Will Bowen on SoundBetter

Established Nashville songwriter, producer and session musician with Major Label Cuts and Production Credits. (Devin Dawson, Kelleigh Bannen, Casey James). Has toured or worked with the likes of John Mayer, Maroon 5, Brett Young, Kip Moore, Cole Swindell and many others. Acoustic/Electric Guitar, Production, Songwriting, Vocals.

Hi Everyone! I'm a former major label artist who's been an established member of the Nashville community for over 15 years. I've had multiple major publishing deals as a songwriter, toured with major artists and have seen every side of the industry.
I can do all in one production from simple acoustic demos, full on demo tracks to masters. I can also contribute my years of professional songwriting experience to the process. I have played guitar on countless sessions as well as my own. I recently converted a vintage travel trailer into a great sounding studio, stocked with great vintage gear. Thanks so much!

Send me a note through the contact button above.

Credits

Discogs verified credits for Will Bowen

Kingston (11)
Kelleigh Bannen
Bri Arden
Rivers (11)
Rivers (11)
Kelleigh Bannen
Devin Dawson
Fabian Anderhub
Kelleigh Bannen

Languages

English

6 Reviews

Endorse Will Bowen

by Jimmy "Squirts" McNeely
Wow!! Will Bowen does it right ! His work is clean, professional, and timely. He created the perfect sonic space for my song... taking it to a place I would've never imagined. He is kind and honest with his feedback. Even when I didn't know how to articulate exactly what I was looking for.. his patience and curiosity always made it happen. I cannot endorse him enough.. hope to collaborate again soon ! Thanks again Will!!
by Forest Miller
Will is the man. His skill as a songwriter is matched only by the best of the best in music city. His unique musical perspective makes every song he produces special and impressive. Save yourself the headache and hire him for your next project.
by Wendy
Will is a top quality music producer. When we worked with him, he proved to be organized, professional, and truly vested in our project. His ability to collaborate and understand our vision helped create an EP that exceeded all of our expectations. Will's musicality in all genres shines through in his work, plus he's just a great person. His experience in the music industry has helped to guide us with our release strategies as well. We highly recommend him.
by Audrey S.
Will produced my most recent EP and I could not be happier with how the tracks turned out. Since I was not local to Nashville, he arranged everything in advance, from session musicians to engineers. When I arrived, we were able to start the recording process right away. As Will is both a producer and a songwriter, his personal creativity and professionalism in production pair very well together. He offered take-it or leave-it suggestions that allowed me the freedom to choose the direction of the songs (which is very important, in my opinion). Will is super friendly and awesome to work with!
by Scott Stepakoff
Will Bowen is one of the most musical people I know. An accomplished singer songwriter in his own right, he approaches production with the soul of an artist. He truly has the ability to take a lyric and melody and marry them together into a portrait of the artist he is trying to capture...
by Noah Needleman
Will is a dedicated, thoughtful, and artful producer and songwriter. The emotional standpoint of any lyric is clear from the first note of his arrangements and productions. He has a vast network of talented musicians, writers, producers, and mixers, and belongs at the helm of any recording project you can throw at him. 10/10 would recommend.

Interview with Will Bowen

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Kelleigh Bannen's last album called Favorite Colors. I produced 3 tracks and wrote 5. She's an amazing artist who is now the face of Apple Music Nashville. Jaren Johnston, a badass and super successful writer and producer produced the rest of the record. It was mixed by Reid Shippen who's also amazing. She's a great friend and we spent a long time writing and producing the record.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm finishing a record on grammy nominated, brilliant songwriter Scott Stepakoff as well as finishing a rock project of my own, recorded at a legendary room in NYC and now being mixed by big time mix engineer Jon Kaplan.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Noah Needleman is a great friend and a super talented guy.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: A nice balance of both. Analog is fun and raw but there's no way to deny that there are countless benefits and ease to digital. Cutting analog but editing and mixing in digital is the way to go.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: As an artist myself, I promise that I will put the same care and investment into their project as I would into my own.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Doing something different everyday and never knowing exactly what you're going to come up with.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Many people ask about the process and I usually tell them that it's often not the same in any two scenarios. It's all about the artist, the project and the song. That will dictate the process.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: Being in the country world for so long I understand that I'm looked at that way and I do have experience but I'm more naturally a more organic, heavier writer/producer
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I normally ask them about references and what they're looking for but I also try and get a feeling on how interesting and unique they are comfortable taking things.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Have a good idea of what you're looking for but be open to the provider's interpretation
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: My 1965 Hummingbird My vintage oktava Ml19 ribbon mic My LA2A compressor My filmosound projector amp conversion My original Neve 1272 pre
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I signed a pub deal while in high school, followed that with a record deal, toured heavily for a few years before I settled in Nashville. Since then I've had publishing deals nonstop, have written over a thousand songs, got a few cut and started producing records along the way.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Organic, raw pop/rock, singer songwriter with some mainstream appeal
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I'd love to work with Jason Isbell as he's such a phenomenal writer and guitar player and he really makes records built around the songs. Every part is carefully chosen but he never does too much.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Balance is everything. If one instrument is carrying a certain weight and is panned to the right, it's very important to counter balance that on the other side with something in a similar frequency. While at the same time, just doubling the same thing on both sides can be counter productive.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Lots of the cooler, more organic side of mainstream country and stuff that can live there but bleeds into americana and singer/songwriter.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I think adding vibe to a track is my biggest skill. I focus on the sonic technicalities but never so much that it takes away from the natural, organic vibe.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: My knowledge fo songwriting and form is the first and most important thing. After that I'm a big fan of dynamics so each section has it's own identity and can flow into the next as well as possible.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: When it comes to full production I will take some time to talk to the artist and get a feel for what they're looking for. Then I'll start with the rhythmic aspects, focusing on appropriate tones to start. Once that groundwork is laid I have a blast experimenting with interesting guitar tones and layers to create an organic but fresh sound.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I have a professionally converted Vintage Travel Trailer Studio. An amazing vibe and destination that gets rented by other producers often. Only high end audio gear, lots fo vintage as well. I'm an avid collector of cool, funky, but useful gear.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Jason Isbell, Jay Joyce, Tom Lord Alge, Shawn Everett
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Most commonly I produce tracks from the ground up. I either play or program everything as well as sing background vocals. I also have access to some of the best session players in Nashville which can be utilized when the budget allows.