POLLUTEME/POLLUTED EZINE/The Man Behind The Music John Breglia
written by: Jacob Robison
There are basically three types of producers. The traditional producer got a record done for a label. He didn't have much input in the creative process of composing the material; rather, he made sure the process was completed by the deadline. Over the course of the past two decades the role of the producer has grown from that of an outsider to an integral part of everything the band does in terms of creating the music. Some became the force behind the face, a la Britney Spears and the like; others, like Terry Date and Ross Robinson, became virtual members of the bands that they work with. You may have heard of some of them before: Deftones, Sepultura, Korn, Tool...the list goes on. John puts himself in the same category as Date and Robinson. "I try bring the best out of the artist. I try to find that hidden gem and polish it, rather than going in a directrion or writing for myself."
One of the bands that John has developed this type of relationship with is Clarksville's Lowboy, who he has been involved with since the band's beginning four years ago. "I push them to a musical extreme that they probably wouldn't bring out of themselves...it's really nice when you buld a relationship with an artist like that." Of the fifty-something albums that John has produced over the last nine years he ranks Lowboy's debut "Who's Evil?" as his favorite. The eight track album took a total of two weeks to produce, with the basic tracks being laid down in one weekend. John is still looking for the one that defines him as a producer, though: "I definitely think that it hasn't happened yet."
As you might expect, the forty-year old producer knows a thing or two about what comprises a good album. First of all, the album needs to have more hooks than a commercial fisherman on a run to fish heaven. Hooks, or strong phrases that people can grab on to, are a prime requisite for today's pop music. "Songs that you find yourself humming in the morning and you can't get them out of your head all day long," he explained. After a brief pause to collect his thoughts, he added: "I think that's what makes great artists and great songwriters is the ability to exploit the hook." Emotion is another key to a great album; a component that is "missing, in my opinion, in modern commercial music today." One trend that John sees is a lot of bands are going back to playing live in the studio, giving their final product a grittier feeling. Normally being an experienced producer would lend a certain level of credibility when talking about what makes a great album; combine that with John's tremendous musical ability, and you have an expert on the subject.
