Five Questions With… Gavin Brown

By Jason Schneider

Having established himself as an internationally renowned music producer through his work with Metric, Billy Talent, Barenaked Ladies and many others, Gavin Brown is taking a step into artist management with his new Toronto-based company Inside Pocket Music.

The new venture, officially unveiled during Canadian Music Week with a party at the Rivoli featuring Inside Pocket’s, first signees consist of League Of Wolves, a new project led by former Sheepdogs guitarist Leot Hanson; singer/songwriter Havelin, a recent contestant on CTV’s The Launch;  former Ladies Of The Canyon, Maia Davies who is currently putting the finishing touches on a new album and goth-rocker Daemon Grey, whose new single “King Of Sin” was released in April.

Brown first gained notoriety as the drummer for ‘90s Toronto underground heroes Phleg Camp, which led to gigs with Big Sugar, Skydiggers, Jim Cuddy and Danko Jones before he focused his attention solely on a production career. His work on Billy Talent’s debut album was a breakthrough, followed soon after by his collaboration with Three Days Grace, which firmly put him on the map south of the border.

With Inside Pocket Music, Brown will be channelling his experience into breaking and building Canadian talent domestically and abroad. He took some time recently to tell us more about it, and you can follow Brown on Instagram at @goldengoesplatinum.

You've stated that your new venture Inside Pocket Music has been years in the making. What was the process of getting it off the ground?

It started to take shape when Maia Davies came on board. I knew then that I had a creative partner. Once the management team was solidified, we knew the whole thing could take flight. Teamwork makes the dream work.

Your initial roster of artists is diverse. Is there a common thread among them?

Number one, they’re all wonderful people. Number two, we focus on songs rather than style.

What are some of the lessons you've learned that you'll be applying with Inside Pocket Music?

I learned a lot in the early 2000’s when I worked with Michael McCarty at EMI Publishing developing Three Days Grace and Billy Talent. I then learned a lot with Matt Druin and Remedy Music when we developed The Envy and Midway State. Both experiences taught me lessons of what to do and what not to do.

Will you continue to do production work, and if so, are there any upcoming projects you can talk about?

Yes! Maia and I just finished three singles for the new Monster Truck album. We also worked hand in hand on the new Jill Barber album, and I worked on the new Three Days Grace release. I was excited to learn that they just tied Van Halen with having the most #1 Rock singles in America.

As the music business continues to evolve, what's your best advice for artists trying to establish themselves?

Songs, songs, songs, songs, songs, songs, songs…