I’ve always been interested in capturing audio. The first thing I remember recording was back in 1999, I was playing a Russian Balalaika into one of those old computer desktop boom mics. I later moved on to a boom box with two tapes and would bounce tracks back and forth, used the same trick with CDR’s, and had a DVR camcorder that I would use as a tape machine. Sometimes I would play and record a full cassette tape live each time and give them to people, like Daniel Johnston used to do.
And so it went, recording DIY with different methods and genres until I started my band Cement Ship. This project was always organic and raw, taking inspiration from nature. I looked inward and aimed to be as authentic and honest musically, releasing demo videos as a way to progress my writing and just letting the songs be free to do what they do. I started by just recording those demo vids in my room, but eventually I had the idea to move these videos outside in nature. Visually this would really open things up. Many things could happen outdoors, but it made the experience fun and it felt healthy to get out of my comfort zone. Still does.
Aquanaut Audio was born out of this organic and adventurous method. Along with starting this business for general recording and mixing work, I’m excited to collaborate with original singer/songwriters, and showcase them on my new Youtube Channel. I’ve recorded everything from live bands here in Santa Cruz, to gospel singing inside prisons in Malawi, Africa. I can be completely battery powered, able to set up anywhere and just capture the magic naturally. I’ve also started to focus more on filming since I’m not recording myself playing.
The first video premieres Friday, January 7th and features Adrea Castiano. This was filmed at Moss Landing Harbor, her home for about a decade, just a few days before she moved to Nashville. More videos from this session will be released every Friday, and there are many more artists coming up! Please subscribe to support, and you can contact me for any audio work at aquanautaudio@gmail.com.
Thank you for reading!
Tim Brady
First video with Adrea Castiano:
That was beautifully written and is a great history of your personal artistic development. I’m happy to witness your exciting progress! 😊