The Wild Turkey Music 101 mentorship program is about giving a stage to up-and-coming Australian voices, providing a platform to share some of their boldest stories in a celebration of community, music, conviction, and of course, bourbon. In May, Wild Turkey Bourbon called on aspiring artists who are bold and unapologetically themselves to trust in their spirit – no matter their journey. It’s in this same spirit that Wild Turkey Bourbon master distillers have been able to craft bourbon their way for almost 100 Years.
KIAH GOSSNER discusses his career and the art of music production and shares some creative recording and production ideas.
Starting out his career as a session musician, Kiah Gossner quickly made a name for himself as one of Australia’s leading producing talents. Gossner’s career to date has seen him collaborate with top international and local talent as a multi-award-winning producer, Songwriter and mix engineer at Studios 301, Sydney. Just last month, Gossner mentored 10 emerging Australian artists as part of the The Wild Turkey Music 101 Mentorship Program alongside Angus and Julia Stone.
What was the purpose of The Wild Turkey Music 101 Mentorship Program for these emerging artists?
In my career, I can point to a handful of experiences that shaped my trajectory. These experiences are nearly all centred around collaborating and learning from people who inspire me creatively, whether established artists, producers or peers. Music 101 gave hands-on experience and advice in a collaborative environment to the 10 emerging artists. We held six workshops over three days that allowed these artists to work together while learning from Angus & Julia Stone alongside Simon Cohen (Vocal Production), Stefan Du Randt (Mixing), Lynley White Smith (Creative Career Management), Antonia Gauci (Live Show Prep), and myself for Songwriting and Production.
What was involved in the workshop?
On day two of The Wild Turkey Music 101 Mentorship Program, I hosted a workshop on Songwriting and Production. We explored different songwriting techniques and how to take ideas from demos to finished productions. It was also an opportunity to share some of my workflow that I use every day and give the artists insight into different techniques.
Using examples from my catalogue, we unpacked melody/Lyric Writing, capturing demos, Production and recording techniques, and industry standards for working with professionals. The sessions were incredibly open, and the artists could ask questions and get feedback on their processes.
After the workshops, the emerging artists took to the stage to perform their original songs. Seeing them perform after spending so much time getting to know them and talking about the creative process was excellent.
What are your top tips for emerging artists?
1. Develop a creative practice.
Make creative contributions to your practice every day. This could be small, e.g. writing a haiku that captures a moment you’re experiencing (waiting for a bus, Coffee, etc.). Or this could be more structured, for example, setting a 90-minute timer and practising your instrument. These small steps accumulate, resulting in music that has more thought, understanding and feeling behind it.
On that topic, regular writing is one of the best things you can do as an artist. Forget about songs being perfect (for a moment); some circumstances call for perfection, but most of the time, showing up to work on your craft (without judgment) is what’s required. Finishing songs will make you a better writer. Write 50 songs, then pick your strongest for release. Embrace the suck, and be okay at being bad. If you’re good at everything you do, learn something new.
2. Grow with a community.
Healthy music scenes lead to healthy artists. Embrace your peers, collaborate, and grow together. Music isn’t a competition, nor should it be a ladder. Find your creative family (both in the creation of music and the business of music) and grow together.
I’ve been privileged to know so many creative, talented, and interesting people. Collaborating and exchanging ideas with them has led to some of my favourite music. I’m constantly learning from my peers; they are one of the things that make doing this wild job enjoyable.
I’ve been fortunate to be a part of some wonderful creative families, such as Mixmasters, SongsChat and Studios 301. These communities have allowed me to cross paths with some incredible Australian and International creatives. Constantly working with this mix of established artists as well as local, up-and-coming talent means I’m always learning from a diverse group of people from different backgrounds and walks of life.
3. Be Curious
Being curious ties into my first 2 points quite well, but I might use this to talk a little about Production and Writing. The barrier to making a record has never been lower. This is wonderful for so many reasons, we are given so many tools that make it easy to knock a song together. This only encourages a little creative exploration. Problem-solving in all stages of the creative process is (to me) the most thrilling aspect. Problem solving results in, lyrics, sounds, tones, arrangements that are unique to you and you music. I often throw myself into a less-than-ideal situation, so I must navigate out of it. These explorations often result in my favourite parts of the track.
For example, if I find myself stuck on a production, I might (save a new copy and then) record a lot of noise and sound. I’d record anything: instruments, found sounds, the track mangled through different effects, anything goes (I have literally recorded the kitchen sink). Then I’m forced to work with these new Chaotic elements. This also works in writing lyrics or chords. By injecting new random words onto a page or words, we are forced to navigate through the lyrics and try things out. Even if we don’t land on the correct lyrics for that particular song, you’ll find something useful in the process.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach me at:
Insta @kiahgossner. web: www.kiahgossner.com
Or For direct (free) mix feedback visit the Studios 301 Website: https://studios301.com/recording-mixing/kiah-gossner/mix-feedback/