We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alex Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alex thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Most of what I know and do, in drumming or audio engineering, has been self-taught. I did take drum lessons at the beginning, which was helpful in teaching me how to break down drum parts, read music, and listen in-depth, but otherwise I find, almost to a level of other’s annoyance, I have always asked a lot of questions and I’m always analyzing things that interest me.

As far as speeding things up, perhaps attending an arts high school or college for music or audio engineering would have jumpstarted some aspects, but honestly, “learning by doing” really solidifies things for me. I’ve also worked with many schooled engineers and mixers, and it’s not always better. It can almost be a detriment sometimes if folks follow more rules, so to speak, where as a self-taught person does things more on feel, or what they’ve discovered works best for them, as opposed to what an instructor taught them to do. Just different paths.

I find that in the music performance and recording businesses, being hyper observant is huge. As I mentioned, I’m always asking questions, trying to learn how to do something new, how to play a certain thing someone else does effortlessly… An endless amount of wonder and the desire to learn more is invaluable, at least in my journey in music.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Alex Johnson, I’m a Nashville-based touring and session drummer, as well as an audio engineer. I go on the road with artists such as Whitey Morgan, Vince Herman, and Drunken Hearts, among others. I also own and operate Wise Acre Recording Studio here in Nashville, where I record sessions and mix records, working with artists and bands across the US and Europe, primarily.

I got into music like most I think, through a profound love for it, and a deep sense that I just had to be apart of it. I went to college for architecture out in Colorado, but only cared about bringing my drum set when I moved into the dorms, where I met and played with so many great players, started bands, toured, all that. I was also fortunate to have friends early on that interned at studios, or had access to them, so when I was maybe 15-16 years old, I was in studios, cutting to 2″ tape and getting a feel for the studio environment and process.

In a career path filled with many ups and downs, when I do reflect (which I should do more of), regardless of where I wish my career might be, I’m always blown away at where music has taken me. I’m grateful for the projects I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of, on stage and in the studio– the level of artists I get to play with, and the places and venues I’ve traveled to and performed at is all something I take pride in, and makes it all worth while.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Without getting into a much larger discussion about streaming and payments and all that… just go out and support local artists and bands in your area, the shows with $10-20 ticket prices, and buy a shirt or some vinyl. This is hugely supportive, and helps artists fund their next show, their next record, and so on.

There are so many incredible artists and bands around the country, and if they don’t feel the support locally, what’s going to give them the impression that they can take their music on the road and find any success? I think too often folks will shell out big money when national acts come to their town, but they won’t spend $15 to see a genuinely good local act that could someday be a large national act, if given the opportunities and support that starts at home.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

By far the biggest pivot was the decision to uproot my wife and our life in Denver, and move to Nashville in 2022. I’d been playing and recording with Nashville-based artists for some time, and coming out of the pandemic, with the support of my amazing wife, I knew we had to make the move if I was going to be able to keep growing my career in music. If you want to fish, you’ve gotta go to the water, or something like that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wiseacrestudio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexjohnsondrums/

Image Credits

Scott Seifert Photography
Jessie Marie Photo