Photos by Billie Winter

What if you're as broke as Rudy Giuliani, but you're burning to cut some of your songs in a well-appointed studio? It's a common predicament in any music scene, but in high-rent Seattle, it's especially fraught; entering a studio can take a serious bite out of non-affluent/non-Trustafarian artists' budgets. 

Facing steep rates, independent musicians may find themselves rushing the recording process in order to not incur exorbitant bills. That's no way to live. Ballard’s Pierced Ears Recording Co. could be the solution to this problem. 

Run by Seattle producer/engineer Aaron C. Schroeder, PERC has launched a new program called No One Turned Away for Lack of Funds, aka NOTAFLOF. The idea had been percolating in Schroeder's mind for years, but it was cemented by a session Schroeder had done with Quilli Fin. Their singer-keyboardist holds three jobs; the bassist, two; and they drive to PERC from Snohomish. Conversations about what they had to do to offset cost and time ensued. Schroeder's altruistic instincts kicked in. 

"I don't want somebody to sacrifice quality because of cost—especially when they're passionate about it," he says in an interview in PERC's cozy confines. "Because it's fucking hard if you don't have a bunch of money in the back end. That's why I'm in a basement and don't have a brick-and-mortar building of my own."   

Schroeder launched NOTAFLOF in December when he realized that he'd been pricing out low-budget artists—"which is usually where the most creative shit exists. Because they're working with nothing and they gotta make it happen. Whereas once you start getting yourself into a certain price point, you're going to find that the music's very generic. Everybody's trying to do the exact same thing. "

NOTAFLOF also arose due to Schroeder's "total disgust of corporate... everything. I hate subscription models. I think it is one of the biggest ways we are ripping off the creative class in America. I just want to fight for the little guy—that's all I care about." 

PERC's standard rate is $500 per song. But Schroeder knew that that figure, while reasonable, was beyond what many musicians could afford. "I'm looking to help as much as I can. You can't do that in today's climate when there's such a huge wealth disparity. And we have [a music industry] that time and time again has told artists your art is worth zero dollars. Anything I get from the NOTAFLOF sessions is bonus money. Just keep me working, because that's all I really want to do." 

On PERC's website, you can click on NOTAFLOF Sessions to get a form that asks for basic info. If you're, say, a septet who can only afford $100, it may take a while for you to get studio time, but it will happen. 

Before discussing PERC's perks, here's a quick history of Schroeder's eventful musical career. At age 19, he attended what he considers a recording trade school in Austin, Texas, at Arlyn Studios, which was run by Willie Nelson's nephew, Freddy Fletcher. Schroeder chose Arlyn because that's where his favorite band, Butthole Surfers, recorded Electriclarryland. Schroeder spent so much time at the studio that Fletcher hired him right out of the gate to be the studio's watchdog. That led to Schroeder working as an assistant at Nelson's studio, Pedernales, for five years. He parlayed this stint into recording live shows for Willie, Matchbox Twenty, and a handful of other bands. 

Fortuitously for Schroeder, Seattle band Two Loons for Tea had booked some time at Pedernales, for a session he was assistant engineering, helping Seattle studio wizard Mell Dettmer for that project. "I loved her abilities so much that I asked if I could finish that record up here," Schroeder says.

Making that connection with Two Loons' Jonathan Kochmer helped Schroeder to relocate to Seattle. During a two-week break here 17 years ago, he was seduced by the city and established roots in the scene, finding production work at Kotchmer's studio, where Timbre Room now sits. Through the largesse of GGNZLA Records boss TV Coahran and one of his artists, Charles Leo Gebhardt IV, Schroeder became GGNZLA's de facto producer during the label's brief hot streak. Schroeder's dedication to the job was such that he slept in a custom-made bunk above the bathroom in a crawlspace for about six years. 

One night when the band Welcome were playing at the Blue Moon Tavern, Schroeder met the great musician Matthew Ford (Dreamsalon, Yves/Son/Ace, etc.), who was looking for a musically inclined person to move into his Ballard house and use a room he'd built out for recording. Schroeder and his partner Uli Larsson pounced on the opportunity and this month are celebrating eight years in the space.

