If I was an up-and-coming quarterback, I’d like to have a little talk with Tom Brady or Peyton Manning.
If I was a pitcher, I’d like to have a word with Nolan Ryan.
If I was a painter staring at a blank canvas, I wouldn’t mind having Pablo Picasso looking over my shoulder.
And if I was a musician trying to figure out how to take a good song and make it great?
I’d want Chet Roberts in the room.
And the growing list of artists who have worked with him will tell you why.
Dean Du Fresne, the drummer for the band HANNAN, says, “There’s a lot to like about working with Chet—but to me, what I enjoy most about working with Chet is you are going to work hard but you’re going to have fun during the process.”
But don’t mistake that laid-back atmosphere Chet is widely known for as an easy day in the studio.
Dean says Chet keeps it fun—but he also expects you to bring your A-game.
“Believe me, you’re gonna work hard and you’re going to get pushed to play to the best of your ability, but it’s all done in a way to keep your spirits up while creating the best product you can.”
We hear artists say all the time:
“We have good songs.”
“We just can’t break through.”
“The band is good.”
“The performances are there.”
But something’s still missing.
The song is good.
But good doesn’t shake the room.
So how do you take it from good… to something people can’t ignore?
Sometimes you need another set of ears.
Most music fans know Chet from his years as the mohawk-wearing guitarist for multi-platinum rock band 3 Doors Down.
But what many people don’t know is that Chet was producing music long before he ever stepped onto that stage.
Since the sad and unfortunate passing of 3 Doors Down singer Brad Arnold, Chet still performs with a variety of bands, but he’s also back behind the board.
A lot.
And his approach starts before anyone hits record.
Chet says, “I want to find out what the band is all about first. That takes a little bit of hanging out time, but once I get a bead on what song I’m producing and what they’ve kind of presented me with—this little seed of an idea of a song—my mind just goes into, ‘Hey, how can we take this over the top?’”
Ask artists who have worked with Chet what makes him different and a theme starts to emerge.
He listens.
Graham Hannan, the founder and lead singer of HANNAN, says, “He doesn’t come into the studio trying to make something sound like him. He listens to what we’re trying to accomplish and figures out how to make that version of the song better.”
Chuck Feltner, aka Sir Charles, has known and worked with Chet for years, dating back to his days with The White Wolves and sessions at Rivergate Studios in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
What keeps him coming back?
He says, “Chet has a really good understanding of when to get involved and when to get out of the way.”
Sounds simple, right?
That’s not always the case.
Chuck says Chet gives artists room to be artists rather than constantly trying to steer the session simply because he’s the producer.
“He doesn’t feel the need to put his fingerprints on every part of a song. But when he does have an idea, it usually adds real value. Nothing ever feels forced. It still feels like your song and your record; you just have another set of really experienced ears in the room helping you find the best version of it.”
Chet knows when to let a song breathe—and when to get in there and shake things up.
Sometimes you let the band do its thing.
And sometimes you’ve gotta look everybody in the eye and say:
“This song ain’t there yet.”
Chet’s got no problem being that guy.
That’s exactly what happened when Du Fresne and the HANNAN band were working on the first song for Last Disguise.
The song was “Get High,” the first song you hear when you watch Chet’s Unbreakable episode, currently playing on the Relay streaming app:
https://pickrelay.com/app/t/49by-4qfm?source=search_results
Dean says, “He completely changed it to give it the ‘groove’ that it really needed. We were against it at first, but once we heard it the way Chet wanted it, we were stunned at how good it was when we heard it the first time. In fact, there are quite a few songs on that album that have Chet’s songwriting signature all over them.”
That’s producing.
Hearing something in a song that maybe even the people who wrote it haven’t heard yet.
Dean says it happens more than people realize.
“Many times someone will tell me about a part in a HANNAN song that they really liked and I will tell them that I wish we wrote it that way, but we didn’t—that was something Chet added to the song.”
“He hears little things that I think a lot of people would overlook,” says Graham. “Sometimes it can be something really subtle, but once he points it out or makes the change, you immediately hear why it works.”
But Chet isn’t chasing subtle. He’s chasing unforgettable.
His goal is simple: “How can we make this so unbelievably good that the music is just so undeniable? They’re going to be like, ‘Holy crap, this is amazing.’ That’s the goal in my head. I’m like, how can I get it there?”
Chet has produced HANNAN’s Last Disguise and Charm Offensive, and the Louisville band has continued turning to him as their music evolves.
And it doesn’t hurt that the team works so well together that Chet routinely picks up a guitar himself and joins the studio party.
On both HANNAN records he produced, Dean says Chet also added guitar solos.
HANNAN’s latest collaboration with Chet demonstrates just how broad that producer’s perspective can be.
The band is currently revisiting “Here Come The Irish,” a specialty track with a history connected to Notre Dame, ESPN and the Shamrock Series at Soldier Field.
They’re keeping the soul of the song, but rebuilding the sound for right now.
“He’s producing the new version and he’s also playing guitar on the track,” says Graham. “So his fingerprints are really all over this one. He understood from the beginning that it still needed to feel like an anthem. It needs to work as a rock song on its own but also translate to 80,000 people in a stadium.”
How hot is this track?
Well, Chet couldn’t resist joining the band on this one as well.
He grabbed his guitar and played on the track himself.
“Having Chet actually play on the song brought another element to it too. He has such a great sense of what serves the song rather than just playing something because he can. That producer’s ear carries over into his guitar playing, and I think you can hear that in this version.”
The result, Graham says, is bigger, heavier and more modern while retaining the heart of the original.
“We were fortunate enough to recover the original Lou Holtz speech that was recorded for the first version. We’ve incorporated part of that into the bridge of the new version in a way that creates a call-and-response moment with the crowd. That really brought the old and new versions together for us.”
When you hear the new version of “Here Come The Irish,” good luck sitting still whether you’re an Irish fan or not.
As for Chet, it’s never been just about making a great record.
It’s about making something that really grabs people.
As he puts it, “You’re not just making a song. You’re making a sound that potentially goes out and changes lives.”
He knows because music changed his.
“The opportunity to just make music is something that it’s kind of hard for me to describe. It’s a gift that I was given. It’s the best feeling in the world to make music that moves people—when you see the artist tearing up because you took their song to that level. That’s better than any kind of money you get for doing your work. I mean, that’s priceless.”
Something else that’s priceless is the opportunity to work with a world-class musician & producer who’s been there and done that—but also cares deeply about the bands he’s working with.
Du Fresne says, “If you want your songs to go to the next level and you want to work with someone who truly cares about the song you wrote—then Chet is your guy.”
Note: If you’re a musician or in a band and would like to learn more about how to potentially work with Chet, visit fourthdoormedia.com. You don’t have to be under the 4th Door umbrella to use any of our services.
Because he’s AWESOME