A MUSICIAN’S MAGIC TOUCH

The historic building and great equipment are just part of what makes a studio session at Madison Records special. The other part of that equation are the two partners in the business, Tanner Hendon and Wyatt Oates.

Both men have a long love of music, and are experienced musicians themselves. Tanner’s first love is the drums, which he started playing when he was 10 years old. Since then he’s picked up bass and guitar and recently a little keyboard. “I like playing other instruments, but drums are really my specialty,” Tanner said. As a member of the band The Stir, Tanner gets plenty of opportunities to play in front of a crowd. Wyatt started out with guitar, playing in various bands while in school. Later he picked up the piano as well.

Tanner and Wyatt merged their talents to start producing a little over three years ago. In those years they’ve helped bring the music of many different artists to the public. As musicians,  Wyatt and Tanner bring a level of knowledge to the craft of producing that you won’t find in most other studios. “I think our musical background helps us speak the language and really communicate with the artists we’re working with,” Wyatt said. Tanner added the fact that performing helps him when in the studio to not over-produce a song to the point that it’s impossible to recreate in a live venue. “I’m able to visualize what it’s going to be like playing a song on stage,” Tanner said.

Their experience also helps them work with the artists they represent to help get the best version of the music to shine through in the studio and really showcase the musician or band’s talent. The two bring a talent for arranging to their production work, working with artists even before the recording sessions. They’ll go through each song, helping massage lyrics, extend a cool solo, or maybe even cut a part of a song that goes on too long. “Our goal is to get something that we feel will keep the listener’s attention through the whole song,” Tanner said.

In the end, what they do is make use of their own musical background and their experience in production to help take the artist’s vision for the arch of the song and turn it into a finished recording. “We’ve found most artists want to make a version of their art that can be consumed by the public, that really reaches people, and that’s our goal at Madison Records,” Wyatt said.