Jamie Holmes is right at the heart of Glasgow’s growing music scene with his array of experience as a drummer, producer, mixer and engineer; recording and producing bands from all over Scotland in the Castle of Doom studios. Jamie shares with us his memories as a drummer supporting superstars, his experience of playing drums on Gerry Cinnamon’s album and more!
Operating within the immensely sought after 7 West Studios located in the Castle of Doom, Jamie’s diary is seldom free – recording and often producing alongside Johnny Madden the highest quality of bands Scotland has to offer. Jamie credits his production style and influences as a combination of the music he listens to regularly and his drum-minded nature, describing the overall process as:
“I try to keep a really open mind as every artist is completely different and might have a totally different process. When I mix I notice that my drums and vocals are always the focal points of the mix, I think that’s just the way I hear music. I’ve always noticed the drum beat first before anything since I was young so I think that’s a big part of my production sound”.
Jamie’s drumming experience during his time in The Lapelles and Declan Welsh and the Decadent West is second to none, gracing the stage at legendary UK festivals such as T in the Park and Belladrum. The Lapelles joined The Last Shadow Puppets (Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys and Miles Kane’s group) on stage for two nights in 2016 in Newcastle and Leicester, he reminisces these nights:
“That was one of those amazing life experiences that I’ll never forget. It’s hard to put into words how incredible those two shows were. We had literally just joined the Wildlife Entertainment roster who also look after all of Alex and Miles’ bands. That in itself was incredible, but getting the opportunity to play two venues of that size alongside them didn’t even feel real. They both watched our set from side of stage which was extremely nerve racking but afterwards they couldn’t have been nicer and were full of praise and advice. I think from those shows I learned how to treat other bands with as much respect as they showed us. They are modern day musical icons and didn’t have to go out their way to speak to us or watch us play but they did and couldn’t have been nicer about it”.
Recently, the former Lapelles’ drummer has worked on various projects as a session musician – playing drums on Scottish hero Gerry Cinnamon’s album: The Bonny (2020). He portrayed the process as a fantastic experience, with Gerry knowing exactly what he wanted in terms of drum parts, asking Jamie to execute that vision. The album has collectively surpassed 150 million streams in just two years.
On the subject of giving advice to those looking to get involved with sound production, Jamie Holmes comments on the importance of networking and learning from mistakes:
“Make sure you are passionate as it’s a hard graft to get a start in this industry and even harder to get good enough at it. When I was starting I got a job as a live sound guy at a local Glasgow venue. That helped me massively as it was a high pressured environment where things would always go wrong, I just had to figure them out as I went. It was also great for meeting local bands and developing relationships in the scene”.
The 7 West producer also provides an insight into the requisite elements of the songwriting process that define good quality music from his observation of bands in the studio, stating the most crucial components to be an amazing vocal and melody, he adds:
“The idea behind a good recording is to take the song that you can all play really well and take it up another level. If the first part isn’t there then it’s already off to a bad start. I’d also say don’t be afraid to work hard and just do it, sometimes the studio environment is made out to be a scary place but with me it needs to be a comfortable environment that lends itself to creativity and moments of magic. Practice hard, write a banging song then come and make an amazing record!“.
Jamie Holmes himself has an immense catalogue of production and mixing under his belt, so the question of suggesting upcoming bands to check out must have posed great difficulty. In response, he recommends Theo Bleak, The Katuns and Uninvited.
ENDS
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