ARTISTS
Rick Perry
Rick played guitar in and around the Central Florida area for over 40 years. Raised on music from the late sixties and early seventies he is heavily influenced by artists from that era. In 1988 he started a jazz/funk/R&B/blues band known as Sunset Driver that played many of the area's hottest clubs, hotels and convention centers, and private venues for over 20 years. One of the more memorable events was opening for the Neville Brothers. The band also headlined many special events for local radio stations and promoters. Rick also worked with many of the musicians at Disney World and Universal Studios both for live events and in recording studios. He was also involved with Full Sail University in its formative years. In 2001 he released his first CD titled "One Time Around", comprised mostly of originals. He wrote all the lyrics and arrangements for the songs and provided guitar, vocals, and drum programming. In 2014 he released his second CD titled "Second Chance" featuring all original songs. In 2016 he released his third CD "Rick's Picks" with his renditions of songs from some of his favorite artists. In 2022 he released a fourth CD titled "It's Christmas Time" of contemporary versions of Christmas songs. He has also provided guitar work on various recording sessions for other artists as well as commercial jingles.
After the breakup of Sunset Driver he played in other Florida bands including the Olde School Band, the Passion Band, American Pop 60s, The MasterBlasters, Hot Beatz, and a Christian group called Agape. He moved to Aiken, SC in 2018 and established Silver Pines Studio, a home-based recording studio to record his own music as well as other artists wanting professional recordings at reasonable prices. Since relocating, he has provided recording, engineering, and production services to various artists, both local and out of town. Rick is always looking for other artists to team up with for recording projects or just playing out.
Steve Davis
"Rick is an extremely talented and attentive Musician, Sound Engineer, Mixing and Mastering master, and Producer; offering all these Services at an affordable rate.
I met him shortly after he moved to Aiken, SC and opened Silver Pines Studio. I had some songs (Bass and Vocals) that I needed recorded to incorporate into an Album that I was wanting to do with local musicians….there are some very, very talented folks in the Aiken/N.Augusta/Augusta area…and so we began the recording of “Stone Soup”.
Some of the Players recorded their parts at their house and sent the tracks into Rick, some Players came into the Studio and did their thing, and most songs have Rick adding in musical instrumentation and sound effects. In all cases, Rick did a fabulous job working the parts and pieces into the songs, while always making sure that I was ok with how each particular song was being flavored by the various Players. Whatever I needed, he made sure we could get it done and in a very interesting and timely fashion; just check out “Highland Tango”, on which he had major input, to see what I mean.
Thank you Rick Perry for the expert help, at ease atmosphere, positive waves, and guidance….and the Egg Nog…everybody needs to work with Rick Perry."
Under The Sonar
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Over the past couple years the band has recorded 4 CDs at Capricorn Recording Studios and decided to do a compilation of all 28 songs from these CDs. However, given that these songs were recorded at different times and under extremely tight deadlines, Bill Bentley, the Guitarist and Songwriter for Under the Sonar engaged Rick to remaster all the songs to get a consistent listening level as well as to "bring the songs to life" with various mastering tools. "I was so pleased how the project came out! Having a fresh set of ears, coupled with an engineer that really knows his trade, made our songs really stand out" Bill stated.
"I've worked with Rick on several other projects, including having him assist me in setting up our music download site (www.thebigadventuremusic.com), and I'm always happy with the results. Rick has become a valuable resource to me, and I will continue to use his services in the future - I'm so glad he moved to Aiken!"
Cynthia Mottel
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Cynthia has been singing and performing in various venues and styles since she was a teenager, including theater, bands, churches and accapela groups. While living in Cincinatti she provided vocals for the Reload and Haymarket Riot bands. Cynthia co-founded the Aiken Sound Express band with Rick Perry as lead vocalist. She has a love for most all genres of music, but her passion is in Praise and Worship which led her to Silver Pines Studio to collaborate on a CD of just such songs. She is now working on a second CD of covers of some of her favorite Artists.
“In knowing my vocal ability, Rick suggested I consider laying some tracks down and see what happens in the studio. Always a dream to have a Praise and Worship CD of my own, we let the will of God and the creativity flow. Rick is a master at producing and engineering a sound that is beyond expectation, working swiftly and wasting no time yet keeping the atmosphere loose to allow spontaneity. The collaboration went further with Rick lending both his guitar skills as well as vocals not to mention additional instrumentation. Even the arrangements he came up with made the songs uniquely my own even though they were written by other songwriters. I look forward to further collaborative opportunities at Silver Pines Studio in the future.”
