Meet Wes McCraw | Music Producer/Guitarist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Wes McCraw and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Wes, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
Although I’ve been living in Ohio for over 30 years, I was born and raised in a very small town in rural North Carolina called, Harris. Harris is located in what’s known as the “foothills” area of North Carolina. It’s located near the Asheville area. My earliest musical memory is of my father playing guitar to me when I was probably four or five years old. He once told me that, as a baby, I had Colic and would cry all night…sometimes keeping my him up till dawn. According to my father, the only thing that would quiet me down, was if he played the guitar. Now, is that the reason that a few years later I took to guitar and music like a fish to water? …who knows? But I like the story…lol.
A few years later, my brother and I moved in to live with my grandparents. One of our closest neighbors and childhood friend was the son of a family of Bluegrass musicians. The most famous being a guy by the name of Snuffy Jenkins (who later had a music festival named after him). Anyway, being around my friend and his family certainly got me playing guitar more seriously… as they were all great musicians. By age 10, being self taught, I first learned to play the guitar in an open tuning. Later, someone in the house had a Mel Bay book with an accompanying 45 single. Through that book, I learned how to tune the guitar properly, and how to play chords. Then I heard and saw the band, Kiss! It was all over…lol! I knew I wanted to make a life in music.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve been producing music and sounds for artist, corporations, and others for over 25 years. There are a lot of great creatives out there, and I’ve been fortunate to work with some great people. If had to say what sets me apart from some, it would probably be the experience and diversity of the projects that I’ve been involved with. For example, I recently recorded and produced an Irish traditional Celtic band which included Ullian Pipes and Harp. In that same week, I recorded a rap artist. Then, later in that same week I created sound effects and composed a couple of short pieces of music for a major toy company. Often times I’ll work with a singer/songwriter who would like to add a full band sound to a piece that was written only on acoustic guitar. I’m able to perform most of the parts myself… as well as edit record mix, and master the song. Those are all completely different skill sets and approaches to recording and production. The fact that I come into any project with all of the above experience, is something that I think may set me apart from some of the other fine folks out there. It’s not always easy. You have to completely change your mindset and get your head inside of whatever you’re working on in that moment. I ask a lot of questions before working with an artist or a company. I want to fully understand what their goals with any project. I want to be able to anticipate their needs. Having said that, there are times when I’m caught off guard with a request in the middle of a session….maybe something I’m unsure about, or have never tried before. In those times, it’s important to stay calm and appear to control of the situation. In those situations situations I may say to a client, “I’m not 100% sure on that, but I’m 100% sure I’m going to get it done for you.” I would give that advice to anybody in business. When it comes to clients, of course they want to feel like you’re great at what you do and they’ve made a good decision trusting you with their project. But a lot of what they want is to feel like you hear them, you have their best interest at heart, and that you’re on their team.
When asked, “what would you like people to know about your brand and your story”, I don’t have a quick answer. I suppose it would be that, Im proud of, and care about the quality of my work.. I have turned clients down if I felt I wasn’t the right fit for their project. I’ve also taken on clients with very small budgets because I believed in what they were doing. Although I do need to make a living, it’s certainly not always about the money…especially in this business…lol!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, being a musician the Akron/Cleveland area, I get to see and perform at a lot of great venues. I would have to take an out-of-town visitor to the Portage Lakes area. It’s beautiful there and there’s some great places to hang out. A favorite restaurant would have to be Lala’s in the Lakes. The food there is special. Another cool restaurant is a local spot in Norton called the Wolf Creek Tavern. The building has been there since the early 1840’s. Legend has it that the place is haunted. It has a great old rustic charm and the food is excellent… been there many times…never seen a ghost…lol! I would definitely have to take an out-of-town’er to visit the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. I mean, you’re in the Cleveland area so you have to…right? It’s great… especially if you’re a fan of music history!
To catch great local music artist I would have to suggest the Rialto Theater in Kenmore and/or Jilly’s Music Room in Akron.
If you’re a sports fan, there is of course the football Hall of Fame right down the road in Canton Ohio. And to the north, Cav’s, Browns and Gardians…depending on the time of year. Cleveland House of Blues is a favorite as well.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Id like to give a shout out to my Uncle, Worth. Through his love of music and album collection, I was exposed (at an early age) to some of the greatest music ever recorded. I heard artists like ,Elton John, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, the Rolling Stones and The Beatles. Ive always believed that hearing these great artists taught me alot about melody, song writing, and music production. Another person that I have to mention is my grammer school music teacher, Mrs. Hamrick. She taught me how to really LISTEN to music. I remember she once gave us an assignment to “critically” listen to an orchestral peice and to list as many instruments as we could hear. I had never thought about music likle that before…it was life changing.

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