Bio

Steve Leavitt is a music producer, musician, and recording engineer with a natural ear for music. A native of Los Angeles, CA, Steve’s life in music has spanned many genres, from Folk to Rock, Orchestral to Electronic, and a Pop hybrid of all of the above.

Currently

The Los Angeles based hard-rock band Testing Tomorrow worked with Steve on their new single Deriva, a production which included real strings and a cacophonous chorus of voices.

This year Steve also finished producing a 4 song EP for The Venus Illuminato called Children of the Earth and is putting the finishing touches on a full-length Progressive Rock album called Time and Space by Lobate Scarp, a Los Angeles-based act reminiscent of Genesis and Yes.

In 2010, he produced a full-length folk album for singer and songwriter Tom Renaud titled Walk Till Morning. In 2009 he co-produced a single, Mary (Her Story), with Washington D.C. native Amy Clarke, a singer songwriter whose thought-provoking lyrics and piano driven tunes never fail to induce an emotional reaction.

Other producing credits include Marina V, The Ludivico, and Nashville producer Dave Tough. more later

Background

Steve practically grew up with movie sets as the son of motorcycling turned movie stunt parents. However, he quickly found he was more at home in a music store than at a motorcycle track.

Steve’s love for music began when he was just a child. By age 12 Steve was writing and recording. As a teenager he preferred spending the majority of his weekends and summers in his room with his 4 track, mixing board, and sequencer programming hundreds of electronic instrumental pieces. He continued pursuing his ambition to become a professional musician by apprenticing for an established hip hop producer and composer from age 16 to 18. Following his apprenticeship he studied recording engineering in 2000 at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California.

History

In addition to his producing, Steve has also engineered for the likes of Rob Michaels (guitarist for Chris Daughtry), Chris Opperman, Wade Williams (recording his audition for Velvet Revolver), Ronnie Winters (of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus), and Camera Can’t Lie (demoing songs for their label) .

Never shying away from a challenge, in 2007, Steve recorded, on location, a seven song EP for the neo-folk, acoustic rock group, the Venus Illuminato in Venice, CA. With a small budget and a big vision, and in only 7 days, Steve captured the soul, magic, and essence of the music. Subsequently, his efforts and attention to detail did not go unnoticed; the Venus Illuminato’s EP “Company With Kings” attracted a lot of interest from Warner Brothers Records and Rhino Records at their first show at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood.

Also in 2007 Steve produced, arranged and recorded the single “Fool” on Marina V‘s latest release “Modern Fairytale.”

From 2005 to 2007, Steve showcased his keyboard and B3 organ chops and musical depth while he was a member of the classic/progressive rock band, The Ludivico. Doubling as keyboard player and producer, Steve recorded many performances both live and in the studio.

In 2004, Steve co-founded an event called Don’t Call Us Tori with Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Shannon Hurley. With a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck, Don’t Call Us Tori has grown to become a full-fledged haven for great music in L.A. with monthly showcases aiming to cross-promote specifically female solo artists.

Also in 2004, Steve co-produced Real Life Music’s release “Gravity Always Wins” for Nashville producer Dave Tough.

See Clients listing.