I was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and grew up in a small town called Sallisaw. Began playing rhythm bass/chords on the piano at age 2. I was an only child, and I spent a lot of time listening to my parent’s record collection, including bluegrass, country, and folk. I was fascinated at an early age with sound and electronics. Tinkered with tape recorders and speakers long before I ever committed to a stringed instrument. Began playing electric bass in high school, and was in several bands. Abandoned bluegrass music entirely in my teens, and listened more to 80’s country and indie/prog rock. Got my first studio intern job in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

ACOUSTICULT: How did you end up in Fort Smith? Who were you interning with?

I didn’t live in Fort Smith…but grew up in Sallisaw, Oklahoma which was about 20 minutes from Fort Smith. That was my first job out of high school. I interned at Omega Sound. There I heard Alison Krauss’ ‘So Long So Wrong’ album. The studio was trying to produce an accompaniment track for ‘Find My Way Back To My Heart’…but the hired background singers could not reproduce the harmony vocals. I stayed late one night, and sang them myself sitting at the console. The next day, the engineer said they were good and they would use them. That’s when I started listening to bluegrass again. I bought that album, and got out my parents old records again. I moved to Oklahoma City to pursue a career in audio engineering and music recording.

ACOUSTICULT: What led you to leave Fort Smith? Who convinced you to move to OKC?

I moved to Oklahoma City for a job opportunity at Cornerstone Recording. Ken Sarkey hired me and gave me some startup money to make the move. Worked in several commercial studios there for about 10 years. Two months after I purchased my first acoustic guitar, I was hired to play guitar in the Byron Berline Band. Spent four years with them. I was also dabbling with the upright bass in jam sessions (wherever there was one I could play). I would mostly listen to professional bass players though, and for many years was too timid to get into the jams. After I purchased a bass and started playing more regular, I formed a band with local fiddler, Kyle Dillingham, called ‘Horseshoe Road’. We developed a pretty good local following, and did several international tours with academic cultural exchange programs. We won some awards, played lots of shows, and had many great opportunities. Kyle and Horseshoe Road are still having international success, and recently played their first spot on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

I was running sound in Winfield, KS where I met Tommy Emmanuel, and became his biggest fan. He liked how I ran sound, so after a few local shows, I was hired to travel with him full time. Again…did that for about four years. It was amazing in every way, and I got to see 32 countries with him. Tommy remains one of my favorite people to work and spend time with.

The reason I came to Nashville, was because there was a lot going on with Tommy in the studio, and I felt like I was missing out big time. We both agreed that I needed to be there. So Tommy generously offered to sell us his home, and move us in months before we closed on the house. We made the move two weeks after the Nashville flood of 2010.

ACOUSTICULT: Was the house you moved into affected by the 2010 flood?

Our house was not affected by the flood.

ACOUSTICULT: That is good fortune man.

I spent several years working from a home studio, doing recording, mixing, mastering, and background vocals. Also working as a ‘sideman’ musician with many bluegrass/country groups, including five years with Chris Henry and the Hardcore Grass and two years touring with the 90’s super group, Shenandoah.

I currently work independently on projects, and pretty much stay equipped to do most any capacity of work. The majority of what I do is still recording projects and upright bass. However I sometimes will play gigs/sessions on drums, guitar, keyboard, or as a background vocalist. I have also been known to dabble in various video related endeavors.

My entire ability is based on my musical ear, which I knew I had at a very early age. I learned that if you do what is appropriate and supportive to others, it doesn’t matter how flashy, impressive, or fast you play. So I stuck with it because it seemed to work for me. I don’t consider myself highly virtuosic, but perhaps more seasoned and adaptive than most. I certainly try to remain humble, and not operate on ego. I believe that is key in a music town like Nashville. Just try to enjoy the abundance of musical genius around me, and understand that I am very lucky/blessed to be a part of it and turn a buck. It’s a pretty fulfilling life in general.

ACOUSTICULT: What are your favorite 5 albums, and do they influence your work? If so, in what ways?

My five most influential albums are…

Grandpa Jones “Mountain Dew” (Not to be confused with “Old Mountain Dew”)

I listened to this on my grandma’s console stereo at a very early age. It’s the first recorded sound I remember hearing as a child. For the most part, it contains a hodgepodge of early recordings from the 40’s, that were later “dressed up” using some of my favorite Nashville studio musicians in the 60s….and remains a fun and nostalgic listening experience for me.

Alison Krauss “So Long So Wrong”

The only modern “mash” bluegrass album I truly love. It’s pretty near and dear to me, and highly influential in my return to bluegrass. I think a lot of musicians can relate. Barry Bales was a big influence.

Tommy Emmanuel “Only”

This album represents a turning point and the beginning of my friendship with Tommy. There was even a time when I could perform the title track on solo guitar (very poorly).

