...what is Add a Band?
Add a Band - song production and instrumentation - bring your music to life!
Recording in a traditional studio can be expensive and daunting. The fees for studio time, an engineer, a producer, musicians and mixing, can really mount up without a clear end in sight.
At Add a Band, we do it all under one roof. We record you playing your song (or send it to us via email), then we produce and record a bespoke accompaniment onto the track from our array of modern and vintage instruments. All played and recorded by us - real instruments, real people. You then receive a full mix of your song.
Perfect for singer songwriters, our aim is to bring the best out of your music with an innovative yet old-school ethos. From simple guitar to a full rhythm section backing, we work personally with you to make sure we're bringing the best out of your songs.
We are fully set up at our purpose built recording studio in the beautiful Welsh countryside to discuss your requirements, make coffee, record your part using your own or one of our in-house instruments (acoustic/electric guitars, mandolins, violins, boudoir grand piano among others), then leave us to add the band.
Check out our pricing for more info, listen to some demos, read our testimonials or get in touch to discuss your requirements.
...who is Add a Band?
Clovis Phillips is an experienced multi-instrumentalist and producer in many different genres, and provides the guitars, bass, mandolin, keyboards, piano and drums for Add a Band, as well as the engineering, mixing and coffee making.
Brought up performing in a children's folk group and his parents' ceilidh band but listening to the Beatles and Nirvana, Clovis is used to playing in a huge range of styles.
He is currently a member of Jeb Loy Nichols & the Westwood All-Stars (current album out on Compass), and also as the duo Nichols & Phillips, as well as UK zydeco's Joe Le Taxi, Welsh young jazz outfit the Will Barnes Quartet, a duo with jazz and folk harpist Harriet Earis, and the 'Celticana' outfit the Poobahs. He has also played, toured or recorded with a wide range of artists and bands including Nashville country legend Gail Davies, Jerry deCicca (Texas, USA), Michael Weston King, Courtney Granger (USA), 10 piece dub reggae outfit Beth Prior Collective, Louisiana zydeco's Jeffrey Broussard, Wayne Singleton, Corey Ledet and Ruben Moreno (all USA), UK cajun's Flatville Aces, Mid Wales/borders artists including Dai Robs, Wayne Martin, Brian Copsey, Sean Gaffney Band, and Welsh reggae band Parti Gungrog.
He has recently produced and provided instrumentation for albums by acclaimed songwriter Michael Weston King (The Struggle, 2022), Andrew Hawkey (Long Story Short, 2020), Royal Blue (Elect Love, 2019 and Heart Shaped Souvenirs, 2020) Wyson Lane, Dai Robs's Sundown Smile Club, Abi Foster (History Talks, 2021) and is currently working on upcoming releases with UK folk legend Rees Wesson, harpist Harriet Earis, Welsh actor and musician Chris Tally Evans, a duo record with Jeb Loy Nichols (available March 2023) and many more.
He has released two solo EPs and has previously been a tutor for the Rock Project.
Clovis has a first class degree in Popular Music and Recording from Salford University, and a Masters in Popular Music Research from Goldsmiths College, London.
...where is Add a Band?
Add a Band's purpose built recording facility is based near Newtown, in the picturesque countryside of Powys, Mid Wales with easy access to Shropshire and the borders, under 2 hours' drive from Birmingham and Liverpool.
You can reach us by car, or train to Newtown (direct from Birmingham via Shrewsbury). Further info will be provided after you've booked your session.
Predicted journey times by car:
Bishops Castle: 25 mins
Shrewsbury: 45 mins
Aberystwyth: 45 mins
Hay-on-Wye: 1hr 20
Birmingham: 1hr 40
Liverpool: 1hr 50
Manchester: 2hrs 10 mins
However, if you are emailing your part directly, it is of course not essential to visit us.
Contact us via the get in touch page
