After catching the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert, I headed out for a beer with my good buddy Eric Eggleston. The conversation eventually shifted from the concert, but music was still the theme. You may know Eric from The Eric Eggleston Band or Harpoon. What you may not know is that he is the creative force behind Johnny Hall Productions.
Johnny Hall has been recording and producing a growing list of artists over the last couple of years. If you have been following this year’s Big Money Shot competition, you may be familiar with a few of them. Recent projects for Eric have included Tympanic, Les Mosquitos and Liam Lloyd. He’s also done work with past notables Ty Hall and Harpoon.
Between his own musical endeavours and producing and recording music for others, Eric has been a busy guy. However, he’s never too busy to return a phone call. He recalled a conversation with Les Mosquitos as to why they chose to work with him. As Eric put it, “They told me I was the only guy to call them back!”
When it comes to working in the studio, Eric believes that mutual respect is key. For a successful collaboration he needs to be trusted with the job he has been given. He also is aware that it is his job to understand what the client is looking for and to determine how he can best help them.
One successful collaboration that he has enjoyed, has been working with Liam Lloyd. They worked together on a batch of songs last year, which helped propel Liam Lloyd into the Grand Finals of last year’s Big Money Shot competition. That collaboration is continuing this year, and will result in a new album from Liam due out sometime this summer.
Another project Eric was excited about working on this year was with local act Tympanic. They came to him with a collection of songs looking to record a new album. Eric was entrusted with the task of not only recording the songs, but honing in on the core of Tympanic’s sound and helping the band tighten up their songs. You’ll be able to hear the results later this year.
Ottawa is home and Eric loves working in the city. He believes that Ottawa has an eclectic group of bands and artists. He loves working in the city, but isn’t opposed to travelling if he feels it will benefit a project. In that regard, he has an ongoing collaboration with 22 Studios in Bellefonte, PA. It was in this studio that he did the bulk of the recording of Silver Creek’s most recent release Princes and Kings.
Eric has also spent some time travelling to soak up the knowledge of producer and engineer Bruce Swedien. Bruce has worked with the likes of Michael Jackson, B.B. King and Donna Summer to name but a few. Eric has benefitted from hours of in-studio time with Bruce.
If you’re looking to get your latest project off the ground, check out Johnny Hall Productions. Whether it’s recording and production, mixing, or song writing help, Eric would love to check it out.