Ryan R. Shaffer

Dean: "Hey, '84" - One of our first times we played a New Year's Eve event in Cincinnati, we were working on the groove during soundcheck. Scott was up in the balcony blowing up balloons. He was singing, but he was a hundred yards away from us.

I was really hooked on this beat, playing eighth notes on the hi-hat, but playing the "e" and "a" on the tambourine part of the hi-hat. So I am playing 16th notes, but it's split between my left foot and left hand, which sounds way more complicated than it is. It was something I saw my friend Rob Griffith (Bronze Radio Return) do it and I thought, "Oh, that's cool." I never really practiced it, it just kind of started happening in real time.
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photo: Ryan R. Shaffer

Scott: When you are in a band, if you want everyone to be invested in a song, you owe it to everybody to open it up to their input. Because you can only see so far as an individual or even as a full band. You can write an amazing song and still not get it across the finish line. You still need help from mixers, engineers, and producers. Sometimes letting other hands get after it is how the end result becomes greater than the sum of its parts.
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photo: Ryan R. Shaffer

Lead singer vibes 🎤

Last week, I got to capture some of my favorite artists performing live shows. It was, without a doubt, the coolest experience I've ever had with my camera 📷

The only downside? I wasn't allowed to take my drone. Maybe next time 😉