Matthew Louis Pence (born April 13, 1972) is an American recording engineer, producer, and drummer. He owns and manages The Echo Lab studio in

Denton, Texas Denton is a city in and the county seat of Denton County, Texas, United States. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020, it is the 27th-most populous city in Texas, the 197th-most populous city in the United States, and the 12th-most populous ...

Early life and education

Pence is from

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

. In 1990, Pence moved to

to study jazz at

University of North Texas College of Music The University of North Texas College of Music, based in Denton, is a comprehensive music school among the largest enrollment of any music institution accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. It developed the first jazz studies ...

Career

In 1996, Pence did his first recording for a drummer friend on their record. In 1999, musician and mastering engineer Dave Willingham created The Echo Lab studio outside the woods in

. In 2006, Pence and musician / engineer Matthew Barnhart became co-owners with Willingham of his Echo Lab studio. Pence is currently the full owner of The Echo Lab. International bands from Australia, Britain, and other places, like Sweard from Spain and Horse Company from Holland, have all recorded at The Echo Lab. From 1997 until 2014, Pence played drums in the alternative country band Centro-matic. He was also the drummer in the Centro-matic-fueled band, South San Gabriel. Pence has also had a long-time collaboration with musician Sarah Jaffe, co-producing her 2011 record, '' The Way Sound Leaves a Room'' and her 2017 record, '' Bad Baby'', as well as touring with Jaffe as her drummer. In 2004, Pence mixed

American Music Club American Music Club was an American, San Francisco-based indie rock band, led by singer-songwriter Mark Eitzel. Formed in 1983, the band released seven albums before splitting up in 1995. They reformed in 2003 and released two further albums. ...

's album called '' Love Songs For Patriots''. He also recorded the song "Song Of The Rats Leaving The Sinking Ship". Pence produced the forthcoming 2020 record by John Moreland, called ''LP5'', which will feature contributions from Centro-matic's Will Johnson, as well as Bonnie Whitmore and Moreland's long-time bandmate, John Calvin Abney. In addition to his work as a drummer, producer, and engineer, Pence is a photographer.

Honors

* 2011: ''Dallas Observer'' Music Awards, Producer of the Year (nominee) * 2017: ''Dallas Observer'' Music Awards, Best Drummer

General discography

Drummer

* Adam's Farm * Camerado * Centro-matic * Dan C * Dooms U.K. * Green Hour Residency *

Jason Isbell Michael Jason Isbell (; born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell h ...

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Justin Townes Earle Justin Townes Earle (January 4, 1982August 20, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. After his debut, EP ''Yuma'' (2007), he released eight full-length albums. He was recognized with an Americana Music Award for Emerging Artist o ...

* Marie/Lepanto * Nikki Lane *

Paul Cauthen Paul Mark Cauthen (born April 11, 1986) is a singer-songwriter from East Texas. He started his music career in an Americana/indie folk rock duo called Sons of Fathers, before turning solo. He has released three albums and an EP as a solo artist, ...

* Sarah Jaffe * South San Gabriel

Production

* Breastfist * Fishboy * Here We Go Magic * Isaac Hoskins *

* Rossif Sutherland * Telegraph Canyon *

The Breeders The Breeders are an American alternative rock band based in Dayton, Ohio, consisting of members Kim Deal (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), her twin sister Kelley Deal (lead guitar, vocals), Josephine Wiggs (bass guitar, vocals) and Jim Macpherso ...

True Widow True Widow is an American rock band formed in 2007 and based in Dallas, Texas. The band's expansive guitar-driven sound has led them to be cited as "drop-tuned, slow, repetitive, heavy, dreamy, and undeniably ear-wormy". True Widow has been known ...

* Yuck

Selected discography

* 2001:

Midlake Midlake is an American folk rock band from Denton, Texas, formed in 1999. The band consists of Eric Pulido, McKenzie Smith, Scott Lee, Eric Nichelson, Jesse Chandler, and Joey McClellan. In 2012, vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter Tim ...

, ''Milkmaid Grand Army'' EP (self-released) – recorded by, mixed by * 2001:

, ''

Sebastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...

'' (

Artemis Records Artemis Records was a New York-based independent record label, founded in July 1999 by Danny Goldberg with Daniel Glass as President, and closed in April 2006. The label was acquired by E1 Entertainment. Artemis had a leading share of the U.S. ...

