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

Hi Bruce, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Being a musician myself I was always dissatisfied with the majority of the studio sessions I had been involved in, and there were many. I never felt like the environment was right to get to the heart of what we were trying to do in the time that we were able to afford. I decided to acquire the equipment I needed to do most of what I was always looking to do, which meant The gear I had was what we required to get the proper recordings but I did not spend any extra money on purchasing equipment to fill the studio with which meant it became a “BYOG” bring your own gear situation, now we can spend the time and money on the process of recording without the usual hefty hourly rate that most studios require to compensate for the overhead involved in owning grand pianos, boutique amps and endless selections of snare drums. So overall a lower hourly cost to the customer and a much more relaxed and artistic environment.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I came up in the typical musician life style but shortly after high school I moved to Boston with a group of guys who were trying to push the envelope and get closer to the action, that turned in to a very busy gigging schedule that eventually led me to becoming the drummer with a different band that was signed and touring to support a record release. After 2 years of supporting that album I was becoming disinterested in the travel end of the business but was always mesmerized by the studio experiences. I settled back in to a place in Boston and stayed involved in the scene but was finding musically I was changing and growing in different directions so I leaned into that process and found myself getting involved in very different forms of music and playing styles. I met my wife along the way and we started a family and left Boston for the suburbs. Once we were settled into our new home I started construction on the entire basement retro fitting it at first as a band space but then very quickly I started wiring and building it out to be a recording studio. through this time I was still experimenting heavily with different styles of music and ultimately was unable to find enjoyment playing one type of music in any band, I realized that I didn’t want to be in any single band but wanted to be in all of those bands, recording was the way for me to become the extra member in each band for the time we spent together working with their material. Playing such a diverse catalog of styles has allowed me to produce and often times perform in all these different genres with my clients ranging from Doom Metal, Country, Rock, Americana, Folk, Primitive Blues and Jug band music. I have been fortunate to be able to help nuture my clients music and I get an amazing amount of gratification from each song we work with here. We take the time needed to find where the songs want to go as we clear the rocks out of the road to get them to where they are going, its very satisfying and each song is special to me, its not just tracking a handful of songs, I believe its about each person building their own life story and legacy, and being a part of that is worth the price of admission for me!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had folks coming into to town I would take them first into Worcester to Steel & Wire for the best dive bar experience. Then over to Vincents to take in the local bands with the best meatball sandwich this side of the Mississippi, folks in these two places range from 20 somethings to 70 somethings some of the sweetest people and enthusiastic music fans I’ve known. Finer dining spots in the Canal district would be next on the list.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Bernard Mansuetti & Robin Dionne from the Ampersand Creative Co. out of Rhode Island, have been my support system and mentors in getting myself organized and up on my feet, Bernard has spent a fair bit of his time assisting me with strategy and his varied skill sets to gain the confidence to take the next steps that I need to take to make the dream a reality. And secondly my family considering this is a home based business they have had to accommodate all that involves having a flow of customers in your house and in your lives to some extent, without they’re cooperation I have received from them it would have been impossible.

Website: https://www.mooncusserrecording.com/

Instagram: Mooncusser-recording

Facebook: mooncusserrecording

Youtube: mooncusserrecording1754

Other: https://soundcloud.com/user-643080315/sets/mooncusser-recording?si=f05e2aa4a1e249d18cff24da2c450949&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Image Credits
Bernard Mansuetti

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.