Back Pocket Recording Studio helps artists pursue their dreams
Under the helm of Kaylee and David Cunningham, Back Pocket Recording Studio has come along way since opening and now it is celebrating its fourth anniversary.
Kaylee opened the studio in April 2018 after returning home to Plant City from college.
Several months later, her husband David teamed up alongside her in handling the daily operations.
Initially, the studio was used exclusively for artists to record their music. Over time it has not only become a hub for creating music, but voice over demos and podcasting.
There’s also a room specifically for piano lessons.
“I’m really happy the way things turned out,” David said. “It’s been really great, and just to see how much we’ve grown in the studio, grown in ourselves in the past four years.”
That growth also came with going through the COVID-19 pandemic, when many establishments had to close down, including Back Pocket.
“We got blessed because we were able to do some remote work,” David said.
Artists had to either email their work or use Dropbox, which took some adjusting to seeing that they were used to performing live, in person. The couple was prepared financially with savings, to withstand the monetary loss that many others had faced during the pandemic.
“We were super fortunate enough to have an emergency fund to be able to pay all of our bills through COVID and that was honestly a blessing,” Kaylee said. “Business was doing so good before COVID, we were able to make it through and not have any debt or owe any money.”
To this day, they are mindful of those who want to be extra cautious, wiping down all equipment and will wear masks if requested.
With the multi-use studio, there are options for artists and podcasting, even if there are those who want to do both.
Back Pocket has also gained and caters to various age demographics.
“It’s so cool, because music really does bring people together,” Kaylee said. We’ll have a bunch of elderly people then the very next client is like a young rapper. People just meet and we’re all in the music field together, so that’s just a common ground for people to talk about.”
Those seasoned in age, have taken advantage by finally recording songs that they wrote lyrics to, but never put a tune with.
The couple has also seen a rise in older folks pursuing voice over work that act out classic cartoon characters.
Back Pocket has come a long way from what was once barren blue walls and blue carpet, to now having a furnished lobby, a padded recording booth, and a vast array of equipment and instrumentation.
Aside from the piano and switch board, they will use instruments like a guitar to help produce the right sound that an artist is looking for.
They also help in writing lyrics if the musician is having writers’ block.
“My degree – part of it is in song writing, so I’ve been fortunate enough to sit under really smart professors and know some of the tips and tricks,” Kaylee said. “I’ve had some students win local competitions. I had a student go to American Idol. You just never know. There’s a lot of talented people out there.
“As far as singing, I’ve had a lot of people that are very serious about it, that want to make it a career. When you’re really fortunate as a teacher, you get the people who are really serious about the craft. You can coach them and guide them.”
An unpleasant experience with instructors inspired Kaylee to be compassionate toward her students. She took that negative period in her schooling and decided to channel it into something positive.
She started learning how to play the piano at age four and how to sing at 14.
The couple had already worked on professional music, recording in studios before thinking of owning one themselves.
David received a degree in audio production and toured with rock bands.
Kaylee received a degree in commercial music at Liberty University in Virginia.
The couple had to exercise faith to operate a studio in Plant City as opposed to a major city, they said.
After college, Kaylee had the opportunity to work in New York, Chicago, or Texas, but she said that God was calling her home.
They don’t regret choosing their hometown, right between Orlando and Tampa. Their location is a great launching pad for voice actors and music artists who can find prosperous work afterwards, David noted.
“We’re not far from Disney,” he said. “Orlando’s not too far and they do a lot of that kind of stuff. This could may be the starting point for some people, and they can move on.”
Back Pocket has received assistance from other studios, showing that there can be comradery instead of competitiveness.
Some of the clients who start recording for the first time at Back Pocket, can get anxious but Kaylee and David try to reassure them that there’s no pressure.
“It should be less stressful in the studio because you have more chances to do something right,” Kaylee said. “If you make a mistake, we can do it again.”
They want their clients to feel comfortable so they can perform at their best, and that warm atmosphere is what attracts people to the studio, Kaylee added. It’s therapeutic for the artists, and even for the couple when they want to get away from any of the stresses of life.
At this point, they have worked with many artists, producing music genres such as reggae, jazz, Latin, rock, country, R&B, hip hop, pop, gospel, classical and bluegrass.
And they are looking forward to producing funk music as well.
Kaylee writes her own songs about love and breakups. She also produced one in commemoration of her late grandfather.
The couple teamed up with a local engineer to produce a short Christmas album ahead of the holiday season.
As they pass their four-year mark, they have future plans for the studio as well as themselves.
“I really want to start traveling, even if it’s a couple days a week…and doing shows,” Kaylee said. “I’m trying to build up my songs. I feel like when you’re doing it, you bring a level of knowledge to people. The reason I can tell people how to distribute their music online is because I’ve done it.
“I also would like to eventually, when we get to this point, hire on another engineer to work with”
They would also like to expand the studio and branch out into different cities.
“We have good enough experience, but we have plenty of time for more, plenty of room to grow,” David said.
For more information or to book a session, contact Kaylee or David at (813) 756-6501 or by emailing Kaylee@BPRStudio.com or David@BPRStudio.com.
