Michael Bearden

Interview by Larry Porres.

The Sonik crew has gotten a hold of the talented Michael Bearden, the creator of Keys to the City and the musical director of noneother than J-Lo, among others. He has worked with a great number of artists including Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Faith Evans, Whitney Houston, Madonna and many others, too many to mention. In the midst of balancing projects, Michael has found some time to talk with us.

Sonik: Where did you obtain your formal musical training?

Michael Bearden: Well, I started playing piano when I was around 5 years old. I’ve loved music for as long as I can remember but had no specific desire to play the piano. I was firmly persuaded to play the piano by my father. (laughs) The piano wasn't exactly what you would call a 'cool' instrument in my south side of Chicago neighborhood. However, after my first formal lesson, which was given to me by my godmother who had played in the church while growing up, I was instantly hooked!

We weren’t rich when I was growing up so new sheet music of all of the latest songs on the radio was out of the question. My mother put the radio on the edge of the piano and said try to play what you hear. That is how I learned to play by ear.

In grade school I tried out to play drums in the school band and got the first chair spot. I also played drum set for all of the plays that my grade school put on. When my parents saw that I was serious about music, they started to put me in to more advanced piano classes and after school programs. My mom would try to kick me off of the piano on weekends because I would just stay there and play ALL DAY without going outside, barely stopping to eat. I still do that to this day. (laughs)

As I got older I attended conservatories and universities. However, I would say that my 'formal' musical training is more of a cumulative effect as opposed to a direct effect. I was heavily influenced by all of my band directors from grade school through college. As well as the radio, television, film, recordings, Chicago Symphony concerts, etc... And events that have nothing really directly to do with music such as a Muhammad Ali fight or The Art institute in Chicago. I was also lucky to have access and hands on experience from some early mentors like jazz great Ramsey Lewis.

For me, the ultimate teacher for any musician is more than just learning from some human being and practicing your lesson for 2 hours a day, it’s about living and experiencing the world!

Sonik: How did you get involved in the music industry?

Michael: My involvement in the music business began with my imagination when I was very young. I would pretend that I was on stage all of the time. Mostly to myself because I was extremely shy and quiet as a kid. Heavily influenced by the Jackson Five, me and all of my brothers would pretend to be them, even going so far as to cut out cardboard guitars and microphones. All kids aspired to be just like them, especially in Chicago because we are so close to Gary, Indiana, home of the Jackson's.

When I was around 10 years old, we had a band. When we became somewhat bearable to listen to (laughs) my mother hired us and actually paid us to play at a party for her and her friends. That was the start of my professional musical career! This eventually led to neighborhood parties, weddings, talent shows, intra-high school competitions, etc...

While attending college, in between studying and practicing for my courses, I played in one of the most popular local bands in the city at that time. We always had lines of people waiting to hear us play. We would always open shows for the big artists that flowed through town on their way to the next. However, I wasn't satisfied with just opening for all of the big named artists, I wanted to play WITH the big artists. Despite not knowing a soul in New York, I rented a U-Haul, packed up all of my belongings and moved to Brooklyn. I was living in one of the roughest areas in Brooklyn in a 3-story walkup, one-bedroom with no kitchen! It did not matter to me because I was in New York, the land of big dreams.

New York has an energy like no other city in the world. Anything that you want to do is possible in New York. I soon found out that you needed more than just dreams, talent and desire, you need some lucky breaks too.

My lucky break came when one of my friends, who played drums for Herbie Mann, introduced me to Herbie right at a time when he was looking to replace one of his band members. I was definitely in the right place at the right time. I was running out of money fast living in New York so while on my way out to yet another jam session to try and get noticed, my friend called and told me that they would be performing in town. I explained to him that I was broke and couldn't afford the cover price. He said don't worry about that and to the gig I went. After the gig, Herbie told me to learn as many of his songs as possible and he would give me an audition the following week. I rushed home and learned as much of the book as possible like the hungry keyboardist I was (laughs) and went into the audition fully prepared. After the audition, Herbie did not even look at me, he just went straight to his calendar and started calling out dates. I didn't even question if I got the gig or not, I just started writing the dates. (laughs) The rest as they say, well you know how that goes... :-)

Sonik: Michael Bearden is a truly versatile producer, mixer, scorer, programmer, arranger and musical director, to name just a few. Is there anything you cannot do? What is your philosophy?

