Matthew Louis Pence (born April 13, 1972) is an American recording engineer, producer, and drummer. He owns and manages The Echo Lab studio in Denton, Texas.
Early life and education Pence is from St. Louis, Missouri.
In 1990, Pence moved to Denton, Texas to study jazz at University of North Texas College of Music.
Career In 1996, Pence did his first recording for a drummer friend on their record.
In 1999, musician and mastering engineer Dave Willingham created The Echo Lab studio outside the woods in Denton, Texas. In 2006, Pence and musician / engineer Matthew Barnhart became co-owners with Willingham of his Echo Lab studio. Pence is currently the full owner of The Echo Lab.
International bands from Australia, Britain, and other places, like Sweard from Spain and Horse Company from Holland, have all recorded at The Echo Lab.
From 1997 until 2014, Pence played drums in the alternative country band Centro-matic. He was also the drummer in the Centro-matic-fueled band, South San Gabriel.
Pence has also had a long-time collaboration with musician Sarah Jaffe, co-producing her 2011 record, The Way Sound Leaves a Room and her 2017 record, Bad Baby, as well as touring with Jaffe as her drummer.
In 2004, Pence mixed American Music Club's album called Love Songs For Patriots. He also recorded the song "Song Of The Rats Leaving The Sinking Ship".
Pence produced 2020 John Moreland album, LP5, which featured contributions from Centro-matic's Will Johnson, as well as Bonnie Whitmore and Moreland's long-time bandmate, John Calvin Abney.
In addition to his work as a drummer, producer, and engineer, Pence is a photographer.
General discography Drummer Adam's Farm Camerado Centro-matic Dan C Dooms U.K. Green Hour Residency Jason Isbell Jay Farrar Jonathan Tyler Justin Townes Earle Marie/Lepanto Nikki Lane Paul Cauthen Sarah Jaffe South San Gabriel
Production
Breastfist Fishboy Here We Go Magic Isaac Hoskins Jonathan Tyler Rossif Sutherland Telegraph Canyon The Breeders True Widow Yuck
Selected discography 2001: Midlake, Milkmaid Grand Army EP (self-released) – recorded by, mixed by 2001: Jay Farrar, Sebastopol (Artemis Records) – drums, percussion 2002: Lewis, Even So (Deep Elm Records) – engineer 2004: Aqueduct, Pistols at Dawn EP (Barsuk Records) – producer, drums 2004: American Music Club, Love Songs For Patriots (Merge Records/Devil in the Woods/Cooking Vinyl) – mixer 2004: Brave Combo, Let's Kiss: 25th Anniversary Album (Dentone Records) – engineer 2006: The Drams, Jubilee Dive (New West Records) – producer, photography 2006: Glossary, For What I Don’t Become (Undertow Music) – producer 2007: Robert Gomez, Brand New Towns (Bella Union) – producer 2009: Midlake, Acts of Man CD single (Bella Union) – mixed by 2009: Midlake, The Courage of Others EP (Bella Union) – mixed by 2009: Jason Isbell, Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit (Lightning Rod Records) – producer 2009: Jason Molina and Will Johnson, Molina and Johnson (Secretly Canadian) – recording engineer, drums 2009: Monsters of Folk (Conor Oberst, Jim James, Mike Mogis, M. Ward), Monsters of Folk (Shangri-La Music, Rough Trade Records) – mixer 2010: Glossary, Feral Fire (Liberty & Lament) – producer 2010: The Foxymorons, Bible Stories (self-released) – producer 2010: Micah P. Hinson, Micah P. Hinson And The "Pioneer Saboteurs" (Houston Party Records) – co-producer, mixed by, mastered by, backgrounds 2010: John Grant, Queen of Denmark (Bella Union) – mastering, mixing 2011: Sarah Jaffe, The Way Sound Leaves a Room (Kirtland Records) – engineer, co-producer 2011: True Widow, As High As the Highest Heavens and From the Center to the Circumference of the Earth (Kemado Records) – producer 