) – drums, percussion * 2002:

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...

, ''Even So'' (

Deep Elm Records Deep Elm Records is an independent record label releasing albums by bands such as Lights & Motion, The Appleseed Cast, Brandtson, The White Octave, and Planes Mistaken for Stars. It also released the compilation series ''The Emo Diaries''. H ...

) – engineer * 2004: Aqueduct, '' Pistols at Dawn'' EP (

Sub Pop Records Sub is a common abbreviation of words beginning with the prefix "sub-". Sub or SUB may also refer to Places * Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, Indonesia, IATA code SUB Computing and technology * , an HTML tag for subscript * SUB designate ...

) – producer, drums * 2004:

, '' Love Songs For Patriots'' (

Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expande ...

/Devil in the Woods/Cooking Vinyl) – mixer * 2004:

Brave Combo Brave Combo is a polka/ rock/ worldbeat band based in Denton, Texas. Founded in 1979 by guitarist/keyboardist/accordionist Carl Finch, they have been a prominent fixture in the Texas music scene for more than thirty-five years. Their music, bot ...

, '' Let's Kiss: 25th Anniversary Album'' (Dentone Records) – engineer * 2006: The Drams, ''Jubilee Dive'' (

New West Records New West Records is a record label based in Nashville, Tennessee, and Athens, Georgia. It had offices in Burbank, California, and Beverly Hills, California. The label was established in 1998 by Cameron Strang "for artists who perform real music ...

) – producer, photography * 2006: Glossary, ''For What I Don’t Become'' ( Undertow Music) – producer * 2007: Robert Gomez, ''Brand New Towns'' (

Bella Union Bella Union is a British independent record label founded in 1997 by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. It is now run solely by Raymonde. History After releasing records with 4AD for a large part of their career, Cocteau Twin ...

) – producer * 2009:

, ''Acts of Man'' CD single (

) – mixed by * 2009:

, ''The Courage of Others'' EP (

) – mixed by * 2009:

, '' Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit'' (Lightning Rod Records) – producer * 2009:

Jason Molina Jason Andrew Molina (December 30, 1973 – March 16, 2013) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. Raised in northern Ohio, he came to prominence performing and recording as Songs: Ohia, both in solo projects and with a rotating cast of ...

and Will Johnson, '' Molina and Johnson'' (

Secretly Canadian Secretly Canadian is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin. Secretly Canadian is a label included in Secretly Group, which ...

) – recording engineer, drums * 2009:

Monsters of Folk Monsters of Folk was an American supergroup, consisting of Jim James from My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes, Will Johnson from Centro-matic and M. Ward, solo artist and half of She & Him. The band was formed in 2 ...

(

Conor Oberst Conor Mullen Oberst (born February 15, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter best known for his work in Bright Eyes. He has also played in several other bands, including Desaparecidos, the Faint (previously named Norman Bailer), Commander V ...

Jim James James Edward Olliges Jr. (born April 27, 1978), professionally known as Jim James or Yim Yames, is an American vocalist, guitarist, producer, and primary songwriter of the rock band My Morning Jacket. He has also released several solo albums. ...

Mike Mogis Michael Riley Mogis (born May 16, 1974) is an American producer/engineer and multi-instrumentalist who, along with his brother A.J. Mogis, founded Presto! Recording Studios (previously known as Dead Space Recording and, earlier, Whoopass Recor ...

, M. Ward), ''

'' ( Shangri-La Music, Rough Trade Records) – mixer * 2010: Glossary, ''Feral Fire'' (Liberty & Lament) – producer * 2010: The Foxymorons, ''Bible Stories'' (self-released) – producer * 2010: Micah P. Hinson, ''Micah P. Hinson And The "Pioneer Saboteurs"'' (Houston Party Records) – co-producer, mixed by, mastered by, backgrounds * 2010: John Grant, ''

Queen of Denmark The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Kingdom of Denmark was a ...

