13TH ANNUAL WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS: Live Ceremony Tuesday, April 6, 2025 - Franklin, TN - Get Tix Here
A NRT EXCLUSIVE EDITORIAL
From Stage to Studio: An Interview with Jake Rye of LoCloud
The producer and artist talks about his evolution as a songwriter and music producer
 


A NRT EXCLUSIVE EDITORIAL, From Stage to Studio: An Interview with Jake Rye of LoCloud
Posted: January 22, 2025 | By: PaulPhillips_NRT
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Growing up in a family with a deep musical heritage, music producer Jake Rye was immersed in music early on. His great-uncle played fiddle on the Grand Ole Opry before touring with various artists and later founding a record label in Detroit in the 1950s, managed by his late grandfather. His father, a guitarist, played in a touring wedding band booked by Jeff Roberts of JRA in the company’s early days. These musical influences planted the first seeds of a lifelong career in the industry.
 
As a child, Jake was profoundly exposed to live music. His mother worked at a pregnancy center alongside the late Denny Keitzman, a touring and production manager, before he managed DC Talk and founded his own production company. 
 
During this time, Keitzman allowed a seven-year-old Jake to watch DC Talk’s tour rehearsals at a local theater in Adrian, Michigan. Later, at the Ichthus Festival in 1987, Jake was brought backstage to meet the band and other artists, including former Newsboy vocalist Peter Fuller—an experience that ignited his passion for music.
 
By age 13, Jake was playing bass at church, and by 16, he had expanded his skills to guitar and songwriting. With guidance from his father and the musicians in his worship team, he started recording in the studio, collaborating with mentor Pete Bishop on bass and original compositions. This early experience led him to tour with the rock band Alaris, which gained traction in the Christian rock scene with several Top 10 hits on the Christian rock chart in 2003. The band independently sold over 10,000 CDs during a five-year run, opening for acts like Kutless, Sanctus Real, and Falling Up.
 
Following Alaris’ dissolution, Jake transitioned into songwriting and producing, meeting with an A&R representative from EMI (Capitol) and expanding his work with local and regional artists. He produced for emerging bands, including Attaboy, who saw success on CHR radio, and Shine Bright, helping establish them in the Christian contemporary music (CCM) industry. His career reached new heights when he co-produced and co-wrote "On Your Knees" for the Newsboys’ Born Again album, also contributing as a bassist and editor.
 
In 2011, he had the opportunity to learn from legendary engineer and mixer Tom Lord-Alge in Miami, a pivotal experience that shaped his approach to music production. His career continued to evolve as he joined Sanctus Real in 2013 as a bassist, songwriter, and engineer. He played a key role in the band’s transition during his tenure, introducing current lead singer Dustin Lolli to the group.
 
Beyond his time with Sanctus Real, Jake worked as a producer and mix engineer. He briefly collaborated with music producer Seth Mosely’s Full Circle and mixed Christian rap artist Steven Malcolm’s debut album for Word Entertainment. That project, which featured collaborations with Christian pop artists Hollyn and Andy Mineo, earned three Dove Award nominations and opened doors for further work in Christian music.
 
Despite opportunities to relocate to Nashville, he and his wife chose to remain in their hometown of Adrian, Michigan, where they cared for his terminally ill mother-in-law. In 2023, Jake took a significant step by opening the Social Recording Company, my commercial studio in downtown Adrian, where he continues to mentor and produce emerging artists. With new projects on the horizon and a track record of success, he remains committed to helping musicians find their voice and build sustainable careers.
 
Throughout it all, he credits his wife as his greatest supporter, acknowledging that his journey would have taken a different path without her. Looking ahead, he remains focused on following God's lead, creating inspiring music, and supporting artists in their creative and professional endeavors.

Jake spoke about music production, his side project, LoCloud, and collaboration with artists in an NRT exclusive interview.

 

Talk about your role as a music producer. How do you bring an artist’s work to life?
 
I try to figure out if I get a feeling from an artist’s songs, and then I like to figure out what I'm hearing that’s special. To me, an artist's sound has nothing to do with me. I am not a producer who will “make a record” for an artist that they can just come and sing over. My process is based on what is unique and special about a person's voice, delivery, and songs. I prefer to work with artists who are musicians as well as writers, as I have seen that they tend to develop a long-term sound that goes with them throughout their careers. They also tend to be motivated by values different from those of people who want to sing. They have different ownership and agency of the space that they take up.
 
