LBB’s Great American Music Tour Goes From Rock City to Music City

As our Great American Music Tour comes to a close, there are some final stops we have to make in some of the country’s most iconic music cities: Boston, Chicago, Detroit, and Nashville.

While Boston is often pushed out of the spotlight by its long-time north-eastern rival, New York, that’s not to say the Massachusetts city doesn’t have its own musical heritage. Aerosmith, Pixies, The Cars and, funnily enough, Boston - all artists who hail from this part of New England.

Chicago is perhaps most known for being the birthplace of house music, but has also contributed to a wide variety of genres, be it hip hop, soul, rock, jazz or R&B. From the ‘father of modern Chicago blues’ Muddy Waters, to Kanye West, Smashing Pumpkins, Earth, Wind & Fire and Herbie Hancock, the 'Second City' has a history of reinventing itself and building new legacies atop of old - and that applies to its musical history as much as anything else.

With the nickname ‘Rock City’, you wouldn’t be blamed for having a rather one-dimensional preconception about the music of Detroit. And while rock music and early punk certainly blossomed there, one of the standout periods in world music also occurred here - the rise of Motown in the 1960s and early 1970s. Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations - all artists who gave Detroit its soul. More recently, artists from all along the musical spectrum have helped preserve the city’s affinity with the American music industry, with the likes of Eminem, Jack White, and Sufjan Stevens.

And of course, this wouldn’t be an American music tour if we didn’t include the Music City itself. Nashville is famous for its unparalleled live music culture and its synonymy with country and folk music - although natives like Kings of Leon and the Cyrus family have transcended these genres in the mainstream. Many of the artists Nashville claims got their starts elsewhere, but its magnetic pull for musicians has resulted in many icons relocating to this bonafide musical mecca - take Taylor Swift for example, who moved nearby at just 14. Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, the Allman Brothers - all have called Nashville home at one point - and if you’re a country star, chances are you’re already there.

It comes as no surprise that these four cities are now home to some of adland’s most exciting music and sound companies, so as LBB's Ben Conway wraps up the Great American Music Tour, we hear from companies in Boston, Chicago, Nashville and Detroit to discuss commercial music-making and explore how their local music scenes inspire them.

Chicago

Squeak E. Clean

[Above: CD Julie Nichols, playing with her band Chicago Soul Spectacular at the summer party]

A Chicago native, executive creative producer/music supervisor Chris Clark describes the city as "eccentric, wonderful, and often slept-on". He says, "I’m proud that Squeak E. Clean Studios is the only major global music and sound company with a brick-and-mortar studio here." Founder/ECD Sam Spiegel opened the studio in 2017, merging with Nylon Studios two years later to create a global powerhouse. With a footprint in both the US and Australia, the Chicago team aims to bring the heart and soul to their global teams, using its core team’s personal projects as inspiration - work that spans soul revival, alt folk/R&B, punk, electronic and industrial/dark metal. "We take pride in supporting the vibrant artists in our town," says Chris, "from the footwork scene to the experimental jazz of labels like International Anthem, we’re here for all of it."

Passionate about working with local talent, 2023 allowed them to reimagine a Nat King Cole song for Illinois Cares for Kids, as well as collaborate with Jane Lynch on an Illinois Tourism campaign. Also not afraid of "getting weird", Chris says a major 2023 highlight was collaborating with Atlassian and Droga5 to create the ‘Earworm Eraser’, a bizarre composition that neuro-scientifically removes annoying earworms from your mind.

Boston

Gratitude Sound

Established in 2014, Gratitude set out with a mission to provide original music to ad agencies. Since then, it's grown to include a diverse roster of artists and a catalogue of licensable tracks. Rooted in collaboration, Gratitude’s team is primarily Boston-based, where the relationship they've developed with the composers and artists is the foundation for their work. "It fosters the creativity required to make something special," says executive producer Bryan Hinkley. One standout project from Gratitude is a Cheerios spot that featured a local rapper/producer Latrell James, which was awarded a Clio for best original music. "For me, it was rewarding to see the shared excitement from the local community about this commercial," says Bryan. "It’s one of my favourite projects because of the positivity of all the people involved." 