Jon Birmingham
Originally from Texas, Jon has been playing guitar since grade school in the sixties having been smitten by the Beatles. In the 70s he moved to Arkansas and joined Summerfield, a
7-piece band with horns doing 60’s and 70’s music before forming the band Birmingham, playing Southern Rock originals and covers. Later on he became interested in jazz and jazz fusion players like Wes Montgomery, Jeff Beck, Larry Carlton, and Pat Metheny. Jon has been a home recoding enthusiast since the early 80’s writing and recording original songs.
“I recently met Rick and went to visit him at Silver Pines Studio. Having similar musical backgrounds it was a great experience to talk about music, instruments, and the recording studio equipment and processes. I was very impressed with the studio design and comfortable environment. After listening to some of Rick’s originals, covers, and music from his clients, I realized he is a very talented and knowledgeable engineer. Rick listened to a few of my originals recorded in my studio over the past few years and selected Generation - a jazz rock instrumental with my son Cole on alto sax and bass, and long-standing friend Tom Neumeier on Hammond organ. Within just a few days Rick completed the remix and remastering of it. I was blown away by the clarity and punch his processes brought to the overall song. As someone very interested in those processes, Rick was kind to walk me through how he approached each phase which was a great learning experience. I can whole heartedly recommend Rick to anyone wanting a top-notch professional sounding recording done at Silver Pines Studio or having Rick mix and master their project.”
Carly Jo Jackson
Carly Jo Jackson is a south Florida-based indie/acoustic-pop artist with a soulful vocal tone that is as infectious as her stage presence. She delivers energy and passion in every performance including her 2014 appearance on NBC’s America’s Got Talent where she was praised by the celebrity judges for her charisma and captivating voice. At the 2017 Florida Music Festival, blogger Rara's Farm described her performance as show-stealing and "an invigorating showcase that left the Orlando crowd thirsting for more."
Carly Jo's passion for music started early as a vocalist, but grew wings when she received a guitar for her 16th birthday and began writing songs and performing in cafes in her hometown of Orlando. Writing with a maturity well beyond her years, she recorded her first five song EP with Rick at just 17. While in college she released her award-winning coming-of-age single “Wildflower”. Carly Jo continues to grow as a songwriter and to hone her magnetic stage presence as a full-time performing artist.
Her music has been licensed in small films and TV commercials including the department store Belks' national TV commercial in 2015 where she also makes an onscreen appearance. She is currently endorsed by Luna Guitars and Samson Technologies.
"Rick - I can never thank you enough for getting me started in the music business. The work you have done and the things I have learned from you will stay with me for a lifetime. Your production, engineering and playing skills are phenomenal!"
Jeff Thomas
Jeff Thomas has been playing drums for over 30 years with bands from Boston to Orlando. Currently he is providing the rhythm section to the Grimes Alley Blues Band, a Florida based blues and classic rock band. In the past few years Jeff has begun to write songs and eventually plans to release an EP of his own original music. He was recently at Silver Pines Studio and this is what he had to say:
"Rick, just wanted to write a quick courtesy note of thanks for my recent recording session. Your expertise and flexibility was quickly demonstrated and your state of the art equipment is top notch. Your production and arrangements on my songs and the instrumentation you added really made them complete. In addition to being a great producer and engineer, you're also one heck of a guitar player.
Warm, inviting environment and hope to be back soon!"
Ricky G
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Ricky G plays bass, keyboards, guitar and sings. He has been doing so for over 40 years in "zillions" of cover bands ranging from South to Central Florida. He also has played for many of the churches he has attended. His styles include rock, blues, R&B, and country. For most of that time Ricky has been writing songs in all these same genres. Recently he decided to focus more on the writing and recording side of music and is spending the majority of his available time on that. He visited the studio for four days and commented:
"I arrived at Silver Pines Studio on Thursday around noon and we immediately got to work. Rick was very efficient with his time and was very helpful in explaining all the steps he was doing as I am a "newbie" when it comes to recording. Since I was staying for four days, Rick made accommodations for me to stay at the studio in a nice suite with a full bath and even prepared some meals on a couple evenings. His gear is top notch and his skill is amazing. He also contributed guitar and drums on the tracks we recorded. Looking forward to our next session!"