Over the last 20 years, Schroeder has played in several bands, the first being Thunder Buffalo, who attained a modicum of success by dint of an in-studio session at KEXP. "Outside of that, I was in a band called Sharkie that did synth-pop stuff. There was a band called Battlestations that was electro, really driving and grinding."

Some of Schroeder's groups attained national attention through sync-licensing placements in Gilmore Girls, the reboot of Beavis and Butt-Head, Jersey Shore, and the Need for Speed video game. His solo work has also been featured in videos for Birdhouse Skateboards and Duncan Yo-Yo.

"The last band I was in, Gold Fronts, got the biggest crowds. That was me writing country-western songs. But the band was a very raucous, live push, so we always called it 'punktry.' That one ended on a big shebang with us opening for Mac DeMarco at Chop Suey."

As for PERC, it may be small, but it's loaded with gear—and its drum room features a wall of VHS tapes used for isolation. (View studio pics here.) Schroeder's worked the boards for many prominent local indie groups, including Wimps, Zen Mother, Rose Windows, and Childbirth. He's currently excited about Tacoma singer-songwriter Arden Leas. 

"The people I like working with the most are the ones who are in it no matter what. Whatever it takes, they'll figure it out and grind super-hard." PERC's base rates depend on what role Schroeder will play for his clients. He produces, engineers, mixes, or can also just focus on getting your drum sound perfect, for example. He's about to put a spreadsheet on his website that will outline his fees. 

"Production in my world means I'm engineering and mixing and helping you to arrange. I do a ton of work with bands that are a hybrid of analog and electronic. A lot of times they might have a synth that's not the best sounding. So I suggest, what if we use my Nord Lead 2? I got cool sounds in there. Or we could use my [Moog] Grandmother or this little Juno thing. Pre-production, for me, is the most important part of any session. It teaches me personality types. It teaches me who is the weakest link in the band and what I should do to offset that."

Another way that Schroeder benefits musicians is through his Sample Packs. Recording artists seeking drums, keyboards, "textures," and "edges" can partake of Schroeder's studio wizardry to enhance their own tracks. "You have the option to download the packs for free or pay for them as a 'donation' to the NOTAFLOF concept."

Schroeder further supports his musical endeavors by working on two podcasts every Tuesday: Champagne Sharks, which deals with "politics from a Black perspective," and Quack 12 (with co-host Adam Chimeo), which focuses on Oregon Ducks football. Schroeder's quick wit and gregariousness make him a natural for this format. 

Yet another manifestation of Schroeder's generosity is Pierced Ears Records. He has a digital distribution deal with the Orchard and set up the label to help bands that record at PERC release digital albums as an alternative to subscription-model distributors. "I don't charge extra for this, and artists keep the master rights and 100% royalties of everything I release through the studio label."

Finally, Schroeder hosts a Tuesday night show on Hollow Earth Radio (8 pm–10 pm, KHUH 104.9FM; hollowearthradio.org) called Pierced Ears. "The radio show is another promotional tool. I'm letting [musicians] know that I'm paying attention to [them]. So if you want to work with someone you know pays attention to you, here I am."

Pierced Ears, Schroeder says, focuses on Pacific Northwest artists that are mostly overlooked by KEXP. "It seems like KEXP is playing favorites. I know bands sometimes get hurt when that happens. So, I can play their music for them, and that makes them feel good." To be fair, every radio station not beholden to automated setlists plays favorites. But to Schroeder's point, KEXP could stand to dig deeper into the Pacific Northwest's talent pool.

Schroeder himself is part of that talent pool, and his current focus on soundtracks has resulted in him composing the chilling score for Carlos A.F. Lopez's 2024 short film, Dream Creep, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival. (Schroeder also designed sound and did the final mix for it.) The film's currently streaming on MUBI and has a “For Your Consideration” campaign for an Oscars bid.

About 18 months into his Seattle tenure, Schroeder was ready to bail. Fellow musician Andrew Greager convinced him to stay, and 18 years later, Schroeder is grateful he listened to his friend. Schroeder has become a valuable facilitator of underground music, mainly in the Northwest, but also as far afield as Australia.

"I'm meeting, just now, some of the coolest, most beautiful human beings ever. It took me 18 years to get to that level. It's like some kind of weird, Masonic upgrading, you know? At this point, I can't afford to leave," he says, laughing with gusto.