'' (

) – mastering, mixing * 2011: Sarah Jaffe, '' The Way Sound Leaves a Room'' (Kirtland Records) – engineer, co-producer * 2011:

, ''As High As the Highest Heavens and From the Center to the Circumference of the Earth'' (Kemado Records) – producer * 2012: Dodgy, '' Stand Upright in a Cool Place'' (Strike Back Records) – mixing * 2012:

Jens Lekman Jens Martin Lekman (; born 6 February 1981) is a Swedish musician. His music is guitar-based pop with heavy use of samples and strings, with lyrics that are often witty, romantic, and melancholic. His work is heavily influenced by Jonathan Ri ...

, '' I Know What Love Isn't'' ( Service/

) – mixing * 2012:

, Will Johnson,

Anders Parker Anders Parker is an American singer-songwriter, guitar player, singer and multi-instrumentalist with a career spanning two decades. He has performed and recorded as a solo artist and as a key member in bands such as Varnaline and Space Needle. ...

, and

Yim Yames James Edward Olliges Jr. (born April 27, 1978), professionally known as Jim James or Yim Yames, is an American vocalist, guitarist, producer, and primary songwriter of the rock band My Morning Jacket. He has also released several solo albums. ...

: ''

New Multitudes ''New Multitudes'' is a Woody Guthrie tribute album performed by Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, and Jim James to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Guthrie's birth, released through Rounder Records on February 28, 2012. The project w ...

'' ( Rounder Records) – mixing * 2013:

, ''

Circumambulation Circumambulation (from Latin ''circum'' around and ''ambulātus ''to walk) is the act of moving around a sacred object or idol. Circumambulation of temples or deity images is an integral part of Hindu and Buddhist devotional practice (known in S ...

'' ( Relapse Records) – producer * 2013:

Cody Jinks Meredith Cody Jinks (born August 18, 1980) is an American outlaw country music singer and songwriter. His breakout 2016 album, '' I'm Not the Devil'', reached No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Country Albums chart, while a number of other albums such a ...

, ''Blacksheep'' EP (Late August Records) – drums * 2013:

Sean Nelson Sean Nelson (born June 12, 1973) is an American musician and journalist. He was the lead singer of the alternative rock group Harvey Danger and is the arts editor for '' The Stranger'' newspaper in Seattle, Washington. Music career Nelson i ...

, ''Make Good Choices'' (Really Records) – drums * 2014:

, '' Single Mothers'' (

Vagrant Records Vagrant Records is an American record label based in California. It was founded in 1995 by Rich Egan and Jon Cohen. The label focuses on rock, but features artists in a variety of other genres including folk, soul, electronic, and pop. It is hom ...

Loose Music Loose is a British independent record label based in Ladbroke Grove, London. In 1998, Loose was formed from the vinyl only record label, Vinyl Junkie, which was set up in 1994 by Tom Bridgewater. Loose Music - About Since 1998, Loose has rele ...

) – drums * 2014: The Bigsbys, ''Good Will Suitcase'' (Shiner Records) – producer * 2014: Collin Herring, ''Some Knives'' (self-released) – producer * 2015: Becca Stevens, ''Perfect Animal'' (Universal Music Classics) – mixed by * 2015: The Foxymorons, ''Fake Yoga'' (Foxyphoton) – producer * 2015: Denim Wonder (aka Daniel Hopkins, ''Carnation'' (self-released) – producer * 2015:

, '' Absent Fathers'' (

) – drums * 2015: Redeye, ''The Memory Layers'' (Lafolie Records/Microcultures) – producer * 2016: Rodney Parker, ''Bomber Heights'' (self-released) – producer * 2016:

, ''The Trials Of Van Occupanther'' single (

) – "The Fairest Way" / "Festival" mixed by, mastered by * 2017: Nikki Lane, '' Highway Queen'' (

) – drums, engineer, percussion, producer * 2017:

BNQT BNQT ( "banquet") is an indie supergroup (music), super-group featuring Fran Healy (musician), Fran Healy (Travis (band), Travis), Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand (band), Franz Ferdinand), Eric Pulido (Midlake), Ben Bridwell (Band of Horses) and Jas ...

, ''Volume 1'' (

Dualtone Records Dualtone Records is an American record label specializing in folk, Americana, and indie rock. It was founded in 2001 by Scott Robinson and Dan Herrington. The company is run by Robinson and the label's president, Paul Roper. Albums are distribut ...