2012: Dodgy, Stand Upright in a Cool Place (Strike Back Records) – mixing 2012: Jens Lekman, I Know What Love Isn't (Service/Secretly Canadian) – mixing 2012: Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, and Yim Yames: New Multitudes (Rounder Records) – mixing 2013: True Widow, Circumambulation (Relapse Records) – producer 2013: Cody Jinks, Blacksheep EP (Late August Records) – drums 2013: Sean Nelson, Make Good Choices (Really Records) – drums 2014: Justin Townes Earle, Single Mothers (Vagrant Records, Loose Music) – drums 2014: The Bigsbys, Good Will Suitcase (Shiner Records) – producer 2014: Collin Herring, Some Knives (self-released) – producer 2015: Becca Stevens, Perfect Animal (Universal Music Classics) – mixed by 2015: The Foxymorons, Fake Yoga (Foxyphoton) – producer 2015: Denim Wonder ( Daniel Hopkins, Carnation (self-released) – producer 2015: Justin Townes Earle, Absent Fathers (Vagrant Records, Loose Music) – drums 2015: Redeye, The Memory Layers (Lafolie Records/Microcultures) – producer 2016: Rodney Parker, Bomber Heights (self-released) – producer 2016: Midlake, The Trials Of Van Occupanther single (Bella Union) – "The Fairest Way" / "Festival" mixed by, mastered by 2017: Nikki Lane, Highway Queen (New West Records) – drums, engineer, percussion, producer 2017: BNQT, Volume 1 (Dualtone Records) – mixed by, mastered by 2017: Lift to Experience, The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads (Bella Union) – engineer, mixing 2017: Sarah Jaffe, Bad Baby (Kirtland Records) – producer 2017: Tomkat, Icarus (self-released) – producer 2018: Josh T. Pearson, The Straight Hits! (Mute) – engineer 2018: Claire Morales, All That Wanting (self-released) – engineer 2018: Maps & Atlases, Lightlessness Is Nothing New (Barsuk Records) – mastering 2018: Elle King, Shake the Spirit (RCA Records) – co-producer 2018: John Grant, Love Is Magic (Bella Union) – drum programming, engineering, additional production by 2018: Paul Cauthen, Have Mercy EP (Lightning Rod Records) – engineer 2019: Paul Cauthen, Room 41 (Lightning Rod Records) – mixed by 2019: E.B. the Younger, To Each His Own (Bella Union) – engineer, mixing, executive producer, drums, percussion 2020: John Moreland, LP5 (Thirty Tigers) – producer 2021: Fishboy, Waitsgiving (Lauren Records)- drums, mixing
Centro-matic and associated projects 1995: Centro-matic, Redo the Stacks (Steve Records) – co-producer with Will Johnson, drums 1999: Centro-matic, Navigational (Idol Records) – co-producer with Will Johnson, drums 1999: Centro-matic, The Static vs. The Strings Vol. 1 (Idol/Quality Park) – drums 2000: Centro-matic, All the Falsest Hearts Can Try (Idol/Quality Park/Munich) – drums 2000: South San Gabriel, South San Gabriel Songs/Music (Idol/Munich) – drums 2001: Centro-matic, Distance and Clime (Idol/Munich) – drums 2002: South San Gabriel, Welcome, Convalescence (Munich/Undertow Music) – drums, keyboards 2002: Will Johnson, Murder of Tides (Undertow Music) – producer 2003: Centro-matic, Love You Just The Same (Misra Records/Munich) – drums, engineer 2005: South San Gabriel, The Carlton Chronicles: Not Until the Operation's Through (Misra/Munich/Houston Party) – drums 2006: Centro-matic, Fort Recovery (album) (Misra Records) – drums 2008: Centro-matic/South San Gabriel, Dual Hawks (Misra/Cooking Vinyl/Houston Party) – drums 2011: Centro-matic, Candidate Waltz (Undertow Music) – drums 2012: Will Johnson, Scorpion (Undertow Music) – producer 2014: Centro-Matic, Take Pride in Your Long Odds (Navigational Transmissions) – engineer, producer
See also Centro-matic South San Gabriel
References
Further reading
External links
Matt Pence at The Echo Lab
Matt Pence at Undertow Music