How I Work: Andrew Petroff, Music Producer and Songwriter
Andrew Petroff creates hits. Image: c/o Andrew Petroff. Design by Barbara Cadorna.
Behind many hit songs is a team of people, from songwriters to musicians to the producer. Andrew Petroff is one of those Nashville-based multi-hyphenates — an accomplished multi-genre producer, songwriter, and musician. He has a songwriting and production style that is as dynamic and diverse as the artists he shares the room with, including Sheryl Crow, Lainey Wilson, and Meg McRee. The catchy song “Grease” that Wilson recently performed at the ACM Awards? That has Petroff’s fingerprints all over it. In addition, his work can be heard on shows, such as “Riverdale,” “The Black List,” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”
Below he shares how he works. It includes starting his day in the dad zone, the process of writing a song, and why a converted church is his dream studio.
Rise and Shine
My day starts in the dad zone. My wife Erica and I have two kids, two dogs, a fish, and a snail. The house starts stirring in the neighborhood of 6:30 a.m. It’s a whirlwind of coffee, breakfast, letting the dogs out, getting dressed, teeth brushed, lunches packed, shoes on and everyone out the door. Depending on who is bringing who to school or what is happening that day, my wife and I will alternate getting a workout in. Prior to kids, I used to love to eat breakfast and go straight to work before my brain could be swayed by the distractions of life. Kids change everything though and almost always for the better. Now I really enjoy the buffer of real life between waking up and starting work.
Work Uniform
No rules here. I try to look cool enough to fit the part and be comfy. I’m also colorblind so I will usually run my outfit by my wife in the morning. Most of the time I end up in Vans, jeans, and a T-shirt or flannel.
How I Structure My Day
Once the kids are off to school and I’m sitting down in the studio, it’s game on. I’ve found my creative brain is most efficient in the morning. Most days I will spend an hour or so going over and tweaking what I did the day prior. That initial response is vital and I try to be really conscious of that.
If I have a session I’ll start by prepping ideas and general vibes. Before anyone arrives, I’ll tinker with guitar chords, a drum loop, or just a collection of sounds. I like to warm up my brain and find a launch point for each session. Once they arrive, we will try a few different ideas before we dive into a song. Sometimes I record as we go and sometimes we just write the song. I try to stay flexible. It all depends on the vibe and the artist in the room.
During recording/mix days I try to get a full song put together. I will usually work a few hours before switching over to a different song on my to-do list. Going back and forth between songs helps maintain my perspective and keeps my ears fresh.
By 4 p.m. I begin editing the day’s work and tuning vocals. I like to clean up the audio and organize my session so that I start fresh the next day. By this time the kids are home, and I’m back to being a family man.
Playlist Favorites
I’m constantly on the prowl listening to a wide variety of new and old music. Most of my actual music listening comes during family time. Our favorites are Beck, Norah Jones, Amy Winehouse, Tame Impala, and my wife loves 90s country music.
Tools of the Trade
My Mac, PMC speakers, and an ever rotating cast of guitars, drums, keyboards, microphones, and outboard units. I LOVE gear. Probably too much.
Dream Studio
Something open, inspiring, and filled with cool instruments and gear. All my favorite studios are converted churches. I guess that’s what I picture when I think of my dream studio. Or a barn. I’d take that too.
One Unique Thing About My Work Process
My puzzle piece in the writing room is collaborating with an artist. I’m usually starting off by driving the musical side of the song. I’ll hop in on lyrics too and then keep a perspective on how the lyrics, music melodies, and overall vibe come together. In the room, there is typically the artist and myself and then usually another co-writer or bandmate depending on the day.
I work with such a wide variety of artists in different genres. No starting point for a song is the same, but there are a few general patterns. On the two opposite ends of the spectrum you’re starting with lyrics idea first or a musical idea first. Most songs are some kind of combination of those two elements.
Country music is such a lyric-driven genre that most of the time the initial song idea is sparked from a title or phrase. We’ll sit together and kick around a few lyric themes and see what catches the excitement of everyone. From there we can create a musical idea to match the lyric theme. The focus is the songs itself, what the lyrics mean, and how they translate to the listener.
Completely opposite, there are also writes where we kick things off with a musical idea. These tend to be genres where the overall vibe and feeling is the primary focus rather than just the lyrics. There’s more room for creative musicality and interesting textures. The music idea is the initial spark and then we’ll work out a rough melody or phrase and fit lyrics to that.
A song is only done when it’s on a record and released. While most of the writing may happen during that initial session, it’s not uncommon to see edits and tweaks up until the proper recording of the song. Sometimes you nail it on the first try and sometimes it takes a bit of refinement and perspective before it’s finished.
Mantra
Hard work brings good luck. I’ve always been a huge believer in that. Work your butt off, show up prepared, and opportunities will find you.
Also, taste is everything. For those of us in creative professions, taste is why we get hired. Technical perfection isn’t what usually connects or translates the most.
My Bright Idea that Never Saw the Light of Day
99% of what gets written and recorded probably doesn’t get heard by anyone outside of the immediate circle of creation. There are some magic moments that happen and some amazing things I wish people could hear. Usually though, the truly great ideas find their way out.
To-Do List Item That Keeps Me Up At Night
The to-do list item that keeps me up is probably the to-do list itself. Since I’m usually seeing a song from conception to delivery a lot of work can pile up quickly. Everything in the music industry is a constantly moving target. The priority of something can change in an instant. What was at the bottom of my priority list yesterday could be at the top today. Thankfully, I have a really great management team that helps keep everything straight. They can see the big picture and everything in motion for what it is.
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