Today we’d like to introduce you to Jared Anderson.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in North Carolina and started playing music at a young age. I started singing, then moved on to piano, guitar, trumpet (for one summer), and drums. I lived on a farm about 45 minutes from my high school, so a lot of my time was spent playing music or listening to music in the car. I had an amazing music program at my high school with teachers (Michael Meyer and Trevor Hoyt) who fostered my love of music and let me take my education where I wanted it to go.
For college, I attended Berklee College of Music in Boston as a guitar principal. I went to school thinking I wanted to be a touring musician, playing guitar in bands. After learning that performance majors often practice 4-6 hours per day, I quickly changed course. My friend was doing a lot of recording in his dorm room, and I loved the whole process of recording, editing, and mixing. I applied to the Music Production and Engineering program during my sophomore year and finished out the rest of my time at Berklee in that program as well as minoring in Songwriting.
During my last two summers in college, I interned at Omnisound Studios and Southern Ground in Nashville. I loved the experience of both places and knew that’s what I wanted to do after leaving school. Luckily, halfway through my senior year, Omnisound reached out and offered me a job. I left school early (dropped the songwriting minor and just graduated with my MP&E degree) and moved to Nashville in January of 2016.
I spent two years at Omnisound on staff and learned so much about engineering, the recording world in Nashville, and most importantly, how to run a successful studio business. I worked with artists such as Jason Isbell, Judah & The Lion, Lindsay Ell, Jaden Smith, and many more. In 2018, I decided that I wanted to step out on my own, so I left Omnisound and started producing, writing, and mixing on my own.
Since then, I’ve worked on hundreds of songs, been part of a Grammy-nominated album, attended writing camps all over the US and France, and had my music placed in film and TV.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think most of the struggles I’ve faced have been internal. Being my boss and running my own business takes a lot of hard work, self-control, and confidence.
There are days when I feel like I know exactly what I’m doing and the best way to do it, and then there are days when I feel lost. Having friends and family as well as a strong faith to help support me through the hard times has been crucial. Building confidence (as well as a business) takes time and patience and my goals are very long-term.
The biggest long-term setback for me was most definitely the COVID-19 pandemic. My work and revenue dropped by about 75-80% that year, and it took 2 full years to grow back to where it was before. It gave me perspective to be grateful for the work when I do have it, and at the same time, it taught me to set boundaries around my work so I can spend time doing other things I love in my life.
I have also had to grow. Consistently. Almost daily. I started mostly as a writer when I left Omnisound, writing Country music. I wrote over 100 songs per year for about 4 years in a row. As I started producing more, I had to get better at those skills and learn how to shift into that role. Managing an artist, managing a budget, creating a space for the artist to record and be comfortable in, etc. Then I started working a little bit in the sync world, writing and producing for film and TV.
This takes a whole different mindset and approach to the way you write and arrange songs. And the latest area of growth has been into the Folk/Pop/Indie Pop space. Being open to new ideas and allowing myself time to grow has been vital.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At this point in my career, I spend about two-thirds of my time producing for artists and the other third either writing or mixing. The two areas that I produce the most music are Folk/Americana, and Pop music which has an organic and retro slant to it. Starting in country music gave me a deep knowledge and appreciation of recording and arranging acoustic instruments, and I’ve used that as a foundation for all of my music moving forward.
The thing that sets me apart from other producers and engineers, however, is the space I create for the artists who work with me. I view production as a collaborative experience where the artist’s voice and opinions are just as important (if not more important) than mine. Over the past several years, I have had so many artists come to work with me who said they weren’t listened to or didn’t feel valued by other producers. By creating a safe space for them to voice their opinions and explore where they want to take their music, we end up with recordings they can be proud of. I have very little ego when it comes to production. My goal isn’t to force my sound or my ideas on the artists that come in. My goal is to create a community of people who want to work and collaborate with me long-term.
I feel like I also stand out in my vocal production. I used to be an artist, so I understand singers and the struggles they face when recording vocals. Once again, creating a space where they don’t feel judged and are confident singing is the most important part of the recording process. I know lots of tips and tricks and strategies and microphones and plugins to help get a better vocal sound, but the most important thing is that the singer feels comfortable. At the end of the day, whatever gear I’m using, I’m recording a performance. So, making sure that performance is the best it can be is what I specialize in.
What do you think about happiness?
Traveling with my wife, cooking new meals, cheering on UNC basketball, diving too deep into new hobbies, and making music with people that I love.
Any chance we get, my wife and I will try to travel to a new city or just a place that we know and love. New experiences and adventure, trying new restaurants, or hiking in a national park are how we spend most of our time vacationing. I also cook a full meal almost every night. It gives me another creative outlet that isn’t music-based and helps me to clear my mind after a long day of listening to music. As for basketball, growing up in North Carolina college basketball is baked into your DNA. I hardly ever miss a UNC game and will still travel back once a season to go to one in person.
I list all of these other things first because I think it’s really important for me to have things other than music to bring me joy in my life. I love music, but I don’t want it to be the only thing adding value to my life. That being said, one of the best feelings is making good music with people that you love. There’s nothing that beats that feeling and it’s what drives me to keep doing what I do every single day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.evergreenmusicproductions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaredandersonmusic/
Image Credits
Allison Steinquest