Michael: I can't dunk a basketball or consistently hit the ball straight off the tee! (laughs) Seriously, of course there are many things that I can't do. However, in order to survive in this industry you have to do as many things as you possibly can. My philosophy is to diversify yourself, much like a stock portfolio. Lets face it, today's music buying public is inundated with more choices than ever before. Video games, DVDs, high speed internet, digital cable, satellite television, computers, etc... and not to mention the old tried and true forms of entertainment like movies, sporting events, and dance clubs. Buying a CD or going to a concert is very low on the priority list for a lot of people. So, if all you do is tour, you may be out of work for quite a while. And in my case, many of my bosses are successful in other areas like clothing, perfumes and movies. So while they’re off being entrepreneurs or movie stars, the band has to look elsewhere for work.

I always say, if you can do more than one thing well in the music business, do it! Learn to read music if you don't know how, take voice lessons, song writing classes, engineering lessons, learn to operate all of the new gear and maybe hire yourself out to do that, etc... When one door is closed, another one will be open and you can keep your revenue stream flowing. I love music and I can't see myself doing anything else outside of the business. Moreover, I am looking to expand my portfolio even broader now. I just moved to Hollywood in the pursuit of scoring more films. I just recently completed my fifth feature film entitled "Dense", a Vanessa Williams directorial debut for the cable network Showtime. Film scoring is the thing that I’m most passionate about at the present time.

There is one thing I’d like to touch on briefly before answering the second part of your question. Along with all of the other aforementioned forms of music business dollar stealing activities, "file-sharing" or as I like to call it, unauthorized intellectual property stealing, is hurting the industry tremendously. Whatever side of the debate you agree with (CD prices are too high so it's justified or bootleggers should be publicly caned) the end result is that something has to be done soon! Right now it looks bleak because there is too much demand, like drugs. That's a harsh analogy but I feel it's an accurate one. The less the big companies make, the less WE make! Diversify yourself.

In order to keep so many diverse matters under control I use what is called the "sit on your ass and do nothing technique". (laughs) No really, sometimes reading a good book or renting a good movie, meditating or just hanging out with the nephews and nieces does wonders for your ability to deal with the madness that is the music industry. Young children have a way of letting you know what your priorities should REALLY be. As far as keeping my sanity, I make a living as a musician so I am probably not so sane to begin with. (laughs)

Sonik: Yes, the industry has had increased losses in the last couple of years and they seem to blame it all on file-sharing, however, there are proponents that claim the industry isn't doing anything to bring real quality to the table, that unlike yesteryear most of today's groups are low quality pretty-faced one-hit wonders.

Michael: Firstly, I have never been or will ever be nostalgic. Although I love many ideals and attitudes of excellence from "yesteryear" as you put it, I will in no way endorse everything that came out of my era as some grand piece of art that stands as the benchmark from which all future art should be derived. The first thing that pops into my mind as an example of this is 'Disco Duck', 'Keep on Truckin', (a popular catch phrase of the day), 'Kung Fu Fighting' and many more songs like this. I try to live my musical life by this moniker: "Youth without wisdom is chaos but, wisdom without youth is stagnation." I am not stagnant! Moreover, I can't blame everything negative with today’s music business on today’s new artists. The problem, as I see it, is multi-faceted.

For example, some of today's music industry problems can be blamed directly on yesteryear's music industry practices. There are too many stories of artists recording and touring for years with nothing to show for it financially. I’ve played on a few Heritage Foundation award shows (award show traditionally after the Grammys where past artists are given a check by the foundation to try and help with the lack of royalties and other monies owed to the artist.) I wish that they would televise those shows so that everyone could hear some of the speeches given as the wronged artists and/or their surviving spouses come up to collect the checks. Extremely powerful to say the least! As a result of these shady practices of the past, a lot of younger artists are getting smarter in the deals that they sign. Many own their own masters, have distribution only deals or are circumventing traditional deals all together and putting the disks out themselves independently, either through the internet or out of the back of the trunk of their vehicles. Hey, whatever works. I even know some cats with industry standard shrink-wrap, printer, and silk screening machines.

