Jackson Free Press

Many musicians have two different modes: live performer or recording artist.

One of the things I usually ask touring musicians is if they have a preference for playing concerts or recording in the quiet confines of a studio. The answer varies depending on the musician.

Live performing requires a specific discipline. Bands spend their time rehearsing the material they'll be playing and how their music will be presented to audiences.

Even then, once the show starts, they never know how the audience will react.

"I prefer playing live," says Jason Bailey of The Bailey Brothers. "Our first record was recorded live. We went back and overdubbed vocals and guitar solos, but everything was done in one day. We start recording our next record in August at Zebra Ranch (in Coldwater, Miss.) and will probably take more time on that. The studio is definitely more controlled."

Sometimes, something special happens between an audience and the performer. No amount of rehearsal time can ever really create moments like those. You can work very hard trying to perfect the presentation, but nothing can ever fully explain the times it just clicks. "There's usually alcohol involved with a live audience," Bailey says. "We've stopped using set lists because I like to read an audience. We can't always play the same songs every night."

If you've ever performed on stage, in a concert hall or even on a marching field, then you understand the thrill of an audience applauding your work. It's probably what drives most musicians to play live.

The recording studio offers sort of a creative sanctuary for most. It's the place where ideas come to life and where musicians spend countless hours perfecting the vision of the song that's being recorded. While in the studio, people try different approaches to achieve the sound that is in their minds. It can be equally frustrating and rewarding.

"Recording is the most exciting part of the business for me," musician and songwriter Larry Brewer says. Brewer played and toured with the band The Windows. "Being a songwriter, I find the studio to be a great haven for ideas. It's an incredible place to be involved."

The studio is similar to a blank canvas. The individual artist must create what is heard. Sometimes, a song will work in the studio but never translate to the live stage. "The expectations are so high in the studio," M.O.S.S. guitarist Peary Forrest says. "We tend to play off each other, so it's more fun to play live."

Recording takes great patience, but the payoff is always hearing the creation. Sounds and experimentation are limitless in the studio because artists' ability to make something sound good does not hinder creativity.

"I like the end product of recording more than the process," Forrest says. "That demand for perfection makes the studio more difficult."

Brewer feels differently. "Recording allows me to explore the song and bring it out. I love that aspect," he says.

More times than not, a musician on the stage must bring to life songs that are written and created in the studio.

Therein lies the trick: How to make that perfectly crafted studio concoction translate to a live audience. It becomes a balancing act that every musician seems to face during their careers.