We want to introduce you to Abe Yellen, a music producer who’s spent most of his career working with artists based in Austin TX, but now houses his studio on the west coast.
Abe, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Music has always been an escape for me, and I remember my parents blasting motown groups like the Four Tops & Supremes through our home growing up. So, I always knew I wanted to pursue music and somehow learn to be a professional musician. Ironically by the time I was old enough to do anything about it, my brother Winston had a band called Night Beds that had just signed their first record deal with Dead Oceans. This became the vehicle for me to work my way up the ladder and dive into the world of touring/recording etc. We played for crowds filled with diverse people, all with a shared revery for the elusive art of music. That period taught me a lot about our deep-seated response as humans to the soul and emotion that carries forth in tune. Touring is a grueling lifestyle but was so worth it.
Over the course of my early 20s, I began producing and crafting songs, collecting equipment, engineering sounds and sonic shapes, flipping samples (thanks to J Dilla), but I never thought it would lead me to discover and take part in the fabric and story of other artists and songwriters from all across the map. Looking back over the years, it’s a gift to have been able to timestamp so many periods of life with a musical narrative. To create for a living is somewhat of a dream, something I didn’t know would be in the cards for me.
Let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
What comes to mind is starting out on the road and having grand expectations of getting right on stage and playing for big crowds with crowds hanging every word. I laugh honestly thinking about how starry eyed I was. In reality, I was assigned the ‘guitar & drum tech’ and ‘average merch salesman’ roles and the chosen comrade to drive our ten passenger van with our trailer on through like eight hour stretches through the mid-west.
It wasn’t too long before one night in Chicago. Our drummer quit the tour after getting into a heated argument with my older brother, which then led to him hanging up the towel and leaving us without a drummer for our show in a few hours. As it went, our next stop on tour was Minneapolis which happened to be our biggest show of that stretch opening for the Staves at the Varsity Theatre. When you’re on the road with a scrappy band, you don’t have options to just hire a drummer. So, somehow, I became the next best option. My brother, Winston, turned around in the van as we headed there the next day with a big grin on his face alluding to the fact that now it was my turn. My only experience prior had been playing rock-band back at home as a kid slapping rubber pads to Beatles tunes. Beyond minimal, to say the least. I ended up somehow making it through the set without too many blips, and we were met with a enraptured audience. It was one of the moments where you can see why bands get stuck on the road, touring every opportunity they get. There’s a magic to it.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I work solely now as a music producer, working closely with artists from scratch to help them craft their sound. This is most practical when any such artist has a great vision for their sound, whether it be a concept for an album/EP/singles or whether or not they are clear on their own direction or sound, helping unravel their potential to gear them for success in their careers. The social aspects of my work and the tight bonds I’ve made over the years you can’t put any price tag on, so I’m thankful people trust me enough to show me some of their most vulnerable sides of themselves in order to serve the art and write beautiful records.
I’m not quite sure yet what I’m known for hopefully my knack and ability to write great melodies or for chopping up a sample (similar to how producers in the 90s and on down the road created much of the hip hop classics we all treasure today).
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
One that stands out is anytime my pops would put old 40’s music on the stereo when we would go on long road trips, Billie Holiday & Al Jolson were among the artists I remember hearing in my formative years. That golden era of music has had a huge impact on how I approach my own craft and I still find myself drawn to the romance and mystery that a lot of those records are steeped in.
Contact Info:
- Website: abeyellen.com
- Email: abeyellen@gmail.com
- Instagram: @catchthewavvy
Image Credit:
Sydney Gawlik, Juan Solorzano, Carli Rene
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
