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,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. 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 The Way Sound Leaves a Room is the second EP and third release by Texas musician Sarah Jaffe. The EP consists of eight songs recorded in Jaffe's home in Denton, Texas. Two songs are covers, one is a different version of a song from her first album ...

'' and her 2017 record, ''

Bad Baby Sarah Allison Jaffe (born January 29, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter from Denton, Texas. Known for her distinctively clear vocals, she has worked as a singer-songwriter across many musical genres, including acoustic-folk, indie pop and ...

'', as well as touring with Jaffe as her drummer. In 2004, Pence mixed American Music Club'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 John Robert Moreland (born June 22, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Early life Moreland was born in Longview, Texas, the son of Robert Lloyd Moreland, an engineer, and Connie May Moreland (née Brandon), a schoo ...

, 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 John Calvin Abney is an American musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Tulsa, Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United Stat ...

. 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 ...

Jay Farrar Jay Farrar (born December 26, 1966) is an American songwriter and musician currently based in St. Louis. A member of two critically acclaimed music groups, Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt, he began his solo music career in 2001. Beyond his estab ...

Jonathan Tyler Jonathan Tyler is a Green Party activist and academic. Tyler was an early parliamentary candidate for the Ecology Party, in the 1976 Walsall North by-election, at a time when he was a transport lecturer at the University of Birmingham. He was t ...

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 * Sarah Jaffe * South San Gabriel

Production

* Breastfist * Fishboy *

Here We Go Magic Here We Go Magic is an American indie rock band based in Brooklyn, New York. It was formed by core members Luke Temple, Michael Bloch and Peter Hale, in late 2008. The band signed to Western Vinyl in 2008, followed by the five-piece group's sign ...

* Isaac Hoskins *

Rossif Sutherland Rossif Sutherland (born September 25, 1978) is a Canadian actor. He, along with his brothers Angus and Roeg and half-brother Kiefer, are the sons of Donald Sutherland. Early life and education Sutherland was born in Vancouver, but lived in P ...

* 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, ''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, ''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''. Hist ...

) – 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: American Music Club, '' 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 expanded ...

/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, b ...

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

The Drams Slobberbone is an American alt-country band from Denton, Texas, led by singer-songwriter Brent Best, Cody Garcia, Tony Harper, and Brian Lane. Best continues to tour as a solo act, performing both songs by Slobberbone and The Drams, and songs f ...

, ''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 A glossary (from grc, γλῶσσα, ''glossa''; language, speech, wording) also known as a vocabulary or clavis, is an alphabetical list of terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms. Traditionally, a gl ...

, ''For What I Don’t Become'' ( Undertow Music) – producer * 2007:

Robert Gomez Robert Gomez is a musician from Denton, Texas. Career After his first self-released album in 2005, ''Etherville'', he was then signed to the British Label Bella Union and released the album ''Brand New Towns'' in 2007. ''Brand New Towns'' w ...

, ''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: Midlake, ''Acts of Man'' CD single (

) – mixed by * 2009: Midlake, ''The Courage of Others'' EP (

) – mixed by * 2009:

, ''

Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit 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 ...

'' (Lightning Rod Records) – producer * 2009: Jason Molina and Will Johnson, ''

Molina and Johnson ''Molina and Johnson'' is a collaborative album recorded by American songwriters Jason Molina and Will Johnson. It was released on 2 November 2009 by Secretly Canadian. Secretly Canadian: ''Molina and Johnson'' release onesheet. Accessed 25 Nove ...

'' (

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 (

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 Ve ...

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 Record ...

, M. Ward), '' Monsters of Folk'' (

Shangri-La Music Shangri-La Music is an indie record label based in Santa Monica, California. The label was started by Steve Bing as an expansion of Shangri-La Entertainment. Co-founders Jeff Ayeroff and Jon Rubin run the label. Shangri-La Music is a "boutique" lab ...

Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. Having successfully promoted and sold records by punk rock and early post-pu ...

) – mixer * 2010:

, ''Feral Fire'' (Liberty & Lament) – producer * 2010:

The Foxymorons The Foxymorons are a guitar pop musical duo from Mesquite, Texas, formed in 1994. The band consists of childhood friends David Dewese and Jerry James. History Dewese and James met at church camp when they were both in high school, and later prete ...

, ''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'' (

) – mastering, mixing * 2011: Sarah Jaffe, ''

'' (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 Dodgy is an English rock band formed in Hounslow in 1990. The band rose to prominence during the Britpop era of the 1990s. They are best known for their hits "Staying Out for the Summer", "If You're Thinking of Me", and " Good Enough". Good E ...

, ''

Stand Upright in a Cool Place ''Stand Upright in a Cool Place'' is the fifth studio album by the British band Dodgy. Released on 19 February 2012, it also marks the reunion of the band's original line-up following the return of lead singer Nigel Clark who had left during the ...

'' (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 R ...

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

Service Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a pu ...

) – mixing * 2012:

, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, 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'' (

Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Al ...

) – 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 ...

'' (

Relapse Records Relapse Records is an American independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990. The label features many grindcore, death metal, metalcore and sludge metal artists. History The label w ...

