The Alumni Interview
By: Matt Anaya |
Monday February 08, 2010 |
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Notable songwriter / producer’s Anthony Meyer and Christopher Aaron make up a powerhouse production team. |
| Chris Aaron and Anthony Meyer of The Alumni come from very diverse musical backgrounds and are now one of the most popular producers in the world. In the past couple years they have worked with acts like Snoop Dogg and Kaya Jones (Pussycat Dolls) and are now focusing on their newest act Russian Pop Star George Hodos. They expect Hodos to be the next big pop star in the US and they are trying to make The Alumni a brand name, so when you hear “The Alumni”, you think of great music. We got to talk with the newest and hottest up and coming producers and we talked idol, influences, and future projects for The Alumni among other topics. Tell me about your backgrounds. Anthony "I had a nurtured love for music from an early age growing up in church with a mom who was a Music Director…and I was very A.D.D. All of this together created an induced desire to learn how music was actually created. I started playing piano and drums as young as 6 years old, then went on to buying keyboards and "music-making equipment" as early as 16 years old. By the age of 19 local artists were actually offering to PAY me to make music for them, so it suddenly became a "business." Chris I was always a big fan of music. My parents, especially my mom, always made music a part of our everyday life. Although I played and sang in churches all my life, I didn’t really take an interest in music seriously until I was 12 years old when I had my first recording session. I loved the process and knew this was what I wanted to do with my life. You guys have worked with some great musical talents, any favorites? It would be tough to actually pick a “Favorite.” Every artist we’ve worked with has been so unique and has brought something into the studio that we’ve learned from. Would have to say a recent “highlight” was working with Snoop (who’s CASSETTE TAPE was permanently looping in our WALKMANS all through high school.) Pretty surreal when you’re at Capitol Records and you walk into Studio C and BAM! There’s Snoop…like seven-feet-tall standing there in front of you ready to cut a record. Who do you want to work with in the future? Jay Z, Rihanna, Brandy, Miley Cyrus, N*E*R*D, Ne-Yo, Definitely Will-I-Am Who are your influences? We were influenced by many artist from Michael Jackson to Madonna, but we also were influenced by the great producers like Quincy Jones, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and Rick Rubin to name a few. Who do you listen to on a regular basis? Chris: I listen to just about everything. My iPod is very interesting to say the least, but right now I’m into indie bands like Grizzly Bear and Kings of Leon. Anthony: “Ne-Yo, Green Day, Lil’ Wayne…and lately I’ve been stuck on this CD I stumbled across by “Zamfir” (The Master of the Pan Flute). How do you get to work with such great artists? Strangely enough, it always just seems to HAPPEN. Whether we bump into each other at some industry event, or someone they’ve worked with refers us. It’s ALWAYS a “who you know” thing. You have to get out of the “Lab” sometimes and go “rub shoulders” or great opportunities to work with great people will pass you. Do their people contact you or vise versa? It used to be US soliciting THEM to get on projects, but now it seems to be more the other way around. They come to US, which is great. What is your secret to so many Billboard top ten songs? Well… If you can keep a secret…We have this little Leprechaun that we bought from some Irish dude on Ebay and we keep him locked in a little wooden box in the studio. If we let him out to play during a session, he does some weird “magic charm” thing to whatever we’re working on and it just becomes a smash. We just have to remember to never feed him after midnight. What does the future hold for The Alumni? We want to create a “brand”, so that in the future, when people hear the name “The Alumni,” they will automatically associate it with great music. Is this the same Christopher Aaron from American Idol season 1? I plead the 5th. Describe your music. Songs to make you dance, songs to make you cry, and songs to make babies to. What makes you guys different? We’d have to say it’s our “diversity.” We come from very diverse musical backgrounds. We also have a love and understanding for ALL types of music. Therefore, we aren't limited to any specific genre. In doing that, we can shift and work on a Jill Scott record, a Justin Bieber record and a Snoop Dogg record all in the same week. Do you consider yourself the most watched duo in the industry? “LOL! People keep saying that… We are hoping that evolves in to the “Most LISTENED TO duo in the industry.” J What are some of your favorite moments of your career so far? Getting our first "Royalty Check" (Still Framed)...I wonder how long they're good for? One really good story that we STILL laugh about to this day.... We were hired to cut a record on this famous Canadian singer (who's name we won't mention). The guy was surprisingly un-seasoned to the point that he couldn't hit a note to save his life and we literally had to record the song ONE WORD AT A TIME. After he left the studio, we stayed in there for HOURS watching our amazing mix engineer Brian Yaskulka tune and piece together every word until it actually sounded like a hit record. Later, the artist came back to hear the finished product and after listening back, with a smile on his face he said "Yep... I guess I just have... "IT" -PRICELESS. Tell us about George Hodos. Our newest project is Russian Pop/R&B Superstar George Hodos. After having dominated the Russian market, George has set his sights on the U.S. recording his first American debut album. We're releasing his first smash-hit single this quarter titled "Just A Man" featuring Snoop Dogg with his full album to follow. George is a very talented artist and we expect him to do very well here in the states. What makes remixes so fun to make and great to listen to? Remixes are a unique challenge in that you get to approach an existing song from your own interpretation with a different approach. We usually get handed the vocals for a remix by the label so early in the phase that sometimes we’re fortunate enough to not even hear the original version of the song as it was recorded. So it’s like a “blank slate” and we get to produce and arrange it in the way WE hear it in our heads. We just make it hot. Then, it’s crazy to go back after and listen to it in its original format and see how far “left-field” we took it. |
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