Dan Wojtowicz / Grace Church of Aiken
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Dan Wojtowicz is the music coordinator for Grace Church of Aiken. He has been playing guitar for over 40 years and oversees the song selection, music distribution, and rehearsals for the music team. In conversations with Rick he expressed a desire to record a CD of 13 worship songs regularly performed by several members on the music worship team. He asked Rick to engineer and produce the project and participate musically where needed. Here is his response:
"While Silver Pines Studio is a home-based business, I was very impressed with the professionalism, technical capabilities and efficiency with which Rick can produce fantastic sounding music. He has the latest tools and technology and truly knows how to utilize them to their highest capabilities. I have to say I was “wowed” by how good he made us all sound without taking away from the individual and unique talents of each participant. Great organization skills as well and kept the project moving to meet our deadlines. Rick is also quite a musician in his own right and was able to supplement all the parts needed that were not covered by the others. I’m already thinking of other projects he can help us with in the future and would highly recommend his services and studio."
Allen Kirchner
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Allen Kirchner has been playing guitar and singing since before he was 16 year old. Even though he had a long and distinguished career as a medical professional his passion for music never ceased. He was a regular at open mic nights and got together frequently with friends for regular jams and gatherings around the house. After hearing some of the songs Rick has produced, he decided to engage Silver Pines Studio to do his first (and only) CD recordings of some of his favorite songs:
"I have never been in a recording studio and only ever recorded myself with a little cassette recorder and hand held mic. Rick made things very comfortable and the nervousness quickly disappeared. I told Rick I wanted the recordings to sound like how I always imagined I could sound with a "real band" behind me and when the project was finished that's exactly what happened. He did a phenomenal job coaching me in my playing and singing and made my voice sound how I heard it in my head as opposed to how it may have come out of my mouth. In the end I have a project that I am really proud of and can leave as a legacy to my children and grandchildren as well as share with friends. I don't think I'll ever do this again, but If I do Silver Pines Studio will be my studio of choice!"
Mr. Ed
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Ed Krusiewig has been writing music and performing for over 50 years. His band, The Vybrations, has been entertaining audiences from the 60s. He recently wrote 8 country gospel songs and is publishing a CD. Ed came to Silver Pines Studio for mixing and mastering services:
“I was referred to Rick and his studio by another musician who has worked with him on other projects. I found him to be very helpful in fine-tuning the work I had already done in my own studio. Rick was able to bring out a lot of the nuances in my music that for whatever reason were not coming across in the work I had already done. He has a great set of ears and the tools which made my music come alive. I would definitely recommend Silver Pines Studio to anyone who feels like they've "hit a brick wall" doing it on their own. His rates were very reasonable and the atmosphere there is very relaxing. I will definitely work with him again in the future.”
Desiree Renee
Desiree Renee is the Lead Singer, Lyricist, Melody Maker, Harmony Creator, and Music Shaker at Desiree's Vision. Her focus is Symphonic Goth Metal with a dynamic female lead. The powerful melodic vocals, haunting melodies, and mysterious harmonies mingled together with innovative and edgy instruments will take you on a journey to a Heavy Metal Fairy Tale!
She recently went to a well known studio in Tampa Florida to record a CD project. While the raw recordings captured the spirit of what she was looking for, the final mixdown and mastering "sounded like crap". All the hard work Desi and the musicians accomplished disappeared when listening to the 2 track mix. She was referred to Silver Pines Studio to see if things could be improved. After giving Rick all the original tracks to work on this was the text he received when she got her new mix/master:
"Hey Rick - It's Desi . OMG!! Thank you so much for all your hard work on my song. It sounds amazing! I love how its so much cleaner and you can actually hear all the parts. I look forward to continued work together!!! Merry Christmas to you and your family."
Paul Tallent
Paul Tallent, was the bass player for Chalice, a progressive rock fusion band in the 70s. Their style was very reminiscent of early Yes, Gentle Giant, King Crimson and Genesis. The band recorded two CDs from that time. Paul asked Silver Pines Studio to re-master some of their songs. Here are Paul’s comments from his experience:
“We were very proud of the music we created during our time together as a band. However, the recordings sounded somewhat flat and lifeless given the technology we had available to us at the time. Through Rick’s use of his digital equipment and software he was able to bring back to life the songs and make them sound as fresh as the day they were recorded. He is very easy to work with and has a great “set of ears” to hear all the nuances that exist in this kind of music. I would strongly recommend Silver Pines Studio for any recording, mixing or mastering services. I will be back with other projects in the future!”