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

Hi Billy , thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Working on LoConti’s first record was really meaningful for me. That was the first full record I have ever completed, and working with such driven and talented people really pushed me to grow and develop my skills. Working to a deadline and making it all happen in three months was really special. Once the record was out, it led to so many new recording opportunities for me. I am extremely grateful for the LoConti crew and how much they have done for me.

Billy , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Billy Carrick and I am a recording engineer, music producer, and drummer in the Cleveland area. I have been playing drums since I was 10, and then expanded into making electronic music and playing keyboards in college. This evolved into doing some recordings for my bands at the time, and my interest in music led to me enrolling in a recording arts program for 3 semesters, but did not end up finishing once Covid hit. I have been making my own solo music and releasing it under my own name since 2019, and began recording, mixing, and mastering my band Funny Business around the same time.

My first serious project was Loconti’s ‘Cherry Red’ record which was released in June of 2023. Since then, I began working numerous other bands around the area offering tracking, mixing, and mastering services. I also play a role as producer, adding drum parts, synthesizers, textures, and taking creative liberties with mixing when the situation allows. I have also been keeping up on occasional Billy Carrick releases, more commonly in the form of electronic remixes of songs I recorded for local bands. I currently work full time as a Mechanical Engineer, and work on music at night and on the weekends, but I am hoping to make the transition into full time music in the near future.

I was lucky enough to meet Ross LaMarca towards the end of 2023, another Cleveland native with a passionate drive for music and creating the highest quality recordings. We have partnered up and opened a small studio named Carmen’s Music Studio in Chesterland, OH just east of Cleveland. We are really excited to work with local musicians to bring their ideas to life in a comfortable creative space.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Getting to see people light up with excitement a the sound of their own music has been extremely rewarding. Seeing my work make that much of impact in someone’s life is really special. Beyond that, seeing the same music going to effect listeners around the world who I have never met is also really cool.

Creating new music and playing instruments has been like journaling for me, I have been steadily making and posting tracks on Spotify since 2019, and Soundcloud since 2012, so I can listen back and glimpse into how I felt and what I was thinking when I made each song about. Its very rewarding to see the catalog growing over and improving.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I graduated with my Mechanical Engineering degree in 2016, I lived alone in Dayton, OH working full time for a Honda Supplier. My only remaining band was in Columbus, I was in a long distance relationship, and making music after work was difficult. I was beginning to feel more like an engineer than a musician, and it wore me down. The relationship suddenly ended, and I made the decision to move back home, quit my job with no backup career, and enroll in audio engineer classes in Cleveland. It was scary feeling like I was screwing up the degree I worked 4 years for, but in the end I learned the skills that I use for music every day now, and made some of the best friends of my life. I did end up back in engineering, but the music has been picking up ever since. Quitting my Dayton job and moving home was a critical change for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/chillbill.vol2
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chillbill.vol2/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WJCrecordings

Image Credits
The two professional studio shots are by Anna Marie Photo https://amandamariephoto89.shootproof.com/gallery/23982370/home Slag Genie pictures are by Sara Smoot @shotsbysmoot