Note-worthy in Plymouth: Plimro Records Founder Mark Bryant

When he was just 4-years-old, Plymouth resident Mark Bryant would use his father’s reel-to-reel tape recorder to capture the music and sounds of his parents’ parties when he was too tired to stay awake for them. As soon as he woke up the next morning, the young Bryant would listen to the noises he missed while he was sleeping.

Today, Bryant uses his love of recording music as a producer at Plimro Records, formerly called Plymouth Rock Records. The music lover founded this record label in 1995, calling it “a new generation of old-time music.”

Bryant said that most of the artists he works with, including Jake Hill, Jo Henley and Llyod Rosenberg, play the same style of Americana music that their parents or grandparents listened to when they were growing up. These young musicians are giving modern generations a fresh look at the music that has rocked the country for centuries, Bryant said.

Americana music can be defined as anything that draws inspiration from styles that are inherently American, including folk, blues, soul and jazz, according to the music producer.

“America was the melting pot for great music back in the early days, so Americana music is just harping back to those original days of folk music,” Bryant said.

As a producer,  it is Bryant's job to coach his musicians to make sure that they are creating their best work then they are in the studio. He also works with these artists to try to bring their ideas to life.

“What I really do as a producer is just try to, the best I can, recreate the sound that the artist has in their own mind as to what they want the music to sound like,” he said. “I’m just a presenter of the ideas that the artist has.”

Andy Campolieto, the lead singer and guitar player of Jo Henley, said he and his band recently worked with Bryant to create their CD Mohawk, which will be released this week. Compared with other producers he has worked with, Campolieto said Bryant works diligently, often staying away from heavy computerized edits that can slow the editing process down and cause the music to lose some of its original meaning.

“At some point, some of the heart of the song, the immediacy of it, is lost,” he said. “With Mark you don’t really get that because he works quickly.”

While their last CD took almost a year to create, Campolieto said Mohawk was done in about five days with Bryant’s assistance.

Even outside of Plimro Records, Bryant is constantly displaying his true passion for music. He is the drummer of Lonesome Jukebox, a local band that incorporates western swing and country into their songs. He is also the founder of Seasound Recording Studio, which is located in North Plymouth.

As a man who has always incorporated music into his life, Bryant does not buy into the belief that there is no money to be made in the industry and that it is not a stable career path.

“A lot of times, the money doesn’t matter because you have a passion and you just keep doing it,” he said. “I’ve been doing it since I was 4-years-old and that was a long time ago. The money isn’t even part of it. It’s just the passion of doing it.”