Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Spayth.
Hi Aaron, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Although I’ve spent most of my life in Texas, I’ve been privileged to have lived and worked in many different parts of the US and even abroad. Without a doubt, these experiences have greatly influenced my personality. They have sparked the inspiration and drive needed to pursue the challenging and gratifying profession I’m involved with today. My mother’s family is from Holland. However, they immigrated to Ontario, Canada, at the end of WWII. Why? It all had to do with my grandfather and great-uncle. They thought it would be the perfect location to set up a large dairy farm operation. Sadly, however, those dreams were never realized, as a sniper shot and killed my great-uncle. My grandfather, however, was undeterred and moved his family to the other side of the world. They boarded a boat to cross the Atlantic, and in a short time, he, his wife, and 8 children had set up a small family farm. I’ve always appreciated his example of determination.
My father was born and raised in Michigan, USA. So the only thing keeping my mother and him apart was the beautiful blue waters of Lake Huron. Eventually, at an Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses, they met and soon decided it was time for them to get married and eventually start a family. My sister, Leanne, and I were both born near Denver, Colorado, where my parents had moved to about 8 years before. I grew up hearing them talking affectionately about the good times they had four-wheeling in the mountains in their Toyota Land Cruiser. They like to show me a picture of me there with them in my little car seat to prove that they even brought me along too. However, my family would soon say “goodbye” to the snow-capped mountains and make our way down to the beautiful Texas hill country. That is where life began for me. I remember playing in the sprinklers with my sister and helping mom in the garden. I remember the swing in our yard and the sound of Paul Simon’s Graceland and John Fogerty’s Centerfield on the radio. And also, strangely enough, I remember seeing my very first movie on our living room television: The Three Amigos. Life in Texas was good, but after a few years, my father was offered a good job opportunity in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Thus, we picked up and moved again, this time to the desert! But it was better than you might imagine. It’s tough to describe the surreal beauty of hundreds of hot-air balloons filling the sky on a crisp morning against the breathtaking backdrop of the Sierra Nevada mountains. I also have many good memories of playing amongst the dunes and trying to catch lizards as a child. I remember one time when my father brought home an electric piano. I played on it for hours and hours. But, had I realized how important music would become in my life, I would have spent even more time with it practicing in sweet solitude.
After about five years, we moved back to “the promised land” to be closer to my paternal grandparents, who were also living in Texas. Thus, I could finally set down some more permanent roots, and my personality began taking shape. It was the early 90s, and my sister and everyone else were going crazy for Garth Brooks and all things country. I found myself easily corrupted and begged my mom to take me to Cavender’s Boot City to look like a real cowboy. I had made my decision. Thankfully, in her wisdom, my mother said “no,” Eventually, that dark phase in my life quickly passed.
Fast forward to my teenage years, I played the saxophone in our school’s concert and jazz bands. Finally, I was getting acquainted with music that had real substance. I may have been craving it all my life, even subconsciously. However, as much as I enjoyed that type of music, I was soon overtaken by another, albeit less sophisticated, style. It came in the form of a quirky South-African-born, pajama pants, work-boot-wearing eccentric Dave Matthews, and his band, of course. It was a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of soundscapes, complex bleeding rhythms from the acoustic guitar, the shimmering of drumming-style-fusions, and the soft, cordial conversation between saxophone and violin. I was hooked.
That was 20 years ago, and since then, I’ve moved on to other musical styles. The truth is that I’ve come to appreciate almost all forms of music. They’re like colors that make a complete palate of human emotion and experience. I eventually decided to learn how to play the acoustic guitar. It took some time, but I also learned how to sing and play at the same time. Little did I know that this skill would eventually lead to winning over the heart of Alisha, the love of my life. Our families were both invited to assist in a live Bible drama. One evening, after one of the presentations at an assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses, her family came to my house to hang out. At some point during the night, I performed one of my favorite songs for them, and, according to her, that was the moment she fell in love. As it turns out, her family was also very musical: her mother’s voice is captivating like no one I’ve ever known, and her father could have easily become a professional guitar player. At that time, they had a very nice studio in their house in Georgetown, TX, and were known for being extremely generous and hospitable.
