Today we’d like to introduce you to Joey Liechty.
Hi Joey, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hey! My name is Joey, I own and operate The Pantry Recording Co. here in Nashville, Tennessee. I started playing music when I was 10 because I was obsessed with Top Gun and wanted to learn “Danger Zone” on guitar. I didn’t think that anything could ever be cooler than that. For my birthday that year, my dad bought me a blue sparkly electric guitar complete with a distortion pedal and a tiny practice amp. I never put the guitar down after that.
I played guitar and bass in marching band in high school, and started picking up other instruments in the band room, like drums and keyboards. This is when I started writing my own music and recording with what I had available — a PA mixer plugged in an adapter to my iPod Touch. When I was around 18, I found out what a producer was and realized that was how I was making music naturally, so it was pretty easy for me to decide that was the career path I wanted to pursue. I then went to school for music at a few different schools, and moved to Nashville to start my career. I graduated in 2022 and have been producing music full-time ever since.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I haven’t had the smoothest road, but I made it work and it ultimately made me better at recording and producing because I had to adapt. One of the biggest challenges I faced was having a basement studio in an old squeaky house (with roommates) that had the dishwasher drain pipe running through it, which obviously isn’t the best for recording. The old HVAC unit was also super loud, so before I could record anything I had to run upstairs and turn off the system. The studio was charming and treated me well, but I’m so glad I’m in a different space now.
I built my studio, The Pantry, last year, and immediately after construction was completed, the city was conducting a drainage improvement program in my yard. There was a big clogged drain pipe that runs under my yard to the street and I had excavators and jackhammers working 7 am to 6 pm every day. It was impossible to record for 3 months. Thanks, Metro! Luckily, it has been smooth sailing in my studio since then, and I’m lucky I get to work in there everyday.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a music producer, musician, and mixing engineer that specializes in recording real, acoustic instruments. My studio is a grandma’s attic style space filled with antiques and a big gallery wall, which I think matches the kind of music that I make. I play almost everything on every song I produce to keep things within budget for the artist. Of course, if budget allows, I love to hire my favorite musicians who are absolutely incredible at their instruments! However, my passion above all is giving people a space that they feel safe to create great, organic, timeless music with real instruments without crazy budget restrictions. I’m extremely proud that I am able to provide an environment that artists feel comfortable in, and that my clients trust me enough to execute their vision.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I really have had such a hard time keeping a mentor locked down. Everybody is too busy and is too focused on doing their own thing. That’s something I really believe would benefit me big time. On the side of networking though, I find it best to make good organic personal connections with people rather than trying to see how they can benefit me. The best music I have ever made has stemmed out of a deep friendship between me and the artist. I think working with people you love and who love you can be the key to success – growing together is a great experience.
Pricing:
- day rate- $350-400 (5 hr session)
- production flat rate- $1000-$2500
- hourly- $70/hr for recording/session playing/mixing/producing
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepantryrecording
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5U4fjon8IlhVHyBkDHLjHu
