Lifelong Centerville resident Terry O'Brien began working as a professional musician in 1976. At the early age of 16, he co-wrote the theme song for his high school senior prom. After initial experiences with writing, his interest quickly shifted to recording.
“I started playing with recording technology in my early 20s and began recording demos of original songs to sell to publishers, which did not work,” Terry laughs.
In his 30s, his focus turned to the impact and techniques of production.
“I became fascinated by music production because the person that has the most impact on a song is not the artist, it’s the producer,” Terry explains. “I started studying everything that I could about music production and sound engineering.”
Since then, Terry has kept very busy, founding Trilevel Productions and helping young musicians develop their sound. Additionally, he produces a steady stream of podcasts, TV and social media commercials and has written two musicals. As a two-term Centerville Arts Commission member, an entertainment chair of Americana Fest and a producer of the weekly video magazine Centerville in 60, Terry has his finger on the pulse of the Centerville community and art scene and is ready to help younger generations build upon its rich foundation.
In addition to being a celebrated Centerville historian, you're also an award-winning music composer and video producer. What led you to music production and what draws you to working with artists between the ages of 16-23?
The music producer is the one person who can make the song great or not great! The reason I like working with younger musicians is that they have a window between 14-21 to develop their talent and work toward something bigger. After the age of 24, it's very hard to get noticed. We look for kids who live to create music, have great talent, something unique to say and are hard working.
Can you speak to the important role the arts play in the Centerville community?
Centerville is starting to become noticed for the different music events and venues that we offer, thanks to the Centerville Arts Commission, Kate Bostdorff, Drew Simon and Jim Collins. Having a strong music and arts culture in the area helps set a positive tone for the community.
With many people in your industry moving to flashy cities like Nashville, Chicago or Los Angeles, what made you decide to stick with Centerville as your base? What advantages do you think it has?
Today, a young person with simple recording technology can create a song that sounds just as good as big studios in big cities and at a much lower cost. The problem with this is that the internet is overcrowded with new songs. Trying to break through is almost impossible unless you can stand out. The talent in Dayton is just as good as New York, L.A. or Nashville. The key is finding ways to stand out.
Your services at Trilevel are multifaceted, from songwriting to production, engineering to distribution and even music video production. Is there a certain part of this business that you enjoy the most?
Trilevel has always had a focus on music creation and production. However, in the past, when I had an artist with a good song, they needed a video to promote it, so I started producing music videos, which led to commercials, special video projects, etc. Today, my work week is split into podcast production, songwriting, music production and video projects.
What advice do you have for young musicians trying to break into the industry?
It's a very hard industry to pursue, and it takes much more than talent. It takes so much hard work and dedication to the craft. You have to be a self-promoter, develop a thick skin and don’t let people bum you out. Every song you write will be better than the last, so keep moving forward.
“The talent in Dayton is just as good as New York, L.A. or Nashville. The key is finding ways to stand out.”