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Minneapolis Music Production Teacher: Jerry Pollard  The New Pulse Feb 1 2007, By Harrison Matthews
If you spend any time chatting with music producer-engineer Jerry Pollard, you can't help but notice his over-the-top passion for music and music production. Everything about the creative process gets him pumped — from helping artists find their inner voice to capturing spontaneous performances live in the studio. His fascination with gear, technology, and exploring sonic soundscapes is boundless. And he considers his other creative pursuits, including photography, to be outlets that enable him to focus more intently on his craft.
A Minneapolis native, he studied recording at the Brown College of Minneapolis, where his roommate was Tracy Petterson. Armed with a degree in Electronic Technology specializing in Audio followed with a Baccalaureate in Information Technology, Pollard then headed for the Minneapolis music scene of First Avenue and the Uptown Bar in the early '80s. He had the chance to watch home town acts grow to national fame: Prince, Soul Asylum and The Replacements, from assisting on sessions to engineering and mixing to producing, he's risen up the ranks and built a list of credits in a career spanning 20 years.
He developed his studio chops during years of sessions with the famed production Trio- The Dead Grampuhz and Your Children, working on projects for artists ranging from The Swingin' Teens and the Musical production and promotion of Artist in Trouble. Those productive years and the bountiful connections made during that time prepared Pollard for his multiple projects with U.K. Ocarina Master Barry Jennings and work with U.K. phenomena John Taylor. He also worked on many sessions with artists such as Sorry I Came.
Pollard won a Minnesota Music Award in 2001 for his engineering and mixing work with Philippine-American singer-songwriter Toby. He's also engineered or mixed a number of movie soundtracks, including Franken Clause (Panchar, 1994)
How did you become interested in music production?
I've been interested in making recordings since I was a kid. What fascinates me is that sound trapped in the microphones is energy, and it's always there. One of my favorite examples is the “A Day in the Life” by the Beatles and the classic Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. I've always been attracted by the fact that records capture energy, and that that energy is available to you anytime you want it.
I've also played guitar in bands and have always been into gear and how it interfaces with guitars. I'm interested in how systems are put together.
Why Minneapolis, and what was your first recording?
At the time, I had four choices: I could go to New York, London, or Los Angeles. Or stay in Minneapolis. My friend Tracy Petterson, who had established himself in L.A., influenced my decision during a phone call from LA, Tracy said “it sucks , it’s just mile after mile of strip malls no one acts real”. I was introduced to the Minneapolis studio scene from friends. Over the years later I was producing and assisting at many makeshift studios in the warehouse district. This allowed me to work in various studios and experience the different ways that other producers and engineers work. A years later Tyler Studios hired me as a staff engineer, and I stayed there for five or six years. That's how I got hooked up with Tracy Petterson and Valerie Wang.
What was it like working with them?
My first time working with Tracy and Valerie was a two-week stint on a SuperLoser record. They barely spoke to me the whole time. All they gave me was their food order! The next project with them was a Pistol Whipped CD. Tracy suggested I bring a book to read because Valerie did all her own patching. Valerie had come up through McNally Smith [Music Production College], so she knew the rooms extremely well and would work solo. She's a wonderful person but can be intimidating because she's very intense when she works.
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