) – producer * 2013: Cody Jinks, ''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 A single parent is a person who has a child or children but does not have a spouse or live-in partner to assist in the upbringing or support of the child. Reasons for becoming a single parent include divorce, break-up, abandonment, becoming wi ...

'' (

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 ho ...

, Loose Music) – drums * 2014: The Bigsbys, ''Good Will Suitcase'' (Shiner Records) – producer * 2014: Collin Herring, ''Some Knives'' (self-released) – producer * 2015:

Becca Stevens Becca Stevens (born June 14, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist who draws upon elements of jazz, chamber pop, indie rock, and folk. Early life and education Stevens was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as the youn ...

, ''Perfect Animal'' (Universal Music Classics) – mixed by * 2015:

, ''Fake Yoga'' (Foxyphoton) – producer * 2015: Denim Wonder (aka Daniel Hopkins, ''Carnation'' (self-released) – producer * 2015:

, ''

Absent Fathers Absent Fathers is the sixth studio album by American musician Justin Townes Earle. It was released in January 2015 under Vagrant Records and Loose. Critical reception Mike Sauve of ''Exclaim!'' wrote that "the problem is that Earle's melancholy ...

'' (

, Loose Music) – drums * 2015:

Redeye Red eye, red-eye, redeye or variants may refer to: Related to the eye * Red-eye effect, in photographs * Red eye (medicine), an eye that appears red due to illness or injury * Red, an extremely rare eye color due to albinism * Red eyeshin ...

, ''The Memory Layers'' (Lafolie Records/Microcultures) – producer * 2016: Rodney Parker, ''Bomber Heights'' (self-released) – producer * 2016: Midlake, ''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, ''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 Lift to Experience is an American indie rock band from Denton, Texas, that formed in 1996 with vocalist and guitarist Josh T. Pearson, drummer Andy "The Boy" Young and bassist Josh "The Bear" Browning. The band has thus far released only one ...

, ''

The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads ''The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads'' is the debut studio album from Denton, Texas-based indie rock trio Lift to Experience. The double album was released on June 26, 2001, and is thus far the only full-length recording from the band. A concept albu ...

'' (

) – engineer, mixing * 2017: Sarah Jaffe, ''

'' (Kirtland Records) – producer * 2017: Tomkat, ''Icarus'' (self-released) – producer * 2018:

Josh T. Pearson Josh T. Pearson is an American musician from Texas, United States. He is known for his work with the band Lift to Experience and his subsequent solo career. Lift to Experience In 1996, Pearson formed the short-lived, but critically acclaimed ba ...

, ''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 thr ...

, '' Lightlessness Is Nothing New'' (

Barsuk Records Barsuk Records ( ) is an independent record label based in Seattle, Washington, that was founded by the members of the band This Busy Monster, Christopher Possanza and Josh Rosenfeld, in 1998 to release their band's material. Its logo is a drawin ...

) – 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 ...

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

) – drum programming, engineering, additional production by * 2018: Paul Cauthen, ''Have Mercy'' EP (Lightning Rod Records) – engineer * 2019: Paul Cauthen, ''Room 41'' (Lightning Rod Records) – mixed by * 2019: E.B. the Younger, ''To Each His Own'' (

) – engineer, mixing, executive producer, drums, percussion * 2020:

, ''LP5'' ( Thirty Tigers) – producer

Centro-matic and associated projects

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

The Static vs. The Strings Vol. 1 ''The Static vs. The Strings Vol. 1'' is the third full-length album by Centro-matic. Track listing # Calling Up The Bastards # Who’s Telling You Now? # The Execution Of Some Sixty-Odd Drummers # Neighbors. Habits. Downtown. # Recaptu ...

'' (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 The first South San Gabriel album, ''South San Gabriel Songs/Music'', was released under the nom de plume Centro-Matic. The band later decided to keep the straightforward rock songs for Centro-Matic and release the quieter songs as South San Ga ...

'' (Idol/Munich) – drums * 2001: Centro-matic, ''Distance and Clime'' (Idol/Munich) – drums * 2002: South San Gabriel, ''

Welcome, Convalescence ''Welcome, Convalescence'' is the second album by South San Gabriel, recorded at Slobberbone singer Brent Best's Denton house in January 2002 and released in April 2003 by Munich Records.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 (fea ...

/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) ''Fort Recovery'' is an album by Centro-Matic, released in 2006. Track listing #"Covered Up in Mines" – 4:12 #"Calling Thermatico" – 3:53 #"Patience for the Ride" – 5:24 #"I See Through You" – 3:31 #"In Such Crooked Time" – 4:16 #"For ...

'' (

) – drums * 2008: Centro-matic/ South San Gabriel, ''

Dual Hawks ''Dual Hawks'' is an album by Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel. It consists of 23 tracks. Will Johnson is the principal songwriter for both bands. Track listing ;Centro-matic / Dual Hawks #"The Rat Patrol and DJs" #"Two Seats Gold Reserved ...

'' (Misra/

Cooking Vinyl Cooking Vinyl is a British independent record label, based in Acton, London, England, founded in 1986 by former manager and booking agent Martin Goldschmidt and business partner Pete Lawrence. Goldschmidt remains the current owner and chairma ...

/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