Soul Audio » Features » Aaron Sprinkle

Aaron Sprinkle

This was the interview I was waiting for. After a GMA week filled with bands, solo artists, songwriters and vocalists, my week ended with lunch at a Panera Bread Co. with none other than Aaron Sprinkle – the songwriter behind the music of Fair and the producer behind more records in my collection than any other.

From the likes of Mae and Copeland to early records by MxPx and Starflyer 59, his production fingerprints have helped define the current rock industry and the list never ends of bands seeking to work with the Seattle native. He’s 200 albums into his career, so there’s plenty to talk about. And, suffice it to say, Aaron doesn’t disappoint in this insightful conversation.

Soul-Audio: You say that you learn from the artists that you work with, so does that help you decide who to work with?

Aaron Sprinkle: I don’t know that I’m that deliberate about it. I would say I’m more blessed to be able to work with people that I can learn from. I would say I’m one of those guys that if there’s someone in the band who is a competent engineer, I’ll put him to work on the record. I’d rather have someone from the band working on that level because they’re close to the material. They’ll have an insight on that record that somebody else cannot. I never want to get set in my ways and say, ‘This is the way that I do it and that’s the way we’re going to do it.’ That doesn’t seem fun to me. I didn’t get into this business to make money or for any other reason. I got into it because I love it. I love every aspect of it. It’s gotta stay fun for me or it will just be a job.

SA: So that still holds true after all these years?

Aaron: Oh, yeah. There are times that it feels like a job and those times have gotten more intense. And the times it feels fun are also more intense.

SA: So the scope of experience is broader?

Aaron: Definitely.

SA: Why do you think that is?

Aaron: I think part of it is looking back at what I was doing five years ago and realizing that I didn’t know what I was doing then…

SA: Five years ago you were a name producer.

Aaron: I guess so. [Pause] But that’s funny because I look back on my first MxPx record and I had no idea what I was doing. I’m surprised I even got sound onto tape. I had no clue what was going through my head at that time. [Laughs] I feel that I learn exponentially more every year. That keeps it really fun and interesting. When your abilities and resources expand, your options expand. You can have more fun doing the things that you want to do. When you think of what you want to do on a record, you learn that you can actually do those things.

SA: What you’re saying makes sense, but I would think all of the ‘firsts’ stand out as the best.

Aaron: Well that’s the thing. I’m trying to keep that feeling on every project – to keep reaching for ‘firsts.’ I am all about spontaneity and keeping things fresh in the studio and not beating things to death to get things perfect.

SA: Have you found a tension there between having a sound that people want to work with you for and yet not having every record you make sound this way?

Aaron: Yeah, I never want that last part – where people say, ‘If you want that sort of sound, then go work with Aaron.’ The one trick pony thing is definitely something I don’t want. I really do take completely different approaches to different records in every aspect. That’s another reason that it stays fun for me. It’s never like, ‘Okay, let’s do the bass. Let’s do the guitars. Use this microphone. Do this that way.’

SA: How many records under your belt?

Aaron: Probably 200.

SA: When you say you’re always trying to do things differently, what’s the outlandish example where you can say, ‘This one time, we went so far as to even try this?’

Aaron: With drums, for instance, there was one time we used a tape machine instead of Pro Tools even recently. We didn’t chop them up and make them perfect. We let them stand as they were. You have to have a good drummer for that. We let the cracks in the vocal take stand because it sounded cool. That drum feel was a little off but it feels good. Then there are other records where it all has to be perfect. In fact, if it’s not perfect, it will only sound weird. I enjoy both sorts of albums for different reasons. They’re both a fun challenge.

I produce some music that isn’t necessarily in a style of which I would listen to, but it’s so fun. I love it. I love being able to try and say, ‘Hey look, take whatever top records in this genre and I’m going to try to beat them.’ That’s a fun challenge for me. It’s a great environment because everything is always changing, so the challenges are never-ending. There’s always different obstacles and I love problems that I can try to get around and fix things.

SA: You ever create your own problems by working with people you normally wouldn’t?

Aaron: Maybe. Yeah. And that’s something that when I was younger, I was really opposed to. I really fell victim to the sellout crowd.

SA: That you had producer ideals that you no longer buy into?

Aaron: Oh, totally. I have totally different ideals now that are way cooler and way more constructive and way more fun. Let’s face it. What I do, I am so blessed to be doing it. I don’t deserve it. I didn’t earn it. I believe God 100% put me where I am. I don’t know how I got here. I have to look at it and go, ‘If I’m going to look at this with all these weird snobby values, I could be working at Starbucks next year. How about the fact that I get to make records and pay my bills is extremely cool? Let’s just keep it at that.’

That was about eight years ago that I had a big turning point where I had to come to terms with what I consider success. I found myself in a position where I was striving for success and it was becoming very painful – to my family, to my life, to everything. And I really felt like God said, ‘What is success? Success is getting to do what you love and what I created you to do and you get to pay your bills doing it.’ What else is there? Anything else beyond that is just egocentric, narcissistic garbage.

SA: How were you defining success at the time?

Aaron: The big Platinum or Gold record. The major label deal. The whatever. The things that you think about when you’re a kid and you want to be in a rock band. Even on a personal level with my music, there’s enough who buy my own music to justify making another record. That’s success, really. I’m connecting with people. That’s cool.

SA: As you work with younger bands, are these things you try to instill or do you just let them learn?