Secondly, the world is totally different today. The industry is competing with a lot of new outlets. We have gaming, the internet, blockbuster, cable, movies, etc... all competing for the consumer dollar. Not to mention life! Some people are just trying to survive from day to day and don't have the extra money for a CD.

Now, having said all of that. I would have to agree wholeheartedly with those that have a problem with the quality in today's music business. I think that the bar is much lower than it ever has been in the past. This is one of the only businesses I know that you can be in and not know anything about it. You could never be a doctor and not know what a stethoscope is or an architect and not know what a T square is. However, we have many singers out here that don't know the very basics of their craft like breathing from the diaphram or the difference between a chest voice and a head voice. I am not necessarily a proponent of formal education as a pre-requisite for being in the music business. I’ve worked with many famous artists that can't read a note of music. And I don't think they have to. However, ignorance about what you do for a living is inexcusable to me. I especially have a problem with the 'deification' of an artist as "the next best thing" when they are clearly mediocre at best. Music is subjective, yes, but I know when something is horrendous and when it's good.

The biggest problem as I see it is balance. For every non-singing, pretty-faced, one-hit wonder out here in the market place, I can cite you at least two legitimately talented artists. We as consumers just don't get to see or hear them. You can blame consolidation of radio stations, payola, A&R ineptness, big corporate bottom line pressure, or lack of marketing but the truth is out here, we just have to demand it. Unfortunately, the bar is so low now that the regular music fan doesn't even know what to ask for. Also, add to the mix the sheer amount of product, good or bad, that is in the market place. If you stand at the entrance of any major music store and look around, there is so much to choose from, where do you start? We could also talk about the backwards thinking, poli-tricks of taking music and fine arts in general out of the public schools but my soap box is starting to cave in. (laughs)

Sonik: Could we say that many of the file-sharers are young people who are living in this "free music" era and take it for granted without realizing the amount of work involved? Do you see a solution to this?

Michael: Yes! We do live in a sort of microwave society. We want everything fast and immediately. I believe the problem of piracy is a complex one. There are two main arguments, in my opinion, and I’ll try to get to both briefly.

If a person can get something they want for the least amount available or free, they will get it, period! Age has nothing to do with it. There is little or no concern for an artists right to be compensated for what she/he has created. This to me is the most dangerous thing about piracy, not necessarily that the product is being pirated because lets face it, you will never be able to stop it. But, the fact is that there is no concern for the sanctity of intellectual property. Can you imagine being able to download a Mercedes Benz for free, or how about a fine wine that took the maker years to grow, harvest, cultivate and age only to have it downloaded for free by some wine connoisseur in cyber space. There would be outrage if you could actually do this, yet music, movies, games, software etc... are being downloaded and bootlegged at alarming rates with little public outcry other than those of us that are in the business. I believe that part of it has to do with the way we experience product. Music is only tangible when it is fixed in some form such as CD, MP3, Cassette, DVD, etc... but once delivered, it becomes intangible again and is somehow viewed as “less valuable” than a car or house or some other tangible product. But, let me ask you, is a CD that takes an artist sometimes years to create any less valuable than lets say, a building that takes an architect years to design and build? And then being compensated well for his/her creation? Not to that creative artist let me tell you!

The other point is more direct to the spirit of excellence in the product. Besides the fact that most people will always want “something for nothing” and many people do not respect the rights of intellectual property, another big problem is content. I hear complaints from many people both in the business and out, that there are no more than one or two good songs on a CD. Most people, myself included, will not spend $15.99 on a CD with only one good cut on it. These arguments of high priced disks by the industry may have some validity. However, that does not give you the right to just take what you like without paying for it. One theft doesn't cancel the other.

