SONIC INSTIGATOR
By Mitch Easter:
Ted Comerford's lifelong love of music has taken him through every twist and turn of playing and recording. For over 15 years he has worked in professional, commercial situations onstage, in the recording studio, and at a large record company, giving him a notably comprehensive knowledge of How It All Works. Artists working with Ted invariably have a great experience and hope he'll agree to work on their next record and beyond!
He has a unique ability to present artists in a way that broadens the audience and builds upon the artist's own vision. He doesn't think that "integrity" and "success" are incompatible concepts! The person who can do this needs a job title somewhat beyond the traditional ones left over from the music business of the past, so these days Ted considers himself: Sonic Instigator! This tells you that his approach is agile and creative, that making the record is going to be an Adventure! Records that contain the spark of a unique voice are the ones people care about, and this is what Ted understands and brings forward in his sessions.
Although Ted can perform all the tasks needed to make a record, he is a great collaborator and recognizes the value of bringing in a wide range of well-known music and sonic experts on his projects. Jack Joseph Puig, Paul David Hager, Jeff Juiano, Greg Calbi, Joe Zook, and Michael Brauer are among his friends and frequent associates. His impressive ability to bring together the right team, and with his realistic sense of budgets, Ted has always made records that sound first-rate even when the finances were humble.
Therefore a lot of Sonic Instigation is always going on! Recently Ted has been working on sessions for the very exciting Jonas Sees In Color and the intriguing Jukebox the Ghost, while bands he's worked with for years like Virginia Coalition, A Fragile Tomorrow, and Juniper Lane continue to have devoted fans and sellout shows. Over the years, Ted has taken a lot of Songs and helped turn them into Great Songs. Making this happen in the studio is great fun for all, and you can hear it in the results! That's the kind of energy a popular record has to have, and it's the kind of record Ted knows how to make.
FEEDBACK
Ryan Downing / Jonas Sees In Color
We worked with Ted for our new LP and it was my favorite studio experience we’ve ever had. It was the first time I’ve ever really been happy with the sound of a recording. Ted has an amazing ear for tone and melody; we loved working with him to make each song sound its absolute best. Ted wants the best for every artist he works with; he develops a network of artists that work with each other and play shows together; he really goes the extra mile and uses every connection he has to maximize the potential of every artist he works with.
Wes Tatum / Against Grace
Aside from being a great producer, Ted has given us solid career advice, helped promote growth in our “sound”, and introduced other key players to our team. We were a band that was only doing local gigs without much on our resume. Now we have two major music placements under our belt and have gained radio airplay on Clear Channel radio.
Alex Lawhon / Colourslide
Ted has been an incredible asset to every project that he and I have collaborated on. I can think of no one else who I would want to conspire with in the studio. Industry connections aside, Ted’s passion for the bands he champions is boundless. He is an extremely important ally to have in a business that can be overwhelming and at times intimidating.
Colin Healy / Solo Artist
Ted has played an integral role in the development of my music career. From the beginning, when I first started working with him as my producer, I could tell that he was taking my album seriously. Much more than just a great producer, he has also been incredibly helpful with shopping my album to industry contacts and helping me plan my album release. If you want a hands-on producer who’s not only going to make your album great, but set your career in the right direction – definitely go with Ted.
Dean Newman / Colouslide & Time
I've made a number of albums with Ted over the span of the last 9 years and have always felt very lucky to have him on board.
As a producer, he has always done an incredible job of getting the most out of the band and bringing out the best in each song. He's an incredibly talented songwriter and always willing to lend a hand to move the project forward while maintaining a strong sense of quality and direction. His ear for parts and understanding of sound really makes
him invaluable in the studio.
As far as everything after the record is complete, he has always been very eager and willing to assist when it comes to shopping, licensing and overall support and success of the project. He's got a hefty network of industry heavyweights in his corner and is constantly branching out to build it further in order to accommodate the most appropriate connections for his projects. Most of this falls under the artist development side of his business, which handles a lot of the "after the studio" work that bands typically need, and from what he's provided to us, it is quite thorough and tailored to our vision.
Ted has helped my projects find world-class management, legal representation, as well as a licensing firm. These projects won contests like the Gretch Greats contest and Billboard / Maxell "Song of the Year".
My band has showcased for several major labels (Atlantic, Capitol, Island Def/Jam) -all as a direct result of Ted.
There is no one else on the east coast I would recommend as highly.
Jack Joseph Puig / Mixer, VP of A&R for Interscope Records
"Ted is a genius! I love mixing his records."
Martin F. Frascogna / Entertainment Attorney
“As an entertainment attorney, you have to rely upon ‘creative filters’ to keep you plugged into the creative process so you can quickly see the intersection between business and legal. Ted has emerged as one of firms’s top creative filter, as he only works on successful projects that are going places.”