Though you’re probably familiar with local rock bands The Pink Spiders, Slack, The Privates, Feable Weiner, Character, and The Hotpipes, you may not know that all those bands have turned to Lake Fever Productions to make records. Lake Fever—the studio run by Jason Bullock, John Baldwin and Joe Colvert—has been making a name for itself for the past three years in the indie rock scene in Nashville. But their recent move to Music Row opens up new possibilities for the young team of engineers/producers.

ATR: WHAT DOES THE NEW STUDIO GIVE YOU THAT THE OLD ONE COULDN’T?
JASON: It’s better on so many levels. The physical studio is much better. This is a studio that was built from the ground up as a studio whereas the other place was a commercial space that I made work as a studio. Obviously the location doesn’t hurt.
JOE: We also have a righteous grand piano.

ATR: WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT BEING PART OF THE INDIE ROCK SCENE IN NASHVILLE?
JASON: It’s just gratifying to help an artist come closer to achieving their goals and connecting them with a mass audience. This scene has been talked about since I came to Murfreesboro in 1997 and it’s looking like it’s just now going to begin to live up to the hype on that national level and continue to shed some light on more and more deserving local artists.
JOE: The Nashville indie rock scene is on its way to great things outside of these city limits. It’s exciting to be a part of that.

ATR: WOULD YOU LIKE TO BRANCH OUT TO WORK WITH OTHER TYPES OF MUSICIANS?
JASON: Absolutely, having this studio is opening doors and the freedom to work with whoever wants to work with us. I think the old studio lended itself to a certain type of music and I did the best that I could, but this place is much more professional and has a more blank canvas feel to it.

ATR: WHAT DO BANDS GET BY WORKING WITH YOU THAT THEY CAN’T GET ELSEWHERE?
JOHN:I feel like our studio is substantially different from other studios in Nashville; we’re really not in competition with anyone. We’ve got the acoustically isolated studio and professional gear from a commercial studio, but the rates and attitude from a project studio. We’re good at shutting up, pressing record, and making a record of what you sound like, and we’re good at tearing your songs and arrangements apart and putting it back together. We’ve got a full selection of unusual instruments, from an electric tambura to a glockenspiel to a mandola. Mostly, we just want a comfortable place for our friends to come and make music.

[This piece appeared in All the Rage.]