My initial idea was to get a quality recording of just my acoustic guitar and vocals, so I called Soggy Dog and spoke with Steve Vertigan, the owner of the studio. After chatting with Steve for a while I asked him if I could sit in on a recording session to gain a better understanding of the process of recording. I attended a recording session where a similar type of musician was putting the final touches on an album and I was more than impressed with the quality of the recording… it sounded like a “bought one”.

Steve advised me of the many options available to me through his studio and the contacts he’d built up over many years and this really got me thinking about the opportunity to expand my original concept of a handful of acoustic tracks to a full professional release.

It soon became obvious to me that through Steve’s long career in the music industry he’d built relationships with some of the finest session musicians in the country and that these musicians were available to me if I wanted to go down this path.

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At first, the concept of having session players come in and play on my album was very daunting and somewhat intimidating, after all, these muso’s have played with or in bands such as The Angels, Boom Crash Opera, Little River Band, Jimmy Barnes, Kylie Minogue, Human Nature… the list goes on and on.  My initial thought was that the musos would take one listen to my songs and walk out!
 
On the morning of the first recording session with the guys, it’s fair to say that I was somewhat nervous about meeting them and playing my songs to them… through my ignorance, I assumed they would look at me as a rank amateur, I could not have been more wrong. They were very accommodating and had a keen interest in my music… above all they were just nice, easy-going guys that love creating music.  They take ideas, regardless of how basic, and develop them to the best of their (very competent) abilities.

I’m now on my second album with Soggy Dog Recording studio and continue to utilize the expertise of Steve and the session players. I have built some great relationships with the musicians I record with and I think they are genuinely excited to come and record on my albums… I plan to record many more albums at Soggy Dog.

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I cannot overstate the role that Steve has played in my recording projects. Without Steve’s experience over many years in the industry, the relationships he has built with the many musicians available to the studio, and even more importantly, Steve’s easy-going, supportive and mentoring personality, I would probably still be recording basic acoustic tracks in my lounge room. I strongly encourage you to give Steve a call if you’re looking for a professional quality recording.

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Brendan McMahon