May 15, 2014
Tucked away in a back street of Murgon is a recording studio which is the culmination of one man’s musical dreams.
“Bullroarer Recording Studios” is the creation of Andrew Beckett, former frontman for ’90s band Tribal Link.
It has taken a year to build and an investment of about $50,000.
“I have spent my money wisely to make it a purpose-built studio,” Andrew said.
There is a soundproofed “live room” where performers can lay down tracks, and a control room where Andrew can work his magic on the mixing desk.
The floors, made of cypress pine, are raised to help control sounds and vibrations.
The studio forms part of Andrew and wife Trish’s “Jemalong Productions” business which covers audio, video recording and photography.
It was designed by Andrew but a lot of the carpentry work was done by his brother Kenny, who would travel down from Baralaba on his days off to lend a hand.
The actual mixing desk was built to Andrew’s design by the Cherbourg Joinery, while Andrew himself set up the components and computers.
Andrew is a perfectionist. It shows in his mixing – he played southburnett.com.au several tracks he is currently working on – and in his studio design.
There will be an official opening of Bullroarer down the track, but Andrew first wants to finish off the “aesthetics” and tweak the accoustics in the control room.
“It’s been a long-time dream for me and now I am at the stage to live it,” he said.
At the moment, it’s “Bullroarer Recording Studios”, but Andrew can envisage the day when it’s also “Bullroarer Records” with artists signed to his label, and a stable of session musicians he can call on.
“Music is a universal language,” he said. “I hope to network with anyone and everyone, and get paid for what I love doing. Music is fun!”
Andrew still classes himself as a musician – he’s picking on a Fender as he’s talking – but he’s also a sound engineer and producer.
“If someone comes to me with a song, I could just hit ‘record’ and I will engineer the recording,” he said.
“But if they want me to ‘produce’ it, I can create the sound, the arrangements, provide the instruments. They can give me a picture, and I will colour it in.”
And then there’s music videos …
Andrew has made a couple of professional full-length videos already and is eager to try his hand at a shorter format working with musicians.
He is frustrated when people say to him “Why Murgon?”
He says “Why not?”
“There’s no fence around Murgon, it’s not just Murgon, it’s the globe.
“There’s a whole world of networks, people exchanging files. I’m thinking globally.”
When he’s not working behind his mixing desk, Andrew can be found at Cherbourg, working on the establishment of the Council’s new recycling project.
He’s also a familiar face running the regular karaoke sessions at the Hotel Cecil in Wondai and is often the “sound man” at local music events.
And although Bullroarer is not yet officially open, Andrew has already started working in it on various songs.
Dean Love, from the Alcohol and Drug Foundation of Queensland, hired the studio recently to put down tracks with some Nanango teenagers.
And Andrew is also working on tracks with Steve Hart, from Cherbourg, as well as a couple of other local country music singers.
However, there is another part of his dream that he is still working on achieving – to finally record the Tribal Link album which didn’t quite make it onto a CD all those years ago.
“Tribal Link are getting back together to record what was never released,” he promised.
“It has taken us 15 years or more, but we will do a proper recording.”
- Related article: Andrew’s Musical Journey Takes Another Turn
