whittled 65 down to about 20, and by the time I was getting ready to mix the album, I reduced that to 15. I decided to cut two songs so that the album wouldn’t sound overly long, so ultimately 13 of the 65 songs made it onto the album.

It’s definitely hard to cut songs, especially in the early stages when it’s hard to know the precise direction that a song is going to head toward.  It’s like firing an employee before you get to know them well… it could turn out to be a mistake, but you ultimately have to make a decision and stick to it. For me, the song selection and sequencing process has always been very intuitive and organic. I don’t think about it, I just follow my gut.

JE: Of the songs that you recorded for this new album…which of them stand out to you as your best work?

BL: I really like the straightforward, bouncy rock sound of “How Long?” the honest anger of “Dead To You,” and the heartbreak that you can hear on “You’re Not Coming Back.”

JE: Could you describe the theme/message behind “Building?” 

BL:  The songs are about “building” or “rebuilding” oneself up after a traumatic event like a breakup or the death of a loved one, and these songs are very energetic, passionate and diverse, sonically speaking. The majority of the songs were written about my divorce and the challenges and changes that such a major life event brings. I literally felt like I was “building” (or “rebuilding”) my life from scratch.

JE: How have you grown as an artist from your 2009 “Breaking” to “Building?”

BL:  There are a number of ways in which I think I’ve grown as an artist, but the most obvious is probably the drastic change in my production style and my recording equipment. Nowadays, I’m recording in Logic Pro and use my Mac very extensively. “Breaking” was recorded on a 24-track standalone workstation, which was really fun to record on but is nowhere near as capable as a quality laptop setup. Also, I think I’ve matured as a person and musician. Since 2009, I’ve really spent a lot of time trying to better myself in all possible ways, and I think it shows in the music that I’m making nowadays.

JE: Could you tell readers about your company Protocol Records? How hard is it to find time to balance between working on an album while finding time for building your company?

BL:  I started Protocol Records before I was a teenager, so it has been around forever [laughs]. It was originally a vanity label, just a name that I could put on my albums, all of which were self-released. Along the way, Protocol has released albums from several other artists, but for the last couple years it has gone back to being solely for the purpose of releasing my music. Last year, I started scouting out new bands and have recently signed a couple of really talented acts. Actually, last week, Protocol released an EP by the band Ivy Rose, which I co-produced.
It’s definitely tough to have the drive and discipline to work on so many things simultaneously, but I’ve really gotten better at managing my time and therefore have been able to balance everything… somehow [laughs].

JE: Any plans for the remainder of the year?
BL: Actually, yes! Right now, I’m working on four different albums at the same time… I know, I’m insane [laughs]. I’ve got a rock album that I’ve started, a very dark experimental album that I’m really excited about, which is going to be released under a different name, then a folk/acoustic album, and also a synthpop record. About 80% of the songs for all four records have already been written. I’ve never had so much energy and creative drive, and I love the music that I’m creating nowadays.

Also, I’m going to do some more touring, both solo acoustic shows and full band shows, to further promote “Building,” which will probably continue through the end of 2012, at which point I’ll be ready to release one of these follow-up albums.

Oh, I’m also working on a gangsta rap album that I’m really excited about. My rapper name is “Gnome Thugs ‘n’ Harmony.” You see, there was this hip hop group named Bone Thugs… ah, never mind… you’ll just have to wait and see what Brian Larsen sounds like rapping up a white boy storm [laughs].

To learn more about Brian and his new album, visit his Website: http://www.twilightsmoon.com/