u/thehowardbenson

He paused to say hello to someone. I glanced at his desk and (reading upside down) saw a list that said "Artists we may drop". A name popped out on there... Halestorm.

I remember how much that band was touring and working at the time... I'd seen them in Philly .. but were just not getting into the studio. When he returned I mentioned that I'd be up for working with them and he asked if I'd contact their manager... the legendary Bill McGathy.

From then on, things happened quickly. I brought in an independent AR guy Pete Ganbarg to help me with the project and we went in and made the first album... then the 2nd...and then they won a Grammy! This could NOT have happened to a more worthy hard working artist! I was sooo proud of them!

I loved doing the vocals with Lzzy.. she had a depth of range that she was starting to find on album one and on The Strange Case... she killed it. Everything came together: Pete was also now officially running AR at Atlantic and their champion at the label, they got great tours, the radio was blowing up, and the band was delivering every night, writing great songs, and building a strong fan base. It was a great, synergistic time for all of us.

Meeting and producing Three Days Grace probably had a more lasting effect on my life than any other project. Neil Sanderson and I are the owners of Judge&JuryRecords and none of that would have happened had I not been asked to work on the 2nd album... eventually to be called One-X. I think for them and me it was perfect timing.. I wanted to make big hit records.. I never shied away from telling artists that. 3dg never shied away from wanting to reach as many people as possible, and had the musical intelligence to pull that off. They were serious about their craft and not egotistical ... great songs at the top of the pyramid followed by great vocal performances and killer guitar riffs. Simple. Effective. When I look back at the simplicity of the production it reminds me that less is more a lot of the time. I now have Produced or Co-Produced 5 of their records! one-X is one of my most successful records, having generated 5 singles!

Clipped from Episode #126 of the podcast “Look Into It” hosted by Eddie Bravo