John Hartford “Nobody Knows What You Do”

John, Roy Jr, Kenny Malone, Pig, etc. Really opened my eyes to some musical potential…and got me listening harder.

Flatt and Scruggs “The Versatile Flatt And Scruggs”

My favorite 60’s Flatt and Scruggs studio cuts. Cousin Jake Tullock’s bass and high baritone is superb. Still trying to emulate his playing. Not a chance with his voice.

ACOUSTICULT: Which part of your music career do you enjoy the most – live performance, recording, writing, etc.?

I’d say I enjoy all parts of my career path equally, although I am not much of a writer or front man.

ACOUSTICULT: What are three musicians today do you think are underrated?

Three underrated current musicians or groups I would say are…David Grier, Aubrey Shamel, and a group called Bill And The Belles. They should all be world famous IMO.

ACOUSTICULT: Tell us a little bit about your current rig – what does your “rig” consist of?

My current bass rig consists of various Markbass heads and speakers, a ’53 Kay S-8 with Realist pickup and Spirocore medium strings, a Fender precision bass with DiMarzio pickups, and a Modulus Q5 five-string bass with EMG pickups.

ACOUSTICULT: If you were given $100,000 to spend on an album production, what would it look like?

My $100,000 project would start of with the completion of my own studio space. Then whatever was left over, I’d use to hire my friends and heroes to play on it. Maybe record some favorite, yet forgotten traditional bluegrass/country songs. Then add weird stuff like synthy pads, earthy loops, and steel guitar. (Then probably remove the first two things because they didn’t work like I wanted them to.)

ACOUSTICULT: What is your favorite album or recording so far that you’ve made?

My favorite recording project I’ve done so far would be the last album by Tommy Emmanuel titled “Accomplice”. It has a guest list of people I never thought I would be in the studio with. It also spent 17 weeks at #1 nationally on the Billboard bluegrass charts, which was a career high point for me.

ACOUSTICULT: What are you currently working on?

I just completed another album with Tommy. It’s a remake of 27 of his most famous solo guitar songs. Also recently completed albums by Zach Top and Modern Tradition, and High Fidelity. Currently working on my life in general, getting in shape, mental and physical wellness, staying in practice on guitar and bass, and preparing for the next chapter. There are currently recording projects on the horizon from Tommy Emmanuel, High Fidelity, and possibly Jarrod Walker.

Thanks Jed for including me on your new endeavor.

ACOUSTICULT: Absolutely man – thank you for chatting with us!

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My name is Zeke Sayer from Lavonia, GA and I record people by masquerading as an actual audio engineer in order to capture ideas down, some of which get put out on the studio’s label “Gypsy Farm Records”.

ACOUSTICULT: Is your studio in Lavonia too? Tell us a little bit about your studio.

My studio is located in Lavonia, Georgia (about 2 hours north-east of Atlanta) and is housed in an old amphitheatre building that was originally used for the winter shows at Shoal Creek Music Park and hosted shows by performers including Dolly Parton, Jerry Lee Lewis, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Faron Young, The Carter Sisters, George Jones, Tammy Wynette and Ernest Tubb.    

ACOUSTICULT: How did you get into music, and what made you choose this path over others?

I was fortunate to get into music at a very early age, growing up in a venue that hosted bluegrass, gospel and country music (Shoal Creek Music Park – Lavonia, GA) from age 1.  

My father (Clem Sayer) was a guitar picker and acquired the music park where he and my mother (Janice, a church pianist) operated the venue year round.  After learning to play the drums, guitar and piano, my fascination transitioned to recording.  

While hassling the in-house soundman at Shoal Creek, my dad gave me a little 4-track tape recorder (Fostex XR-5) and I’ve been recording and collecting gear ever since.    

I choose to continue with the “musical path” because it’s one thing in life I’ve been interested in practically since birth while virtually everything else around me has veered in someway and music/entertainment/audio engineering has so many different sides and sections if you start to get burnt out in other areas, conveniently.     

ACOUSTICULT: What are your favorite 5 albums, and do they influence your work? If so, in what ways? Which specific elements inspire you from these records?

• Concert By The Sea – Erroll Garner — The alleged story behind this record is that it was never intended to be recorded, nor was anyone (in the band) aware of the taping at the time but was the product of a secret field recording (with just one hidden microphone to a mono track!) that became one of the best selling Jazz records for Columbia.
• Magical Mystery Tour – The Beatles  — I like this record because it was released within the time period of “Sgt Pepper” and continues that sort of production via Sir George Martin and Geoff Emerick that I really dig from that era. 
• Sunday In Prater’s Creek – The Drovers Old Time Medicine Show — This is the debut of South Carolina’s longest running and most beloved medicine show.  It was recorded by Glenn Cannon at Psycho possum studios in Liberty, SC.  
• Everywhere At The End of Time – The Caretaker —  I think this is 6 records in all, each inspired by the devastating results of alzheimer’s disease.  It’s a bunch of classical records sampled mostly from piano and big band 78’s, morphed into something else completely and meant to reflect what the mind may be going through as time slips away into space.  Think “the Shining”. 
• Moondog Suncat Suite – Kenny Burrell and the Satellites — As a fan of Moondog, I was drawn to this record of covers and inspirations of the artist (Moondog), performed by Kenny Burrell who I think became a recluse for most of his career after this album.  Plus it was recorded by a young Joe Meek!

