Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Liv Mueller and I am a singer/songwriter from the Midwest.

I’m obsessed with small animals, old movies and good food. I’ve been in bands for years, I’ve toured, I’ve played great shows, and I have played shows that sounded so disjointed that I felt like standing in shame at the club’s entrance and refunding the patrons their cash as they left.

Somewhere along the line I decided to play solo, do my own recordings, and make most of my own music videos.

Why? Because I’m a fucking artist and I can. And if you are, too (translation: you are an overly emotional perfectionist with a deep need to be heard and to bare your naked soul to friends and strangers alike) then I am here to encourage you—or make you laugh.

You have recorded in studios and spent thousands of dollars, only to end up with a record that sounds like it was dipped in shellac. Or a record mixed so meticulously that when you play it for the people you love, they stare at you with discomfort, adjust themselves and say…nothing. Or they smile nervously, and you smile back, knowing that the recording is not an accurate representation of…you!

Are you imperfect? Are your live shows imperfect? Yes. BUT they capture an energy that only you can transmit, which is why I started doing recording on my own.

I encourage all singers/writers to purchase a home recording device, or software.

I don’t record on a computer, I use something called the Boss BR900 with a CD burner in it. It has tons of weird effects, and I find that when I hook it up to my guitar, keyboard or microphone, it supplies me with endless hours of, well, fun!

And that’s why we are in this, right?

I got a vacuum cleaner once and threw out the instructions. That’s okay. But dear Lord in Heaven, read the directions of whatever recording device you purchase. Otherwise, after spending 20-some hours perfecting your tune, you could press one button and erase it by mistake! (Imagine me running through the streets naked, wielding a hatchet.)

Good luck! Try it! Why pay some dude thousands of bucks, when for now (at least) you can record a song or two, give it to your friends and family, and just…start.

Photo by Nick Berg.