August 3, 2006
MAC LINEMAN TACKLES MUSIC BIZ
By Larry Moko
The Hamilton Spectator
HAMILTON - McMaster Marauders football player and budding businessman Jeremiah Brown might want to borrow the advertising campaign slogan of shipping giant United Parcel Service Inc.
You know, UPS's What can brown do for you?
Mac's Brown could ask that same question to local musicians. The 20-year-old starting Ontario University Athletics offensive lineman has converted a detached West Hamilton garage into a recording studio and is making his audio production services available to the public.
The third-year Commerce student received partial funding for the endeavour through the provincial government-run Summer Company -- $1,500 for startup costs with an additional $1,500 available later.
He calls it First-In Audio Production. It offers complete production, including tracking, mixing, mastering and burning to CD.
\"The garage was basically a shell when my dad first bought the property,\" Brown said of the building located behind his Gary Avenue house.
\"I'm a bit a of a handyman, so I ended up drywalling it. And I did some foundation work. I had to level out the floor and put in insulation.\"
Brown painted the place, put in carpeting, air conditioning and a semi-Cathedral ceiling. A futon, also helps with the sound quality. Art work with a musical theme, guitars and a drum set adorn a wall.
The 6-foot-6, 245-pound Brown, a native of Cobourg, Ont., studied with the Royal Conservatory of Music for 11 years. He plays piano, drums and guitar. His interest in audio production began about five years ago on simpler equipment.
\"As a musician in high school, I was trying to record myself playing drums. So it began as a quest to get a good drum sound ... I was never satisfied with the quality of it.\"
First-In rates are $50 an hour -- $25 for students. He occasionally takes the service on location, using his portable digital mixer and laptop. The business, launched in June, hasn't caused a flood of complaints by neighbours about noise. \"It's pretty negligible,\" Brown said of the sound levels. \"It's well insulated.\"
Along with operating a business and being a student-athlete, Brown has a 14-month-old son, Ethan Alexander. He's been with Amy West, also a Mac student, for five years.
\"This year it's a little easier. We're able to sleep, now. What keeps me sane is coming home and seeing him. My family is my first priority. But football and this (the business) are a close second.\"
Brown is looking forward to the start of Marauders' training camp in two weeks. With his musical background, one could say he's a player of note.
Reprinted with permission from The Hamilton Spectator.
The Hamilton Spectator
HAMILTON - McMaster Marauders football player and budding businessman Jeremiah Brown might want to borrow the advertising campaign slogan of shipping giant United Parcel Service Inc.
You know, UPS's What can brown do for you?
Mac's Brown could ask that same question to local musicians. The 20-year-old starting Ontario University Athletics offensive lineman has converted a detached West Hamilton garage into a recording studio and is making his audio production services available to the public.
The third-year Commerce student received partial funding for the endeavour through the provincial government-run Summer Company -- $1,500 for startup costs with an additional $1,500 available later.
He calls it First-In Audio Production. It offers complete production, including tracking, mixing, mastering and burning to CD.
\"The garage was basically a shell when my dad first bought the property,\" Brown said of the building located behind his Gary Avenue house.
\"I'm a bit a of a handyman, so I ended up drywalling it. And I did some foundation work. I had to level out the floor and put in insulation.\"
Brown painted the place, put in carpeting, air conditioning and a semi-Cathedral ceiling. A futon, also helps with the sound quality. Art work with a musical theme, guitars and a drum set adorn a wall.
The 6-foot-6, 245-pound Brown, a native of Cobourg, Ont., studied with the Royal Conservatory of Music for 11 years. He plays piano, drums and guitar. His interest in audio production began about five years ago on simpler equipment.
\"As a musician in high school, I was trying to record myself playing drums. So it began as a quest to get a good drum sound ... I was never satisfied with the quality of it.\"
First-In rates are $50 an hour -- $25 for students. He occasionally takes the service on location, using his portable digital mixer and laptop. The business, launched in June, hasn't caused a flood of complaints by neighbours about noise. \"It's pretty negligible,\" Brown said of the sound levels. \"It's well insulated.\"
Along with operating a business and being a student-athlete, Brown has a 14-month-old son, Ethan Alexander. He's been with Amy West, also a Mac student, for five years.
\"This year it's a little easier. We're able to sleep, now. What keeps me sane is coming home and seeing him. My family is my first priority. But football and this (the business) are a close second.\"
Brown is looking forward to the start of Marauders' training camp in two weeks. With his musical background, one could say he's a player of note.
Reprinted with permission from The Hamilton Spectator.