That list is ever rotating but those have been some notable records that I can most always enjoy.  These records continue to influence me as a listener, a person, a performer and engineer. 

ACOUSTICULT: Which part of your music career do you enjoy the most – live performance, recording, writing, etc.?

I try to appreciate my career from every possible angle but believe I like recording the most.  I write a lot while I’m recording (as I’m sure most home recordists do) so those two share a lot of the same parameters for me at times.  Travelling to foreign places and playing for strangers is always fun and interesting, of course. 

ACOUSTICULT: What are three musicians today do you think are underrated?

Ed Teague (RIP) was a magnificent banjo picker from North Georgia that I remember fondly from my childhood. I can’t remember how old he was when he passed away, but he’d seen things for sure. He didn’t sing much, if at all but his guitar picker “Lawton” handled that duty wonderfully as Ed clawed/frailed the banjo.  Ed and his band performed songs that I’ve still to this day never heard anyone else do and I remember him selling records, tapes and eventually CD’s out of his Cadillac trunk!

Jim Willingham (Old Smokey, Harry Carey – Athens, GA) is a beast of a man, a real-life hero and this all reflects in his modest but powerful approach to songwriting and performing.  While one may consider him “underrated”, someone did paint a mural of him in downtown Athens, GA.  

Ed Campbell (The Drovers Old Time Medicine Show – Prater’s Creek, SC) is one of the best bluegrass (and music in general) songwriters I’ve ever had the pleasure of calling “friend”.

My bonus artist is Tonetta.  I can’t listen to his music without shaking something and feeling inspired.

ACOUSTICULT: Tell us a little bit about your current rig – what does your “rig” consist of?

For years I had a great experience with the Roland VS-2480 which was basically a hot-rodded 24-track stand alone hard-disc recorder.  Some call it a “poor man’s Radar” (iZ Technology) and I still keep it riding shotgun as my back-up system, it’s a solid linux operation.  

These days I run 16 external preamps (API, SSL, UA, Vintech, Lachapell) as well as various outboard compressors (1176ln, dbx 160x, Shadow Hills) and other little “dirt boxes” into a Lynx Aurora 16-VT interface which flows into my computer running Cockos REAPER + Soundtoys and Waves plug-ins.  

I monitor through a pair of JBL lsr308, Pioneer CS-M751, Sennheiser 660s headphones and RCA/Radio Shack “NS10 knock-off” bookshelf speakers. 

ACOUSTICULT: If you were given $100,000 to spend on an album production, what would it look like?

That’s an interesting daydream since my client’s budget usually dictates I operate on 3-5% of that figure. Depending on the artist, I’d probably host a couple of “pre-production meetings” and ascertain the best environment to record the artist(s) whether that’s in my room, another facility or in a make-shift campsite guerrilla studio in the swamps – some natural mosquito repellent, cut demos and whittle-out song structure and set aside a modest portion for any vices required to figure out what makes them feel the most comfortable, maybe a fruit and veggie spread, then use a good chunk on packaging the album, pressing to vinyl and then promotion and touring (provided this wasn’t something the label was already financing separately), set up mics, get sounds, offer words of encouragement (or discouragement) hopefully when needed and then otherwise do my best to “stay out of the way”. 

ACOUSTICULT: What is your favorite album or recording so far that you’ve made?

Well that’s like asking grandma to pick her favorite picture out of the family album.  I got to record a track on Cicada Rhythm’s second album (“Everywhere I Go” – track: Bare Minimum – Normaltown/New West Records) that turned out to be cool! 

I’m fond of my earlier tracks cut for bands like Elf Power, The Barlettas and F.N.C.F.  I had so much fun recording those and learned a lot in the process too. I still have a signed suitcase of beer around here somewhere.  

ACOUSTICULT: What are you currently working on?

We’re about to release the second album from my high school buddy Garrett Carpenter (also known as “Uncle Goo” – Cattywampus!!! – Gypsy Farm Records).  He’s like a machine for “country music songs” and has a sense of humor that is a rarity these days. 

I’m also working with a couple of folks out of Clemson, SC (The Haunted Head, Richie and the Drugcakes) and producing another record for my band, The Humms (Athens, GA). 

ACOUSTICULT: Would you be willing to record a video clip for us of something you do that we could post on our website?

There’s some interview footage I did recently for the sequel to Athens, Ga: Inside/Out that I’m sure will be cut from the feature presentation, but keep an eye out!  

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