Aaron: I’m definitely someone my friends and family would say wears my heart and feelings and emotions on my sleeve. You don’t have to guess what’s going on in my mind. I don’t think I’m necessarily trying to be preachy about this stuff, but if I hear… I get close with everybody I work with. Really close. And if we have conversations where these things come up, I’m happy to lend any experience or thoughts or advice that I can. I’d like to think that maybe the tough stuff I’ve gone through can be used to help other people not go through it. You have to look at life that way, I think.

SA: There’s new Fair music on the way.

Aaron: Yes, there is.

SA: How different is it musically?

Aaron: There’s a lot more piano. The mood is different.

SA: Really?

Aaron: A little bit. It’s not dreary or anything. I’m not classically trained at all. I can’t read music or anything. So when I pick up a guitar, there are just go-to things that happen. And when I go to a piano, the go-to things are completely different. So those songs have a different feel and vibe. The kind of piano I’m really influenced by though is more like Paul McCartney, Elliot Smith piano stuff…

SA: That’s a totally different mood, especially talking about Elliot.

Aaron: Yeah, there’s one song that’s got a little feel of that you can definitely hear. There’s some stuff on it that will be familiar, but I thought the last one was eclectic, too, so this one won’t throw people.

SA: Tangible plans for it?

Aaron: I wish. I was supposed to have finished it before I came to Nashville, but the Thousand Foot Krutch record went over. I’m hoping to finish it at the end of June or early July.

SA: So you gotta wait until you’re done with The Almost seclusion?

Aaron: I’ll work on it a little bit while I’m there. We’re taking Sundays off and I brought the drive with me. It’s really just finishing lyrics and tracking vocals on it. Two songs are totally finished and mixed even.

SA: I wanted to ask how a long-time producer resources himself. Are there places you’ve learned to go for wells of inspiration? Are there people further down the road you can go to?

Aaron: I do try to listen to a lot of stuff. There are guys that I follow – guys that I don’t know that I listen to their stuff. Honestly, the most inspiration that I get is going back and listening to Neil Young, The Beatles, all the old stuff. That’s where I get inspiration. That’s because I think we’re in an era where everything has already been done, so when you can go back to those times when someone was doing something new, you can tap into something there.

There’s an energy when people were just doing it. They just sat down in a studio in a room and played together in the same room and made a record. Not that I want to bring that back or anything because we’re just not there but that is what inspires me. And when I see glimpses of that now, that’s still inspiring. When a band can still really put on a show and make something special happen on stage, that’s inspiring. There are new artists that inspire me, too, but I always go back.

SA: Where do you see that happening now?

Aaron: I hope that people demand those types of moments, those special musical moments from the past. I hope the market corrects itself, that is to say they get tired of disposable music and get tired of the oversaturation and want something good, some more intimacy with their music. I know everybody talks about this, but it’s true, but the whole idea of making a record is gone. I hope kids who’ve never even bought a CD can someday experience that, where you sit down and listen to an entire record as a whole. That’s something else for me that’s so important and inspiring is sitting down and listening to an entire record intentionally put together like that, not just a song here or playlist there.

But I think it’s happening and it’s stemming from the musician community where there are people idealistic about music and what they want their music to be. But it’s so funny because I was just talking to my wife about this the other day… I used to really care about the means to the end and I don’t anymore.

SA: What does that mean?

Aaron: How the record gets made doesn’t even matter. How much Pro Tools you use or how much Autotune you use… if what happens in the end is beautiful and connects with people and people are positively affected by it emotionally or spiritually or whatever, that’s what matters. That’s why I do what I do. The number one reason that I do what I do is connecting with people. I love the thought that what I’m doing in the studio is going to inspire or encourage or make someone not feel so alone in their life. That’s the coolest thing.

SA: To go back to the album lamentation, I wondered if there’s an album that really fits that within your 200?

Aaron: There’s a lot of them because I still really focus on that when I make a record. I not only focus on that, but I focus on Side A and Side B. That’s such an important thing. I even get a band to put a space between the two sides and to think about an opener and closer for each side. That’s so important for me to at least try to convey it, even if people won’t listen to it like that. But there are a lot of records like that. I guess I’m trying to think of recent ones. The latest Jonezetta record was a good example…

SA: Their first record was a lot of fun.

Aaron: Yeah, this one was very different from their first record, which I think is part of the problem. I think they might have lost some fans or some people who are wondering what they’re doing. But it’s such a great record. I think the Copeland record was definitely a whole experience, but a lot of them are. Anberlin’s Cities… if you listen to that all in order, it all clicks together and makes sense. We still try to do the good closer and the good break in the middle and all of that stuff and you can hear that there. It’s not so much about placement of singles on track listings anymore, which is the only good thing about it. You can put the record in whatever order you want now.

SA: So that gives you a fun reason to do your own music so that you can have full control.

Aaron: Yeah.

SA: Is that essential for you to have that outlet?

Aaron: Yeah, absolutely. It is. It’s important to me to have the songwriting expression itself. That’s honestly the best part for me. The making of the record is really easy, so it’s the songwriting part that takes the most effort.

SA: Essential in a cathartic way?

Aaron: Maybe. I always feel that it’s time. I have to do this or I’m going to burn out. I’m going to lose something. It’s just time and I sense it. I hope that it’s not ego-based too much. Some of it is. All musicians are egotistical to some extent. [Laughs]