Alisha and I, together with two of our best friends, formed a band and practiced just about every week. We often comment that it was one of the best times in our lives. We both had our cars, a little money from waiting tables, and did not have to pay rent yet. And, because of our volunteer Bible education work, our time was filled not just with having fun but also with something that gave us both real purpose and satisfaction. For many years I’d had the goal of moving to New York state and becoming a full-time volunteer at the US Branch of Jehovah’s Witnesses. So I was extremely excited when, shortly after turning 19 years old, I received the invitation letter I had hoped for so much! After spending two years as a full-time volunteer at Watchtower Farms in Wallkill, NY, I returned to Texas, and Alisha and I were married soon after that. We settled in Georgetown, TX, and I started a small window cleaning company to support us financially while we each continued volunteering 70 hours a month in our Bible education work. Music was still important to us, but we continued to play and perform our favorite songs for friends and family. On our first wedding anniversary, we had both saved up money all year to buy each other a guitar, and we still have them. Around this time, we began attending meetings with a Portuguese-speaking congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Austin, TX. Learning another language is not for the faint of heart. Yet, the warm friendships we made helped us to keep going. And we are also learning another important life skill: not to take ourselves too seriously. This decision to start learning Portuguese would eventually also lead to life-changing circumstances.
In 2010, Alisha and I were invited to volunteer full-time at the World Headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Brooklyn, NY. While serving there for four years, we continued learning Portuguese while attending meetings with a Portuguese-speaking congregation. Living in New York City felt like being in a movie. Everything is so iconic and strangely familiar. Although it had its challenges, we quickly adapted to city life and were happy and busy in our new life. As you can see, my life has been full of moves of location and changes in circumstances, so it shouldn’t have come to much surprise to me in 2014 when we found out that we were being invited to move to Brazil and live and work as full-time volunteers at the Brazil branch of Jehovah’s Witnesses. It was over 8 years ago, but I still find myself asking how and what led to us moving to another country, one as wonderful and exotic as Brazil.
Living for an extended period in a foreign country is such an amazing and unique experience. Besides learning so many new things about a different culture, you also learn a lot about who you are. Additionally, because you can finally get some real perspective, you can understand your culture better. Brazilians are known for being kind, generous, and affectionate. They also love having a good time and highly value family relationships. I’ve made many good friends here and have come to love it there. Of course, I do feel very homesick from time to time, but what helps me is to remember that Texas is just a plane ride away. Since August 2022, I have started a new chapter in my life. Then, we changed our circumstances and will now only be helping as volunteers at the Brazil branch part-time. What does that mean? For the past 6 months, I have begun working with family-friendly media projects as a freelance post-production audio engineer (re-recording mixer) and also composing custom music for short films and especially for documentaries. Although it’s a recent professional endeavor, I’m determined to make it a success story. I have a lot to bring to the table to help people. I’ve learned that changes are bound to come in life, but having worthwhile goals can help provide the motivation and solid foundation you need to keep going no matter what comes your way.
Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve seen that I can put more pressure on myself than is necessary. Reaching out for excellence is a great and worthwhile plan, but perfection is a dream.
Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
Post-production audio engineering has always interested me personally. I’ve also been privileged to have worked with it in my volunteer work over the past few years. Composing custom music for films and documentaries is an amazing challenge and something I’m excited to do every day. Of course, it is a big challenge to begin any new professional endeavor, especially a creative one, but I’m so happy to have the support of my wife, family, and friends. This work requires practical knowledge, hands-on experience, and a positive, team-oriented mindset. However, having the right hardware and software is indeed important. Just as essential is a drive and passion for the work, it can mean a project nailing its creative objectives or flopping. I’m happy that I now have all the professional equipment needed to help any filmmaker’s visions come to reality. Still, one of my greatest assets is that it’s just intrinsically part of my personality to want to make people feel comfortable. And when people are at ease, they can always do their best work. It’s also important to me to be honest and genuinely interested in their story and aspirations. It doesn’t matter how small a project is; I’m still always excited to participate in the creative process. I love storytelling. I’m writing a historical fiction novel as a hobby and have enjoyed researching what makes a story speak to an audience. Understanding some of these principles has translated into me being able to write more emotionally impactful music, or rather music that is more in harmony with the feelings that the director hoped to evoke for a particular scene.
Any big plans?
My wife and I had been living in Texas for the last four months, but we had just moved back to Brazil. We are still determining how long we are going to be able to stay here, but we’re excited to be doing something fresh and new with our lives and yet still in familiar surroundings.
Pricing:
- Post-production Audio Engineering – $12-$25 hourly rate
- Composing Custom Music – $15-$35 hourly rate
- Package Deal: Both Audio Engineering & Custom Music – (currently) $100 per minute of film
Note: My hourly rate varies and is based on the complexity of each project. Let’s get in touch to find out your quote.
Also, I’m currently offering FILM STUDENTS a discount of 15% off!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.aaronspaythsound.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaronspayth.sound/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Aaron-Spayth/100081861167713/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronspayth/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpaythAaron
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdis6en_wDJ92dPubfVHI4Q
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/aaronspaythsound
- Other: https://www.aaronspaythsound.com/media