With the yearly influx of students to Boston's colleges, he explains there are always new bands and new music being created and performed. Gratitude's studio is located in Allston, which is a vibrant collegiate and artistic village in the city. They share the building with a recording studio called Mad Oak, known for working with Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, and The Dropkick Murphys. With new or underground bands often recording there, they've been introduced to a practically limitless resource of local musicians to work with. 

"Despite Boston’s vibrant musical palette of hip hop, punk and hardcore, jazz, and classical music, the city has often fought against a little brother syndrome in comparison with New York," adds Bryan. "The desire to create our own identity causes Boston artists to develop music with tenacity and ingenuity in their craft. I’m inspired by the self sufficiency and thirst for knowledge that our city’s music community shows."

HiFi Project

[Above: CEO Jack Bradley]

HiFi Project's CEO Jack Bradley has two favourite things to talk about: Boston and music. Perfect! Jack has been a partner (and now owner) of HiFi Project since 2010, and although at the time he was living in Connecticut and running the company from New York, he always kept a presence in Boston as he grew up just outside the city and built his early career there.

HiFi Project has been creating incredible music for content for over a decade and prides itself on its partnerships, taste, artistry, and production. They've worked with some of the biggest brands in the world - some even located in and around Boston itself, explains Jack. "Progressive with our friends at Arnold. DraftKings, born in Boston. Liberty Mutual and Bose. Even Dunkin, which opened its first store back in 1950, just a few towns from where I grew up."

He adds, "Boston has a deep relationship with music going back centuries. I am excited to see what the next phase of the music scene here will be, and living in the area I am thrilled to be a part of it."

Nashville

SOUTH Music & Sound

[Above: JD Darling, Nashville CD/partner and the team in the studio]

SOUTH Music & Sound is an LA based music shop, right? Right! But, did you know that SOUTH has also operated a satellite office in Nashville, Tennessee since 2010? “Nashville was a part of our plan from day one.” says Nashville CD/partner Jon 'JD' Darling. In 2009, Jon founded the award-winning music production company in Los Angeles and currently works out of the Tennessee office. He continues, “Music is the lifeblood of this city and that’s something about Nashville that has always resonated with me on a personal level. As far as music goes, country is big here but Nashville truly is a multi-genre city with big ideas. The musicianship around town is second to none and the vibe and kinship in the studio is really incredible.” Recent work from SOUTH includes Cadillac's 'Personal Renaissance' campaign with Leo Burnett and the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II 'Squad Up' spot with 72andSunny. The next time you’re in Music City and you are looking for something to do after you get out of your hotel’s guitar-shaped indoor pool, stop in and say hey to the Nashville SOUTH team for a good old-fashioned studio hang.

Detroit

Yessian Music

From Detroit Rock City to the world: Yessian Music got its start in Detroit and is America’s longest running music house with roots in Motown, Detroit rock and techno. From its start in a renovated fishing bait and tackle shop to its present day modern studio facilities across the US and Europe, Yessian has grown to a team of 28 producers, creatives, composers, sound designers, and mixers creating audio content for everything from film to commercials and immersive installations to theme parks. 

"Our Detroit teams live and breathe the Detroit music scene," says partner/CCO Brian Yessian. "Whether it be checking out a jazz group at the iconic Cliff Bell’s, touring the Motown Museum to learn about which songs were recorded in the bathroom, checking out an up-and-coming rock band at St. Andrew’s Hall or finding your way into an underground techno party in an abandoned building, Detroit really does have it all." 

He adds, "Detroit also has an infectious spirit about it, and we have been able to carry that spirit (through sound) to New York, Los Angeles, Hamburg, Austin, Dubai, Shanghai and really every corner of the world. It must be that Motor City drive (no pun intended). As Fedde Le Grand (not from Detroit) says: 'Put Your Hands Up For Detroit, Our Lovely City'.