) – mixed by, mastered by * 2017: Lift to Experience, '' The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads'' (

) – engineer, mixing * 2017: Sarah Jaffe, '' Bad Baby'' (Kirtland Records) – producer * 2017: Tomkat, ''Icarus'' (self-released) – producer * 2018: Josh T. Pearson, ''The Straight Hits!'' (Mute) – engineer * 2018: Claire Morales, ''All That Wanting'' (self-released) – engineer * 2018:

Maps & Atlases Maps & Atlases is an American indie rock group from Chicago, Illinois, United States, equally influenced by alternative rock, folk and experimental music. In addition, they have been labeled as a math rock band. The band has released three o ...

, ''

Lightlessness Is Nothing New ''Lightlessness Is Nothing New'' is the third LP by rock band Maps & Atlases, released on June 1, 2018 through Barsuk Records. It is the first release by the band following a six-year hiatus from recording. Background ''Lightlessness Is Nothi ...

'' ( Barsuk Records) – mastering * 2018:

Elle King Tanner Elle Schneider (born July 3, 1989), known professionally as Elle King, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Her musical style was influenced by country, rock and blues. In 2012, King released her debut EP, '' The Elle King ...

, '' Shake the Spirit'' (

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

) – co-producer * 2018: John Grant, ''Love Is Magic'' (

) – drum programming, engineering, additional production by * 2018:

, ''Have Mercy'' EP (Lightning Rod Records) – engineer * 2019:

, ''Room 41'' (Lightning Rod Records) – mixed by * 2019: E.B. the Younger, ''To Each His Own'' (

) – engineer, mixing, executive producer, drums, percussion * 2020: John Moreland, ''LP5'' (

Thirty Tigers Thirty Tigers is an American entertainment company which offers music marketing, distribution, and management services to independent artists. It is based in Nashville. History The company was founded in 2002 by David Macias and Deb Markland ...

) – producer

Centro-matic and associated projects

* 1995: Centro-matic, '' Redo the Stacks'' (Steve Records) – co-producer with Will Johnson, drums * 1999: Centro-matic, ''

Navigational Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...

'' (Idol Records) – co-producer with Will Johnson, drums * 1999: Centro-matic, '' The Static vs. The Strings Vol. 1'' (Idol/Quality Park) – drums * 2000: Centro-matic, '' All the Falsest Hearts Can Try'' (Idol/Quality Park/Munich) – drums * 2000: South San Gabriel, '' South San Gabriel Songs/Music'' (Idol/Munich) – drums * 2001: Centro-matic, ''Distance and Clime'' (Idol/Munich) – drums * 2002: South San Gabriel, '' Welcome, Convalescence'' (Munich/ Undertow Music) – drums, keyboards * 2002: Will Johnson, ''

Murder of Tides ''Murder of Tides'' is the first solo album by Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel leader Will Johnson. It was released in 2002 as a joint venture between Johnson and his long-time manager Bob Andrews at Undertow Music Undertow began in 1996 i ...

'' ( Undertow Music) – producer * 2003: Centro-matic, '' Love You Just The Same'' (

Misra Records Misra Records is an independent record label based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The label is distributed by Redeye Worldwide. Founded in 1999, Misra Records is home to landmark releases by Destroyer, Phosphorescent, Shearwater, R. Ring (featu ...

/Munich) – drums, engineer * 2005: South San Gabriel, '' The Carlton Chronicles: Not Until the Operation's Through'' (Misra/Munich/Houston Party) – drums * 2006: Centro-matic, '' Fort Recovery (album)'' (

) – drums * 2008: Centro-matic/ South San Gabriel, '' Dual Hawks'' (Misra/ Cooking Vinyl/Houston Party) – drums * 2011: Centro-matic, ''Candidate Waltz'' (Undertow Music) – drums * 2012: Will Johnson, ''Scorpion'' ( Undertow Music) – producer * 2014: Centro-Matic, ''Take Pride in Your Long Odds'' (Navigational Transmissions) – engineer, producer

References

External links

*
Matt Pence
at The Echo Lab *
Matt Pence
at Undertow Music {{DEFAULTSORT:Pence, Matt Living people 1972 births American country record producers American male drummers Musicians from St. Louis American audio engineers People from St. Louis People from Denton County, Texas Musicians from Texas

Early life and education

Career

Honors

General discography

Drummer

Production

Selected discography

Centro-matic and associated projects

See also

References

Further reading

External links