MC: We’ve talked before about the Northern California mistrust of the music business.
Reed: Totally. In general, I think in the Bay Area, we have a great love for community, for fellow artists and musicians as people. But that sort of distaste for and healthy distrust of all things corporate and organized––I think it comes in really handy as a musician and as an artist.
MC: How so?
Reed: When an A&R guy is giving me notes, or I’m working on my album and someone tells me something they think I should do, at the very least I question it first. I never take anything for granted. I always have this little pause: “Do you know what you’re talking about?”
MC: Earlier in your career you connected with Casey Robison, who was then at BMI, now at Big Deal Music, who hooked you up with songwriter, producer and executive Evan Bogart.
Reed: Casey and Evan were the wellspring everything else came from. Good people lead you to more good people. All of the people we’ve brought into our fold since then are very talented musicians, of course, but it comes down to: Are you someone I could celebrate with? Are you someone I could commiserate with? What’s really at the core of the people that you surround yourself with?
MC: Let’s do a quick rundown of some recent projects starting with “Girls Talk Boys” by 5 Seconds of Summer.
Reed: We wrote that song drunk in a big vacation house in Palm Springs. We had been working on another song all day. We started pouring drinks and we wrote that song in an hour and a half, everyone shouting, like Talking Heads—all having a good time with this kooky groove.
MC: “Bo$$” by Fifth Harmony.
Reed: That was early on enough where I was starting to realize we could really do whatever the fuck we want––crazy shit. Let’s see how far we can push this. I think I had a quiet personal breakthrough when we made that song.
MC: “Fireball” by Pitbull.
Reed: He might be the kindest mega star in the whole industry. He is the greatest guy. I just reached out to him a few weeks ago, asking if he would do me a favor on this thing that I was doing. That guy will do heavy lifting for people who are in his corner. He’s a class act.
MC: Phantogram, “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore.”
Reed: We wrote a lot of music from the ground up, from scratch, on a daily basis, so that was an odyssey for us. Dan Wilson was part of that. We were the third and fourth silent members of a two-piece band.
MC: When we think of the role of A&R, it must be tough where a job can depend on one decision.
Reed: If you’re spending someone else’s money, it has real consequences. If you want to be in the music business and have a career that means something, you’ve got to be bold; you’ve got to be brave; and you’ve got to put your ass on the line or it’s just not the right place for you. This isn’t the place to rest on your laurels and hope someone else does the scary stuff.
MC: So you have to do the scary stuff?
Reed: Yeah.
MC: Does anything scare you?
Reed: Donald Trump!
Photo by Matthew Salacuse
For more information on Ricky Reed, visit rickyreedisreal.com and/or pressherepublicity.com.