The only solution as I see it has to be a multi-pronged attack. As I stated earlier, you will never be able to stop piracy, too much demand, like drugs. Just being real here. The only way to curb the problem is to aggressively pound the public with ad campaigns against downloading; lowering disk prices; record companies devising new and innovative ways of selling its product to the public; (take a lead from Apple computers on this) holding out for more excellence in the product by the music buying public; and my personal favorite, prosecution! If people start doing some real jail time for stealing, you'll see a huge drop in piracy. “What are you in for?" 'I robbed a bank!' 'What about you?' "I downloaded the new Coldplay CD!" (laughs)

Sonik: What instruments do you have in your home studio?

Michael: Right now I’m right in the middle of renovating my studio. I endorse several companies (Ilio, Midiman, Emagic, Kawai to name a few) and just started implementing all of them into my workspace. Some of my new favorite pieces include Emagic's Logic 6. What a powerful sequencer! The learning curve is a little high but once you set it up the way you like to work, wow! I love all of the virtual instruments, especially the EXS24mark II. I’m running Digidesign’s Pro Tools 6, 24 mix plus on a dual processor Power Mac G4 1.42 GHz. I also have Propellerhead's Reason 2.0, the virtual synth Maelstrom is amazing! Some of my keyboards include the Yamaha Motif, Korg Triton and Roland's new V synth. That's a great unique sounding keyboard. Trilogy from Spectrasonics is also another great virtual piece from that genius Eric Persing. (laughs) There's a nice picture on the Spectrasonics website of Eric, Greg Phillanganes, Stevie Wonder and myself giving it a test drive at NAMM. We had a great time playing that one.

I have many other toys to play with. I’m a pack rat when it comes to keyboards. I don't throw anything away. I still have all of my old keyboards including a Prophet 600 (the first midi synth) and a DX7 II, old drum machines and plenty of pedals like the Mutron 3. A painter uses all of the colors available to him in order to create the image in his mind’s eye. I view all of my keyboards and toys much in the same manner.

Sonik: Do you go for the latest products or do you tend to stay with older gear?

Michael: As I said before, I don't throw anything away. I tend to go for the hybrid type of sound using the old with the new. I try not to date my sound so I’ll tweak and re-shape all of my older keyboards to fit into the soundscape of what I’m trying to do at the moment. Some old things just work, period! As the old saying goes, if it “ain't” broke... I also like to use live musicians on top of all of the virtual and computer generated instruments. YOU CAN NEVER BEAT THE REAL THING! so I never try. I use electronics for what they do and let the human beings do what they do. My own sort of "matrix" you could say. (laughs)

Sonik: What is a *typical* day for Michael Bearden?

Michael: There is no such thing as a "typical" workday for me. My schedule is DEFINITELY too unusual for that. (Ed. Note: we know! ;-))

To answer your question I need to break a day into two categories; touring days and non-touring days.

On a typical non-touring day, I usually wake up around 10 or 11 a.m., late in 9 to 5 standards (laughs). In my own defense I do stay up extremely late, often around 4 a.m. I prefer the late evening hours when the rest of the world is asleep for creating and working on my music, it just works for me and I get a lot done. I usually work out in the morning and juice before I start my day. I’ve been a devout vegetarian for about 16 years and it requires a lot of work and discipline. After that, I jump in to whatever's on the plate for that week. Fortunately, when I’m not on the road I still have a full schedule. I may be working on a recording, film score or a television special of some kind, or just trying to get better as a musician. I may be working on a recording, film score or a television special of some kind, or just trying to get better as a musician. Film and television is the main reason I moved out here to Hollywood. However, I still keep a place in New York. I can never completely leave the energy and vibe of New York, there is no other city like it in the world!

A typical touring day is the complete opposite, even though the hours are about the same (laughs). As musical director of a big tour, I’m responsible for executing the musical vision of the artist. This encompasses more than you may think. I’m responsible for everything musical that goes into the show. Every arrangement, tempo change, segue, re-mix etc... all comes from the musical director in some way. A lot of the ideas are discussed with the artist first, and then it's my responsibility to translate the ideas to the band and execute them as close to the original idea as possible. Often times during the course of rigorous rehearsals these ideas will change or have to be adjusted to what's happening on the stage. Choreography, lights, staging, props, cameras, etc... always change! This part of the job is always fun because I love to create and see the whole thing come together, especially when the band is good! Fortunately, I always insist on, and have, a good band! I also have the best computer programmer in the business, Mike McKnight. We've been touring together for about 12 years or so and we've been able to get through a variety of good and not so good things on the road. Power outages, crazy fans, egomaniac band members, demanding artists, etc... we've been through it all ;) I don't tour without him. We are a team, the dynamic duo!

