MISSOULA - Missoula has a vibrant music scene and Parabrella Productions, a new music production studio downtown, is trying to capture its sound.
Owner and operator Reese Hoeg grew up in Western Montana, and it shows in the way he talks about music.
“I’m like just like an outfitter sort of,” Hoeg said. “I kind of think of a music producer is like a fishing guide. It's kind of like you give somebody the equipment, you throw them in the boat, you take them where they need to be and you help them cast the net in the right direction and hope that they catch a big one.”
Meet Parabrella Productions owner Reese Hoeg, who has opened a new music production studio in Missoula:
Owner and operator Reese Hoeg grew up in Western Montana. From the University of Montana, Hoeg went on to study music production at the Berklee College of Music. He'd been producing from his bedroom at home, but in May, he realized his dream of opening a studio of his own.
“It was just kind of a logical next step. I didn't want to keep all my stuff in the tiny apartment that we live in and take up all the space,“ he said. “It was like, you know, ‘I could just open a studio.’ I've always wanted to do that since I was like 13 years old, so it was like, ‘Why not'?"
Hoeg hopes it makes music production more accessible for people with any level of musical background.
“I’d really love to just help somebody make it an easy, simple process to create something that they are excited about,” he said. “It doesn't have to be something that they're trying to get famous with, it can just be something like a journal, so to speak, of where they're at in their life right now or it could also just be something that they want to give their family.”
Hoeg goes to open mic nights around Missoula and gets inspired by the local scene. He hopes to capture a part of the musical magic in his studio.
“I don't want it to like suck the life out of the music. I want to enhance the life of the music,” he said. “I think that some of our favorite recordings were done in places that were smaller than this and with gear that is less powerful than the stuff that we have these days, so it's really about capturing genuine performances.”
Parabrella Productions is located at 240 North Higgins Avenue, Suite 15, in downtown Missoula.
