Mountain Man Music is a recording studio for musicians in Moscow that brings the Los Angeles studio experience on the Palouse.
Mountain Man Music (MMM) was started and owned by UI alumnus, musician and producer Jess Fuller — otherwise known as Fuller. Owning a studio like MMM was a childhood dream for Fuller, who wanted to expand Moscow’s music scene and give local artists a chance to create to and hone their skills.
MMM specializes in the recording arts with an emphasis in music, ranging from instrumental performance instruction to theory and composition lessons.
Construction of MMM began in 2007 and was finalized in 2010. Fuller’s previous experience includes film scoring in LA. He said he came back to Moscow to share his knowledge of music and recording with the community looking to reach out to people and expand the music community in Moscow.
“I think what I want most for Mountain Man Music is to be able to share the amazing local talent that is the Palouse,” Fuller said.
Fuller works with UI graduate and under graduate students on collaborative projects. These projects give the students the opportunity to experience a professional recording studio with quality equipment.
UI senior Dexter Jones, who is Fuller’s assistant and who is majoring in music theory, said MMM can provide local students professional development.
“This type of experience is incredibly invaluable to my future career,” Jones said. “This experience is not something you get unless you go to a specialized school.”
Fuller also focuses on developing his own music with students. “Electronic – Active,” his first CD, is a collection of artists from the past five years. When put together, the tracks in “Electronic -Active” form a story.
This album is electronic, differing from Fuller’s other work and trying to focus on one medium to keep the audience focused. There is yet to be a set release date for the album. Fuller said one intention of the CD is to make it so people can listen while doing homework or hitting the treadmill— its use can vary, as well as audience.
Fuller said he is also currently working on another album, which debuts work from UI students. He said it will be a rock album with the horn section of the Vandal marching band.
MMM is meant to help artists in the area that have a song or passion but haven’t had an outlet for expression, Fuller said.
“My goal is to promote more people to be more expressive. There is a lot of skills to be learned that can take you further as a musician,” Fuller said.
Dominique Stout can be reached at [email protected]