Sonik: Being the versed multi-tasking person Michael is, what does he envision the music technology will be like in five or ten years?

Michael: Five years? What about five months? (laughs) The change that has occurred within the last 2 years is amazing so in 5 or 10 years I envision that we'll be able to implant a fiber optic light pipe at the base of our brains and just think the music into a computer. (laughs) Seriously, I suspect that in 5 years there will be more virtual instruments and processing tools. I believe that the new cutting-edge innovations will probably be more towards data storage. As computers get faster and faster, the products that are already out will become more efficient and we should be able to produce more, faster. I personally would love to see more universal compatibility between all of the different products out here. This program doesn't work with that plug-in, you need an upgrade to make this work with that. Too much! Also, as a composer that often has to work with small music budgets for films, I'd love to have instruments that sound as close to the real thing as possible, just in case I can't afford to hire the real player. There are a lot of great sounding products out there but they could always get better in my opinion.

Sonik: Do you program your own keyboards? What ideas are you looking for and how do you know when the result is appropriate?

Michael: I very rarely program my own keyboards. Especially when I’m on the road, I never program them. I just don't have the time to do it. Being a musical director is so time-consuming I barely have enough time to practice my own parts. I’m fortunate enough to always have a personal programmer when I’m on the road. As for my home studio, I will always start with a factory sound and then twist and turn it into something else. You will very rarely hear a stock sound in one of my productions. I try to look for something that you've never heard before. A lot of times that can be accomplished by using a sound in a way that it was not intended to be used. For instance, you can do some cool things with a flute patch like using it as a mono sine wave type of sound or even brassy-like punches. Use your ear and see what you can come up with and try to be different, don't settle for the same old thing. The appropriate result is dictated by your ear, personal taste and the music.

Sonik: A lot of people seem get lost in a sea of audio samples. You mentioned earlier that you keep all your keyboards. Do you go back to them often? and how do you keep track of all the sounds you may need?

Michael:I don't go back to my older keyboards often because I’ve never left them. I have ways of combining old sounds with new ones to come up with something unique and fresh in my projects. I have all of the sounds backed up on data disks and hard drives and keep regular maintenance and up-keep on my old synths. Those batteries will go out on you if you don't maintain your arsenal. As far as audio samples go, I say go for it. Samples are just one more color in the broad music-making palette. I’ve heard the same drum loop in many different productions all used differently. It's always amazing to me to hear all of the different ways in which creative people use the same material.

Sonik: Lets talk briefly about Keys to the City. It has a vast array of sound loops that encompasses many different styles. Why did you find the need to create this product?

Michael: The library is very cool if I do say so myself, and it is sold by Ilio Entertainments so you know the quality of the library is the best! There are many different "sound loops", as opposed to drum and percussion loops and I wanted to put my own spin on what was out in the market place, which was not much at the time. I think I was one of the first to have (keyboard only) loops out in the sample arena. There is something kind of cool about trying to create a new work from a motif that is already created. You can use my loops, license free, any way that you'd like. If you're creative, these loops can go a long way in any style of production. If you listen to any Dr. Dre, or Neptune’s production, the same keyboard phrase or loop is often repeated. Therein lies the basic concept of the Keys To The City library.

The idea came to me early one morning, while driving home from an all night recording session in Manhattan, I reflected on the tracks I had just recorded. Although some electric keyboard parts were played, most of the session was done on piano. Everything went well and everyone was happy. When I came back to record the next day, the producer asked me if I could play a Rhodes part just a few bars long with the intention of repeating it throughout the song so that it would have a sort of “drum loop” feel. I did, and it worked great! After another long night of tracking, I was in my car, once again in a reflective mood. However, this time, I was thinking of the Rhodes part I had just created. I began to envision a collection of looped keyboard parts that could be used in conjunction with all of the drum, percussion, bass, and guitar loop libraries that currently exist on the market and I started to get really excited about the possibilities. Before I could say, “This toll went up again?” Keys To The City was born. Many, many hours went in to composing, performing, and recording the Keys To The City library. It was designed for all musicians, even keyboardists, who use sampling as an expressive and creative tool. Each loop was recorded to a click with an emphasis on feel. No parts were sequenced except for parts created with an arpeggiator.

