A Day in the Life of ArtistWorks' Bluegrass Guitar Instructor, Bryan Sutton
Bryan Sutton listens back to his performance inside the Starstruck Entertainment building in Nashville, TN
In June, ArtistWorks' VP, John Graves, traveled to Nashville. John was able to spend a day of his trip with acclaimed Bluegrass musician, and ArtistWorks' Bluegrass Guitar instructor, Bryan Sutton. John wrote this blog to take you behind the scenes of his day with Bryan. Want your own access to Bryan? Join the ArtistWorks Bluegrass Guitar school to get direct feedback from this master musician. Learn more here.
I pulled up to the Starstruck Entertainment building on Nashville’s Music Row and thought “am I in the right place?". The exterior of the building resembled that of a metropolitan business building or bank more so than a recording studio. I walked in and I was met with the southern charm you’d expect in Nashville. After being assured I had entered the right building, I was led to the back to meet my host, Bryan Sutton.
Starstruck Entertainment Building, Nashville TN
Bryan gave me a tour of the building and it was one of the most impressive recording facilities I had ever stepped foot in. He explained that he works there quite often and that the building regularly sees sessions with artists such as Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson and more. He led me back to a studio called “The Gallery”, which was the center of that day’s session. The layout was beautiful and the gear was top of the line. The live room Bryan was working in had two stories with a high ceilinged main room and isolated booths on both top and bottom floors.
The Gallery live room, Starstruck Entertainment
Electric guitar station, The Gallery live room, Starstruck Entertainment
Drum station, The Gallery live room, Starstruck Entertainment
I was introduced to the crew which included famed producer Joey Moi, legendary pedal steel master Paul Franklin, Derek Wells on electric guitar and Jerry Roe on Drums (grandson of country music legend Jerry Reed). The guys were working on a record for a new-comer to the country scene named Madison Kozak. Right out of the monitors, the tunes sounded radio ready. The level of musicianship in that room was incredible. It was very cool to watch it all come together so quickly and seamlessly. There were a couple of times the producer solo’d Bryan’s guitar parts and it was fun to hear him on his own. This “pop country” style is very different than what you’d hear him play when seeing him perform his own.
Bryan Sutton listening back to his previous guitar take with producer Joey Moi
It was fun to be reminded, not only of Bryan’s incredible talent, but the diversity of his playing and ability to approach multiple styles with mastery and authenticity. I'd say more than anything else, this speaks to his experience in the industry and his long history of being one of Nashville’s most highly sought after players. I would encourage anybody reading this to sign up for some free sample lessons from Bryan Sutton. Access to this caliber of player with this type of real industry experience is incredibly rare - something you can only find at ArtistWorks. Whether you are a beginner guitar player or a longtime player looking for advanced guitar lessons, Bryan has the patience and passion to guide you toward the next level of your playing, with the same skill and finesse that he brings to recording sessions such as these.
Check out some more photos of the session below!
Bryan Sutton with Joey Moi and Paul Franklin
My view of the Gallery control room
Gear crowds the halls outside the studios at Starstruck Entertainment
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