Having grown up in the City of Kawartha Lakes’ vibrant arts scene, I’m lucky to have met many talented and wonderful musicians. Recently, I got to catch up with one of those talented and wonderful people, Warren Frank (aka Gamekeeper), to ask him about his newly released debut single Run.
Note: this interview is best read accompanied by Gamekeeper himself! Check it out on Spotify below.
Warren kindly shared his insights on the process of writing, playing, recording, and producing Run fully solo, his other ongoing projects, as well as the fantastic youth music programs he runs through his work at BGC Kawarthas.
Morrison Music (MM): Congratulations on Run’s successful release. I’ve seen a ton of positive feedback out there – how are you feeling?
Warren Frank (WF): Thank you! I’m feeling very excited to finally have some of my solo music out there. Lots of folks have gone out of their way to send me thoughtful and encouraging messages and it means a lot to me.
MM: I was inspired when you told me that you not only wrote Run, but played all of the instruments, recorded it in your studio, produced the whole thing, and are promoting it. How important was it for you to do it all?
WF: It was really important to me that I brought this song to life by myself. I’ve been fortunate in my music career to release works that I’m very proud of alongside people that I care deeply about. In The Kents and Heaps, I was often writing lyrics and melodies in response to ideas brought forth by my bandmates, so this process of solo work has been a lot of learning.
I think collaboration and delegation in creativity can be important, but can also be a crutch. They can help you grow in ways you wouldn’t expect, or you can negate important aspects of the artistic process in hopes that collaborators will do the heavy lifting. It calls for consistent self-reflection.
Due to that, I wanted my first solo release to be something that I had considered every aspect of, from top to bottom. No shortcuts.
MM: What was the biggest challenge throughout the process? Did you hit any roadblocks you didn’t expect to?
WF: It can be trying to act as recording engineer, producer and performer at the same time.
When folks record at my home studio, I can run the mics and monitor the performance to provide production insight. But add scrutinizing my own performance to the fold and it can be hard to maintain perspective.
Fortunately I had lots of time to go back and listen with fresh ears. Long story short, I re-tracked vocals a lot on this one. Had to get it right!
MM: Was there a part in the process that you are particularly proud of?
WF: I always thought I would have to get someone else to mix my music. I started learning how to mix and edit music in 2020, so to get to the place where I could create something that can stand with the rest of my catalogue feels very validating.
I think I’ll be learning how to mix, edit and write songs my entire life, and I love that! “Never done,” as my buddy Nathan Truax, of the band Intimidators, says.
MM: What other projects do you have on the go/what’s next now that Run is out?
WF: A lot of my musical time is now spent producing and editing other people’s records. Right now I’m working with Peterborough’s VANCAMP, on their first full-length record. We’re in the mixing stages now, look for that in September!
In Gamekeeper land, I am working towards an EP, 4 or 5 songs. I think It’ll be named “Slow and Small”. We’ll see 🙂
MM: Where can people listen to Run? When and where can people catch a Gamekeeper show?
WF: You can listen to “Run” wherever you listen to music! It’s on all streaming platforms and some community radio stations throughout Canada.
You can follow my Instagram @gamekeepertunes for updates on when and where I play, or go to gamekeepertunes.com.
MM: Shifting gears a bit, you run some fantastic music programs for local youth via BGC Kawarthas. What’s coming up at BGC that people should know about?
WF: Our summer music camp just wrapped up and it was so fun! Look to us for fall programming come September. We will be intaking lessons clients again, and running more programming like “Music Makers Songwriting” and “Music Makers Production” for youth ages 12-18.
We even do lessons in production and mixing and video sound effects!
MM: Beyond your work at BGC and your songwriting/performing, you’re also a great producer. What drew you to producing?
WF: I appreciate that, thank you! Production is very exciting to me because there is no one way to do it. Production is about serving a song. Working alongside an artist and helping them bring their vision to life.
The broad range of that challenge is truly what draws me in, as creating and exploring what layers can be used to help a creative venture reach its objective is a true joy.
Sometimes it can be as simple as being the conductor between the artist and the operation of a recording software, other times it may be entirely re-structuring a song. It’s always a unique experience.
MM: What are three keys to being a good producer?
WF: I imagine I’ll look back on this in five years and laugh at my response, so let’s schedule a follow-up interview here in 2029 okay? For now I’ll say:
- Understanding the essence of a song. Every song is unique, and has specific components that need to shine. How are you going to isolate and empower those components in a composition and subsequently in a mix?
- Empowering the artist. It’s key to recognize the importance of the artist, their work, and their opinions. Give-and-take and challenging their views is important, but ultimately this work is in service of their product.
- The willingness to work until the job is done. I think this applies to almost any field, but it is of paramount importance to creative pursuits. Especially when one might start to look up at the hours-spent vs pay ratio. If you can maintain a standard of working until the vision is achieved, you’re in good territory.
MM: We live in a community filled with talented musicians. What advice would you give to musicians who are looking to start writing their own songs?
WF: Don’t wait for inspiration, just start writing. If you’re intentionally spending time creating, good things will come. Mind you, it won’t all be good (my vault is FULL of awful half-written songs), but if you’re consistent, the good will come.
MM: What advice would you give to someone who has written songs/ideas and may want to record them, but may not know where to start?
WF: To start, I would recommend they do a little research. If you spend the time getting to know about the recording process, you will be best able to communicate what you want to achieve. That could be via YouTube videos, books or just reaching out to musicians/producers in your community like myself.
But at the end of the day if you want to record and don’t want to be the person facilitating the recording/editing, find a studio/producer that has a portfolio that you like and inquire! Lots of folks are willing to chat.
I often grab a coffee with potential clients to chat about options, prices and potential fits. Be prepared to pay people for the work they do, though!
MM: I know you also produce the fantastic Now & Then podcast; what other types of audio work do you do?
WF: Shout out Randy Read and William McGinn! I love getting to edit that podcast. Other than editing the pod, I produce music, I mix music, I compose soundtracks for videos (like the CKL tourism videos), I edit pre-recorded audio like the Kinmount Historical Walking Tour, on-set audio capture (with my friends and collaborators at Morning Cup Productions) and even do a smidge of narration/voice acting here and there.
If you have music or sound editing needs, let’s chat!
About Warren Frank
A singer-songwriter from Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, Warren Frank is Gamekeeper. He’s best known for his time as the lead singer in indie outfits The Kents and Heaps, heard across Canada on national radio. As Gamekeeper, Frank’s voice and lyricism take centre stage as he explores a new chapter in songwriting.
If you’re interested in hiring Warren for audio work/production, or for performances, contact him at warren@gamekeepertunes.com.
Morrison Music 
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