Nick Wheeler from The All American Rejects is my guest today on the show . We talk about Nicks career in music as well as his new recording studio . Producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. As the co-founder, lead guitarist, and one of the primary songwriters of The All-American Rejects, he has sold over 5 million albums worldwide, with their single "Gives You Hell" hitting #1 on the Top 40 chart in 2009 and remaining on the charts for 36 weeks. Other hits include "Move Along," "Dirty Little Secret," and "It Ends Tonight," which all ranked in the top 10 on the Billboard Charts. Based in Nashville since 2015, Nickolas is now building Wheelhouse Studio, a freestanding space in East Nashville. In setting up his own studio, he credits historic spots he's worked in – the Village in Santa Monica, Barefoot Studios in Hollywood – in learning how to maximize both workflow and comfortability for artists. Wheelhouse Studio will have isolation, separate control and tracking rooms, as well as a lounge, kitchen, and outdoor courtyard space. Nickolas has been recording music since 1996 and making music professionally for almost 20 years. When artists come to record at Wheelhouse Studio, they can expect to feel taken care of by a producer who's ready to guide them to the next stage of their career and accomplish whatever they're wanting to create. The studio is a space for Wheeler to work with artists and writers "who are excited and passionate about what they're doing and open to collaboration in a vibey, comfortable, professional space." After attending Oklahoma State University for music theory, Nickolas has since honed his skills through an Advanced Certificate in mixing, engineering, and orchestration at Berklee College of Music, as well as becoming an Avid Certified Pro Tools User. Nickolas is also endorsed by Warm Audio, an Austin-based company that makes "some great reproductions of classic gear": he has their version of a Pultec EQP-1A, an LA-2A compressor, and several microphones. Wunder Audio (another Austin-based company) is also custom-building a console for the studio. As a guitar player, his guitar collection is in the triple digits – not to mention an extensive microphone collection: "I've collected a lot of fun toys to play with over the years from the road, stopping at music shops or things I've been inspired by in other studios that I felt I needed a version of in my own space." Though he's primarily someone who works best in the studio recording and producing music, Nickolas likes to develop a rapport with artists through writing with them. He's written with Welshly Arms, Never Loved, and Cassadee Pope ("What The Stars See," which he also produced), as well as several local independent artists in the rock, alternative, and pop music world in Nashville. Now signed to Waldman Management, because of his team and tools like Zoom, Nickolas has had his busiest and most successful year yet. Working digitally has allowed him to work with more artists outside of Nashville – and expand his repertoire in the process. Nickolas is the recipient of several ASCAP Pop Awards, and in 2007, he was the recipient of the ASCAP Vanguard Award. He was also inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2008. More than two decades of experience have primed him with the knowledge, passion, and drive to launch his own freestanding studio. Ground was broken for Wheelhouse Studio in September 2020 and for more info you can visit https://www.nickolaswheeler.com/

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