Episode 6: Alex Gibson - Working With Rock Stars, Developing Brands, and Creating Value

Discover The Road with Kirk Wheeler

Alex Gibson is a Artist, Producer, Mixer, Engineer and Brand Developer. He has worked with some of the biggest names in music, including Ringo Starr, Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Sting, and Bon Jovi, as well as other talents such as Stuart Davis and Echo Echo. The production teams he has been a part of have been responsible for sales of over 25 million albums worldwide. He has worked with brands like Nike, Volvo, Apple and HBO in various capacities.

Alex began his journey in Florida and made his way to Los Angeles via Boston where he studied at Berklee College of Music. He started off in LA as a staff engineer at A&M Studios and stayed with the facility as it made the transition to Henson Recording Studios, where he eventually became the Chief Engineer.

We were connected by drummer Blair Sinta, who saw that we were both in a similar place in life and might have some things in common. In this interview we talk about his path to making records and what it takes to get something productive out of an artist. We also talk about the transition he is making from the music industry to points unknown.

The week I spoke to him, he was in the middle of producing local artists, mixing a band from Russia, building a website for a venture capitalist, and helping someone build a social media app.

I am really excited to have Alex on the podcast for two reasons:

1. He has a deep passion for music and helping artists craft their vision to create the most authentic expression possible.
2. He has been at the heart of a seismic shift in the musical economy and having seen both sides, is trying to imagine what come next.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• What it was like to get to work with his heroes
• Why he was blown away by Stuart Davis
• How the d.school at Stanford has inspired him
• The triggers and signs that are leading him to make a shift
• How learning about psychology helped him in the studio