With a musical upbringing Pearce was destined to end up with a career in sound but at the age of 18 when he took his first sound job he could have hardly dared to hope to be doing what he's doing now.
"I wasn't quite sure what to do with an insert at that point," he laughs, "but one day a week turned into two which turned into seven and here we are! I have toured with several Broadway shows and music acts. The most notable are James Brown, Three Mo' Tenors, Cook, Dixon and Young and John Legend."
Pearce is already a huge Focusrite fan. "I buy Focusrite gear because I like the way it sounds. I have 16 Channels of the Focusrite Platinum series, nine channels of the Focusrite Green series and a Focusrite OctoPre with the digital I/O option. I have been using a Focusrite Saffire," he says. "It has been traveling with me on the road for recording the shows. It's nice and small and sounds great."
"The band members like to track a lot on the road, so they will borrow the Saffire from me if I'm not helping them. There's Fred Thomas, The James Brown band's bass player since 1971. He and the other guys have been working on solo stuff in their hotel rooms. I help a little here and there and lend my Saffire as much as possible. It's working out so well that Robert 'Mousey' Thompson (James Brown's drummer for 13 years) and I are getting ready to work on his solo project in my studio."
Pearce has just finished the latest leg of the James Brown tour and will soon be embarking on the next one.
(Chris Henry)