Sonik: When you find some quiet moments to yourself, what sort of music do you play for your own enjoyment?

Michael: I recently signed a 3-year exclusive deal with K. Kawai to endorse their pianos. Now, I have a very nice 7-foot grand at my house in California. Because of this, I get no work done. (laughs) I still live in New York as well and never had the room for a real piano and now that I have one, I play it all of the time. When I get quiet moments to myself, I love to play classical pieces and work on different styles like latin, and gospel. I also like to dissect current radio songs that I like. I very rarely practice scales and those sorts of things. I prefer to work my technique through actual pieces. Bach is great for warming up and dexterity. If the mood strikes me, I’ll compose something new either for myself, or another artist. The piano is my best friend.

Sonik: What is your view of the "software versus hardware" debate?

Michael: In my opinion there is no debate. There will always be new software or 'virtual synths' and there will always be hardware. Who's to say they can't co-exist? I believe in the hybrid approach to creating so I love that all of the new things are out here, that doesn't mean I won't continue to use all of my old stuff. Having said that, I do love that virtual synths are getting better and better. I have not set up my original Rhodes in years, but I’m glad that I have it. I also love the portability of software based music production, especially since I live in both coasts. It would be crazy trying to fly all of my gear with me every time I travel back and forth. Computers and its software has made all of our lives easier and more efficient but my Korg Triton has never crashed. (laughs)

Sonik: Now that the Apple G5 is about to come out, and being a Mac user yourself, do you envision this new computer being ahead of the game for musicians?

Michael: With the release of the new Apple G5, I’m excited and pissed at the same time. Excited because musicians and other creative people (film editors, graphic artists, sound designers, film makers etc...) will be able to produce faster and more efficiently which is ultimately cheaper. Now, we don't have to spend a jillion dollars on our projects to make them sound and look professional. Powerful computers provide us with better tracking, mixing and mastering capabilities. This is a good thing. I’m not happy because I’m in the middle of updating my entire home studio and recently purchased the Apple G4 dual processor 1.42 GHZ less than 2 months ago. It's barely been used because my studio isn't finished yet. Apple should adopt a trade up policy on computers bought less than 2 months before the launch of a newer model.

Sonik: What have been some of the funniest/strange things Michael has seen in the industry?

Michael: I’ve been in the business a long time and I’ve seen many strange and funny things. In terms of sex, drugs and rock and roll, the music industry is exactly what you might think it is and more. Unfortunately, I can't share any of those stories with your readers. Sorry! However, the stories I enjoy all have to do with the powerful effect that music has on people’s lives, especially when they're hurting. A few of my good friends who've been singing with the great Luther Vandross for years told me a story of them singing to Luther around his hospital bed while he was in a coma. The miracle is that the singing played a part in helping him to come out of it. I have friends who are music therapists. There is always a great story of triumph with the work that they do with autistic children. I myself have witnessed two grown men, sentenced to life in prison, cry like newborn babies as I finished a long piano solo at a maximum security prison I was performing at with the late great violinist Noel Pointer. Either they were extremely moved or the piano solo was horrendous. (laughs) These are the real stories to me. Music is a powerful gift to the world and we should never forget that.

Sonik: What interests do you have outside of your music career?

Michael: Music consumes me, but I’m trying to have a little more balance in my life. I try to hang out with family and friends more than I used to. I’ll try to catch more movies and live concerts. But my biggest new thing is golf! My father bought me a set a clubs recently and now I’m addicted to the game. I’m not good at all, (laughs) but it's a great new outlet for me. Now, if I could only work on my late night musician time schedule, maybe I would wake up for those early tee times.

Sonik: Thanks for taking some time off your busy schedule to answer our questions.

Michael: Peace.

Additional links:

Michael Bearden's photographs by courtesy of Tony Donaldson.