Recording Showcase 2020
“As It Goes (feat. HUNTER & Gabriel David)”
by Chris Jewson (feat. HUNTER & Gabriel David)
Chris Jewson
Freshman, Music Industry
Introduction
The song began with Gabriel David’s outro. He felt inspired by the song “Nikes On My Feet” from Mac Miller’s 2010 mixtape, K.I.D.S., and proceeded to search for Mac Miller “type beats” on YouTube. After he wrote his verse to the song, he sent it to me and I got working immediately. I finished my intro and verse for the song, along with the hook, and gave it a working title of “Eighteen” (which I decided to change to “As It Goes” a week before its release). We had begun recording some material for my EP with our friend Hunter Roussel, and he expressed interest in being on the track as well. I wrote a short verse for him and the song’s lyrics had been written.
When I thought of writing this song, I was also inspired by Mac Miller, specifically, the lyrics “when I get old I’mma be real cool, sitting on the porch with a fresh pair of shoes/ whole bunch o’ stories for the neighborhood kids, tell ’em to believe they’ll be making it big” from his 2011 track, Life Ain’t Easy. This song came from a place where I had just begun my journey outside of high school as it was both reflective and wondersome about the future. The idea of just going with life from here on out, and not dwelling on the past came to the forefront, spawning the lyric “take it as it goes,” the main theme of the track.
About the producer
My name is Chris Jewson and I am a nineteen-year-old alternative hip hop artist from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. I started releasing music when I was fifteen, going on to direct and co-produce over 25 music videos, record two EPs, and perform at venues like the Majestic and High Noon Saloon in Madison. I spent years working on my craft and getting to know the business, enrolling at UW Oshkosh to pursue it further. I plan on becoming a full-time musician, working as a creative in the music and entertainment industries.
About The Process
SONG:
We began recording this song in my home studio in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin in the summer of 2019. I started by recording myself into GarageBand, as I had not been exposed to Pro Tools yet, with help recording my vocals from Gabriel for time efficiency. While recording, we used my Blue Microphone Bluebird condenser microphone, with a Scarlett 2i2 audio interface. I also used JBL 305P MkII studio monitors for immediate listening while recording with Audio-Technica ATH-M40x headphones. I converted a wardrobe into a small recording booth in 2016, which we used to record in.
That same day, I recorded his verse as well and laid out a basic arrangement of the song. After speaking with HUNTER and learning of his interest, I sat down on my stairs and spent about 20 minutes writing his short verse. He came over a few days later to record his verse and some takes of the hook, too. It was his first time recording, so it took a bit longer but worked out well.
When I arrived at UW Oshkosh, I re-recorded my vocals in my dorm room, as they were not quite where I wanted to be. Hunter, before formally attending UWO, came to campus to visit and we recorded some new adlibs as well. After I felt comfortable with the sound, I tracked out all of the vocals and sent them to my engineer friend, Devinci, who was now attending school at the Institute of Production and Recording in Minneapolis. He used Pro Tools to mix and master the track and it became one of the first songs on my EP.
VIDEO:
One of the first weekends at UWO, I traveled back to my hometown to record a music video with my long time filmer and best friend, Erik “Erkjam” Moehr. We weren’t totally sure what we wanted to do, but we knew we wanted to get some shots around our hometown per some of the lyrics in the song. We brought the camera out while hanging out at Erik’s house, getting some random shots, and then went to the grocery store, Woodman’s, for some additional shots. The following morning, our friends went to IHOP for some breakfast and even more shots, HUNTER and I impulsively pierced our ears, and we went to film the final shots in a cul de sac in town, another theme in the project.
Credits
Primary Artist – Chris Jewson
Featured Artist – Hunter “HUNTER” Roussel
Featured Artist – Gabriel David
Producer – ThatKidGoran
Recording Engineer – Chris Jewson
Assistant Engineer – Gabriel David
Mix Engineer – Devin “Devinci” Barksdale
Mastering Engineer – Devin “Devinci” Barksdale
Video
Director – Chris Jewson
Director of Photography – Erik “Erkjam” Moehr
Coloring and Edit – Erik “Erkjam” Moehr
Additional Footage – Chris Jewson
Additional Footage – Alec Mitchell
What Do You Think?
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Great job and nice production! Very genuine and honest.