If I’m working with a rock band, which I often do, I will pull in the multi-track from their home demo, and we will begin discussing the song, tempo, and key and establish some direction and goals. From there, we track the arrangement, get the right sounds, etc. This is where my voice enters the recording, as my background is helping people get sounds that they wouldn’t typically be able to outside the studio. We follow this process and conversation until we’ve finished the tracking, move to post-production, and keep the conversation going. It’s a very collaborative process.
 
We always reach a point where we can sit back, listen, and be satisfied with what we have created together.
 
Do you consider yourself to be someone behind the artist? Why?
 
I'm behind the artists as I support them 100 percent and try to mentor them as much as possible. I'm not trying to put myself out in front of them. My job is to help them move forward by supporting them in every way possible. The work we do together goes out in front of them and opens doors, and that’s a big part of success. If your work creates opportunities for other people, that’s success as a producer.
 
What is the most satisfying part of your job?
 
It's rewarding to see a client take charge of and own what they’re doing, then go out and do the work that allows them to take the next step. The master recording gives them the confidence to move forward. 
 
Do you produce Christian and mainstream music? If just Christian, then why?
 
My approach to working with Christians has changed over the years. I moved on from trying to help people make something that fits a format and has re-focused on assisting them to create something true to their craft and God-given path. I’ve seen the industry abandon too many people over the years to be interested in making that my focus anymore. I’d rather see people become entrepreneurs and take ownership of their path like I had to do. Some are an excellent fit for CCM or worship music; others are believers who just don’t fit those formats and deserve the right to go and do what they’re called to do. I often pray that God will send me those people.
 
I also work with many mainstream artists and a mixer/producer, and I support those artists similarly. I often work with Christian people who are making mainstream music.
 
Does producing vary by genre (hip-hop, rock, contemporary)? How so?
 
Over the past ten years, the lines between genres have blurred. Hip-hop and pop have merged in many ways and have become different. Now, we have bedroom pop, alt-pop, hyper-pop, etc.
 
I find energy in working with real musicians and mics, preamps, and compressors in space. For that reason, I have a large studio. So, much of what I work on falls into rock, alt-rock, bedroom pop, Americana, worship, and alternative. 
 
I used to mix a lot of hip-hop and didn’t enjoy it anymore, so I quit taking those projects. Many unspoken trends are left up to the engineer to discern from the artist, and you learn them just by being in those different spaces. 
 
Who have you worked with, and who would you like to work with?
 
In many capacities: Sanctus Real, The Newsboys, Francesca Battistelli, Shawn McDonald, Vertical Church, Lighthouse Church, Andy Mineo, Hollyn, Steven Malcolm, Beacon Light, Collington, KB, Bo Rinehart (Coy Roy), IHOP, Matt Moore, The Undeserving, Cloverton, Michigander, Steppes, Au Gres, Brother Elsey, The Glorious Sons, Stay Outside and a hundred plus more.
 
I dream of getting in a room with the mainstream alternative band Jimmy Eat World and engineering an entire record. Seeing Coldplay perform would be a dream come true, too.
 
What else would you like to say?
 
Everyone has dreams. Everyone wants to be on a platform in America, especially with social media dominating people's time. My advice for people of faith is to lay those before God in prayer and ask Him what He wants to do with them. Then follow Him, read the Word, find community, and see what He does. I bet He blows your mind. 
 
I never wanted to be a producer; I wanted to be in a band. Now, at this point, I’ve worked at nearly every point in the industry outside of being employed as a record executive. I’ve been open to all of it because I told God it was His. Any elevation I’ve received has been His, allowing it to happen.
 
What’s next? How can we be praying for you?
 
I have started a new band with my friends. Earlier this year, I was invited into a project called LoCloud with Sanctus Real’s original singer Matt Hammitt and Nick Departee, a long-time guitarist in Kutless. We are working on a project close to our hearts, fun and meaningful to us. It’s also a rock project, and we couldn’t be more stoked. Our first two songs—"Sleepwalker” and “Live Today”— are already out. And we plan to release an EP this year. We will also play at some festivals and shows next summer. There's lots to build as it’s a start-up, but we’ve already had a lot of interest.
 
Come to a show, stream the tunes, and pray for our families. A couple of us haven’t toured in years, and we are remarkably open-handed about the possible outcomes.

Paul E. Phillips is a Canadian journalist with 20 years of experience writing and editing digital and print content. He specializes in health, fitness, nutrition, and travel. He loves music, movies, and, of course, living for Jesus. Open AI's ChatGPT provided assistance with this article.

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13TH ANNUAL WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS: Live Ceremony Tuesday, April 6, 2025 - Franklin, TN - Get Tix Here

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