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David Cleveland April 19, 2005
 You can hear some of David Cleveland's work for 615 Music on SFL1115 Acoustic Breeze Vol. 2. We were able to catch up with David and ask him a few questions about his influences and his approach to music:
Three CDs you can't live without:
Larry Carlton - Room 335, Barney Kessel - Soaring, Howard Roberts - The Real Howard Roberts
Three of your biggest credits:
1. Steven Curtis Chapman, The Live Adventure (won Grammy)
2. Jimmy Neutron soundtrack (took my kids to the movie and they thought it was cool to hear me in the theatre)
3. 615 Music (love that Acoustic Breeze music!)
Three of your biggest musical influences:
Larry Carlton, Roy Buchanan, the 20 minute version of Freebird!
Discuss how you approach the creation of music.
For the most part it is a melody. Some little idea that I will sing. Once it sticks, I'll sit down with my guitar and computer and start shaping it up. Sometimes it can be a deadline! "We need this now!" So the hand hits the strings of the guitar and you go for gut feeling. NO,NO,NO,NO.....Yes....record......great!
More Pictures:
David's Guitar Rack | Acoustic Recording | Acoustic at Classic
Chris Griffin December 10, 2004
 Some of Chris Griffin's latest work for 615 Music can be heard on SFL-1126 Techno/Dance/Chillout. We recently had a chance to ask Chris a few questions about his influences and his approach to music:
Three CDs you can't live without:
Wow. Just three? I have to go with Pat Metheny on "Secret Story", Hybrid's "Morning Sci-Fi", and Christina Aguilera's "Stripped". Those are what my iPod says I like best.
Three of your biggest credits:
- Madonna & Missy Elliot - "Into The Hollywood Groove" (with Josh Harris)
- JoJo - "Leave - Get Out" (Global Club Mix) with Mike Rizzo
- Mis-Teeq - "Scandalous" and "One Night Stand" (with Joe Bermudez)
My biggest thrill was keynoting at NAMM both in 2000 and 2001 about digital technology in the marketplace.
Three of your biggest musical influences:
My tastes tend to reflect different sides of my own musical "character." So with that in mind, I really enjoy the work of Pat Metheny, Michael Brecker, and Miles Davis (more for his sidemen). In another genre, there's an electronic duo from Whales called Hybrid that really speaks my voice - they are wonderful! They, along with BT and a group called Mandalay (sadly disbanded) round out my techno edge. Lastly (and oddly enough), Britney Spears' latest album has the most slammin' production I've heard - say what you like. I also like Christina Aguilera, Ashlee Simpson, and Jet.
Discuss how you approach the creation of music.
It varies. Sometimes I have a deadline and just have to produce. Hopefully my artistry and musicality can be roused by good technique in these cases, and it mostly works. Difficulty comes when I hear a finished track in my head and have to get it out before it gets corrupted. For example, the rhythm part in my head my not be isolated, so I can't distinguish it clearly. The very process of trying to distinguish it sometimes corrupts it, and then I'm back to figuring it out by technique alone. Usually, though, what comes out in the end is a very good representation of the original thought, though not always perfect. My process involves lots of software - Ableton Live, Reason (on a separate computer), Pro Tools TDM, and some great synths. If I can make the bass and percussion groove, I'm home; it all just spins out from there. If that's not working, I usually abandon the track.
More Pictures:
Chris | Studio | Keyboards
Tom Snider July 15, 2004
 Tom's latest work for 615 Music is featured on SFL-1128 Hollywood Premieres Vol. 2. 615 Music recently had the chance to catch Tom in the studio for a few quick questions about his influences and his approach to music:
Tell us 3 CDs that you can't live without and 3 biggest influnces?
It's almost impossible to nail down three CDs and three musical influences. The spectrum of where I turn for inspiration is pretty wide, but it would have to include Peter Gabriel (So, Us, Passion), the output of Media Ventures (MI2, Spy Game, Phonebooth, etc.), John Williams (a true genius in my book), any number of alternative (in the wider sense) bands and artists (Smashmouth, Sugar Ray, Fat Boy Slim, etc.), plus the foundational influences of my conservatory years (Aaron Copeland, Gustav Holst, etc.).
What are 3 of your biggest credits?
Awards - (3) Emmy awards, (2) Distict Addy awards, Promax Gold & Silver Muse Awards
Achievements - Station redesign for CNBC, Blitz package for SAT.1
Discuss how you approach the creation of music. Do you have an overall picture or structure in your head and work into the details or does it begin with the idea and grow into the song, shaping itself as you go along?
For me, writing always has to start with the germ of an idea. This can be a melody, a riff, a groove/sequence, or even just the vaguest sense of a feel or mood. At this point, I nail down the tempo and then start building from there. This process can be either very inspired or very labored; there's no summoning the muse! Either way, at some point in the creating process, the piece gets a life of its own, as it were, and just pulls me along. At this point, it stops being work and starts being fun.
As for mixing and audio recording, that is all done in Nuendo (DAW), while Digital Performer handles my sequencing. Real world (live) audio can be and is added at any point in the creative process.
Check out some of Tom Snider's work on
SFL-1128 Hollywood Premieres Vol. 2
Look for new music from Tom Snider in 615 Music Library's next quarter releases.
Stephan Sechi March 2, 2004
 Stephan's most recent work for 615 Music can be heard on SFL-1118 Nu Metal Mayhem with new material forthcoming. Recently, 615 Music had the chance to ask Stephan a few quick questions about his influences and his approach to music:
Talk a little about how you approach the creation of music.
My studio is almost completely software-based. I have very few pieces of hardware, but have put together a huge library of loops and samples from a wide variety of sources. I usually start working in Reason which I use as a sketch pad. I look for loops and sounds that will work for the type of music I'm writing, then bring them into Reason and start experimenting. Once I have a number of pieces roughed-out, I'll import them to Digital Performer, where I can replace sampled sounds with live instruments, lay down additional tracks, and polish the arrangement as needed.
3 CDs you can't live without and 3 musical influences
As far as audio CDs go, I like so many styles of music that I don't think I could choose just three. Music software CDs are another story. I'd choose my Digital Performer, Reason, and Peak CDs. Without them, I'd really be sunk.
[As far as 3 musical influences]...Hmmmmm...I guess I'd say early Tower of Power, Steely Dan (especially The Royal Scam & Aja), Nine Inch Nails, and Uberzone (Faith in the Future). I know that's four, but I really do like many different styles of music.
What's the funniest thing people don't know about you?
I'm not sure if this is funny or just bizarre, but I used to design role playing games (i.e., Dungeons & Dragons-type stuff) for a living.
Check out some of Stephan Sechi's work on
SFL-1118 Nu Metal Mayhem
Look for new music from Stephan Sechi in 615 Music Library's next quarter releases.
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