Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Drew Stier . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Drew, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?

I was already planning to stay at Chris’s family home for spring break from college, but when Covid-19 shut down the dorms, we realized we would be living together for a much longer period. We spent the first few weeks working on an EP Chris had written inspired by our first real experiences going out in New York City earlier in the year, but after a few weeks the music we were making began to shift into something darker and earthier, more in tune with the bleak times and the woodiness of our surroundings. Neither of us were expecting to stay in that house for more than a week, but I ended up staying with Chris for over three months, and during that period we did more of the work on the record. We would spend time outside walking around the woods and along the lonely rural road that leads to his family home. As a music producer, it was nearly an ideal situation, though: the home had a basement studio backed to the brim with all the gear needed to make a record and I had access to the artist 24 7; we consumed the same content, shared our thoughts, had nearly identical experiences, and had nearly unlimited time to work on the album. In many ways my favorite parts of the record are all born out of the initial misfortune of being kicked out of our apartments and being forced to unexpectedly move to the woods.

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

In the capacity I worked with Chris on this album, I am a music producer. I helped create the overall vision of the project and worked tightly with Chris in the studio setting up mics, recording parts, and creating a lot of the noises you hear on the record. I think what sets me apart from most other producers is my dedication to having every single tiny little element work towards the overall creative vision for the project. The vibe and ethos of the record has to be present in every element from the recording process, to working on the tones of instruments, to the mixing.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

For this record we had to unlearn an emphasis on technique and professionalism that had been taught to both of us in our music program. In order to have full control and understanding of everything we were doing on the album we had to treat every possibility as equally valid, no matter how right or wrong it was by a traditional sense.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

The Glow pt. 2 by the Microphones is an incredible record, and it served as a lot of the foundation for the work we did on this record. The DIY, record-it-all-in-one-room ethos was really impactful on us as well as the general sounds off the record.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://goldermusic.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/golderisliterallyme/
• Twitter: https://goldermusic.net
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqC9Y6jdzig7qAWWa9AlAHg