Beyond Music

Nashville native Scott Frick and his wife Gayle spent countless hours in some of Nashville’s most reputable studios, and upon moving to Monroe, they built a first-rate recording studio “by artists for artists.”

VANELIS RIVERA    /    ANDREW BAILEY

Nashville, Tennessee, widely known as “Music City,” is ground zero for a large portion of America’s music history. Known for the “Nashville sound,” many greats like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Dolly Parton fostered their talent in the city’s bars, recording studios, and concert halls. Musicians from all over the world flock to this mecca of music performances, festivals, and songwriting. But what of those who seek life outside of the city’s hallowed sounds? Nashville native Scott Frick and his wife Gayle spent countless hours in some of Nashville’s most reputable studios, and upon moving to Monroe, they sought to fill a need which also happened to be a cause dear to them—a first-rate recording studio built “by artists for artists.”

“I have been in the music industry since I was seven years old,” informs Scott. His father was a gospel evangelist and a record producer. “So I just rolled right in with him. And, actually, my brother and I were part of his band.” By the time he was seven, he was playing drums and singing, while his brother was nine and playing bass. As Scott got older, his dream was to follow in the footsteps of George Strait, and so he pursued singing and songwriting in Nashville. Though he never made it to that level of success, he was equally blessed when he met his wife in 1991. She moved to Nashville from West Monroe, they were married, and for some time they sang with each other for a living. “We used to travel playing gospel music from town to town across the country, actually in England as well,” recalls Gayle. In 1995, they moved to West Monroe. “It was a community that I immediately fell in love with,” says Scott, adding, “I just loved the whole thing, but also I liked the vibe we got down here music industry-wise, to the point where I did not miss the music industry in Nashville. I only missed the big city, but the musical talent down here was so incredible.” Inspired by Northeast Louisiana musicians that had traveled all over the world with “big names,” only to come back home, the couple decided to open Music City Studios. 

  “Actually, I built the studios so that Scott would get out of the house,” recalls Gayle, who remembers telling him, “You need to take your job and do it somewhere for real and not in our storage room.” The studio’s ten-year anniversary is coming up, and in that time they’ve managed to create a comfortable, laid-back place where artists who “live and breathe music” can create opportunities and those who just want to have fun can savor a moment and have a memory that will last a lifetime. 

When the couple decided to build, one of their first main goals was to build a facility akin to those they frequented in Nashville. Currently, they have three studios, each of which caters to particular recording needs. Studio A pulls out all the stops as their premiere recording space. It was designed to exact industry standards, at 1200 square feet, and with multiple tracking areas. A smaller room, Studio B doesn’t lack in quality or features as it uses the same equipment as Studio A, providing an intimate space for artists who simply desire to lay down vocals over existing backing tracks. “A vocal room for people who are just doing vocal projects. And a lot of that involves people who do karaoke tracks,” says Scott. Finally, Studio C is geared toward creators: “Multicolored lights, dark atmosphere, and slick layout promote a chill vibe for vocalists.” The job of the studio is to get people from singing in their bathrooms to possessing something digital they can then “plug in their car, send to the radio, DJ, whatever their goal is, small or large. Recorded, mixed, and mastered product, it’s ready to go,” says Gayle.  

The studio’s use is versatile. From commercials, political ads, local jingles, cartoons, and audiobooks, Music City Studios caters to a wide variety of audio services. They even recorded an episode of VeggieTales. “We’ve pretty much covered the gamut here,” says Scott, who has used the equipment to preserve antique sound like old reel to reels and old cassettes by digitizing them. A couple of years ago, they had someone come into the studio with a cassette tape of their recently deceased father signing a song that he had written. It was the only copy they had, but thanks to the studio were able to send digital copies to the whole family. They also had a family that came in with a family member that was terminally ill, so they had a jam session and recorded it live. “They told stories and jokes and played music,” says Scott. “They spent an hour in the studio.” Whether you are a casual participant or professional, they pride themselves in providing quality experience and product. “We don’t treat some people like stars and other people like amateurs. We treat everybody like a superstar, so everybody gets the same product,” emphasizes Scott. 

Clearly, over the years, their customer base has grown and with it, they were able to start building a staff. At the moment, they have a videographer who can be hired for headshots and/or music videos, sound engineers, and two office managers, one of which is Jade Reynolds. “I wear a lot of hats,” she says, which includes helping to coordinate promotional events such as the Brown Bag Lunch Series with the West Monroe Chamber of Commerce. As a local musician who has used studio amenities, Jade has been most taken by the “magic in the middle” that the engineer provides. “It’s an art form in itself,” she says, asserting that sound engineers are like musicians themselves because they have to have a keen ear for the music.

“I also learn that ambition is contagious,” says Jade, referring to the artists that pass through the studio on the regular. One artist that comes to mind, and that has been a personal inspiration for her has been Jonathan Cummings whose stage name is Main Main. Not only is he working as an engineer with Music City Studios, but he is also a local hip hop artist with 23,154 listens on “Work,” his number one song on Spotify. “When I tell you that this guy has earned every single one of his stripes, I have never seen someone so hungry for success in my life. And to see that behind the scenes is an absolutely incredible experience,” follows Jade. A large portion of the studio’s clientele comes from the hip hop and rap community. “We know rap can be rather coarse at times,” says Scott, but Music City Studios is a safe, friendly, and, most importantly, a non-judgmental environment.” Whereas a lot of studios don’t cater to rappers because of the stigma surrounding the genre, Scott and Gayle never wanted to be the type of music business that sent the message, “we don’t do that type of music.” Anyone that walks into the studio gets respect from each employee. The couple’s authenticity has resonated with clients, so much so that some rappers apologize for their lyrics before recording, but Scott isn’t in the business of censorship, and often brushes it off by saying, “It’s between you and the Almighty what your content is.” 

The studio’s contribution to the Northeast Louisiana community is beyond music, at this point. They’ve become a beacon of inspiration, hoping to grow a culture of music in the area that rivals larger cities. “We invest in the entire community,” says Scott. The studio is involved with Krewe de Riviere as their sponsor, as well as Strauss Theatre, and Strauss Youth Academy for the Arts. They’ve done “trade-offs,” with high schools, allowing them to come in and record solo acts for homecoming presentations. Community outreach has also taken the form of providing studio tours for school children, allowing them to observe studio sessions, sound editing, and even giving them the experience of using the microphones, which is thrilling for many. “We were able to encourage them that it’s okay to dream,” says Gayle, adding that one of the messages they communicate to prospective artists is the importance of getting their product together. 

“I tell everybody all the time, I will go to my grave supporting Northeast Louisiana and doing my best to make it someplace where people want to stay or come to,” says Scott. Here, he refers to the arts community as a whole and hopes the area can keep elevating and supporting its artists. “We just feel like we’re more than music here,” says Gayle. Naming their business Music City Studios was a nod to the heart of Nashville’s country music industry, Music Row. At Scott and Gayle’s studio, you’re getting a little bit of Nashville, and then some. 

Music City Studios is located at 1511 N 7th Street, West Monroe. Visit their website (https://www.musiccitystudiosla.com) to book a session and follow them on Facebook and Instagram to learn more about their artists and services.