Finding Harmony in Old Village

Recording studio owner finds joy in creating, collaborating with others

By Kevin Brown | Photos by Bill Bresler

He could buy a Lamborghini.

That was the first thought. It was his 1999 Plymouth Salem High School graduation. His mother just said, “You have some money” -- $287,000 to spend as he wished.

Chris Breest’s eye had been damaged at birth, due to a doctor’s mistake with forceps during delivery. His parents won a cash settlement. Over 18 years, the fund grew significantly as his dad invested it.

A Lambo is nice. But fired by a passion to play music and study sound recording, a different ride called to Breest – his future in music. He spent money on a new black Ford Ranger truck and tuition to enter Western Michigan University. Besides studying audio engineering, he sought connections with kindred alt-rock musical spirits.

Breest’s key music collaboration at college was BandB. It was formed with fellow WMU student Matt Binder. They were a success -- getting a Los Angeles showcase, landing songs on TV’s “One Tree Hill,” and drawing interest in their song publishing catalog from actress Courtney Cox, who licensed BandB tracks for her show “Dirt.”

But after successful performing years, a bout with diabetes landed Breest in the hospital. He chose to focus on positives, rather than loss. Still a performer, Breest was upbeat about pivoting more to sound recording.

“It goes back to when I started as a musician. The joy is creation and working with a team. It’s the idea of manifesting something that didn’t exist, that ability to create something out of nothing. And that thing affects people. That’s always been the coolest thing for me,” he said.

GROWING UP IN LAKE POINTE

At age five, Breest and his family, including brother Shane, moved from Livonia to the Lake Pointe neighborhood near Five Mile and Haggerty roads, and his affinity with the Plymouth community began.

“Farrand Elementary School was in the center of my neighborhood and my house backed up to it. So I had a full schoolyard of jungle gyms, swings, baseball fields and a sizeable group of kids to play with. It was really amazing,” he said.

He recalled Rotary barbeque chicken dinners at Plymouth Fall Festival and the parade of downtown festivals. “It’s a little Pleasantville-y,” he says of Plymouth, smiling. Breest is now a Rotarian. “There’s lots of businesspeople but there’s also artisans and creatives. I’ve traveled a lot, but it’s always been home.”

Musically inspired by the grunge band Nirvana, Breest got his first guitar at 14.

“I spent all my free time in my basement teaching myself guitar tablature and playing music,” he said. By 16, he’d acquired a Tascam 4-track recorder. “I started experimenting with different techniques, just learning as a kid.”

Still in high school, he and friend Matt Penn put on their own music festival in Kellogg Park, featuring all local groups. The crowd was tiny, and they were surprised to get a bill for police services from the city. Breest called it a disaster, but also fun. “It was a step in my path of trying to create stuff.”

PLYMOUTH ROCK RECORDING CO.

Trained as an audio engineer at college, Breest knew he’d need to hustle to win jobs at the best local sound studios, such as Pearl Sound in Canton where major acts have recorded. He did get a job – but not by handing over a resume.

“As much as I would love to tell somebody that ‘This is my passion,’ I understood they just wanted to know if I was ready to do the dirty work. I’d tell them I’ll clean the toilets; I’ll clean up the mess, and that was the right thing. They said you can start tomorrow. I got to be around and learn from producers and engineers,” he said.

Breest and two friends in the early 2000s discovered the former church at 993 Holbrook in Plymouth’s Old Village, as one of the friends rented an apartment there after the church closed.

“It was in pretty rough shape. It would fill up with gas, it was leaky. But it was a cool place that demanded that somebody do something with it,” Breest said.

He and two partners bought the former church. Breest became sole owner and president of Plymouth Rock Recording Co. in 2016 after buying out his partners.

The company records jingles, albums, commercials, music videos, films and more. Clients include the American Red Cross, Chase Bank, Detroit Auto Show, Ford Motor Co., Microsoft, NBC, Alto Reed, Mitch Ryder, Obie Trice and Uncle Kracker.

Breest estimates nearly $1 million has been spent to renovate the space over the last 15 years or so. The money came from a mix of personal capital, partnerships with Lawrence Technological University, and money earned through projects performed for several top tier clients, including a $200,000 project for Sprint.

“We have a variety of recording setups that cater to different needs,” Breest said.

A stage within a recording studio in set in the former main floor sanctuary. Fun touches along a stairway leading to the downstairs high-tech studio space are black on grey wall murals of Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, George Clinton and Jimi Hendrix. This space houses a modern Pro Tools audio station.

MULTI-TASKER

Running Plymouth Recording Co. is not Breest’s only job. He also directs the Bachelor of Science in Audio Engineering Technology program at Lawrence Technological University.

The position stems from Breest’s early audio recording work, which included field recording.

“It’s super interesting working on documentary films. It’s not a controlled environment where everything sounds nice,” he said.

This work made him attractive to Lawrence Tech administrators. They were seeking to train workers for Michigan’s budding film production industry, as the state had become popular for location shooting with Hollywood producers. First, they asked for his help to design a program. Then, they made him director.

Breest also serves as a director of the repertoire services department with North Star Media of Bloomfield Hills.

The firm places music with advertising clients, among other projects. He also fits in work as a front of house sound mixer for music venues including Otus Supply in Ferndale.

“Chris is a tireless worker. He’s down to earth and approachable and open to new ideas. I think he gets the big picture of a project and doesn’t lose sight in that when making decisions,” said Joe Choma, who is Breest’s business associate in the festival and events promotion firm Grand Circus Media.

GRETA VAN FLEET

Breest and his staff and studio in 2017-18 were among the first to record the Frankenmuth band Greta Van Fleet, before their national breakout roughly two years later.

“There was this incredible singer kid and his brothers, but they sounded just like Led Zeppelin. I think we were their second studio. Becoming an artist is a process, they were still kind of figuring themselves out,” he said. Breest said he got them with an area producer equipped to guide them.

LEGACIES

There are similarities in the spirituality celebrated in a house of worship, and making art, Breest said.

“Like in a church, there’s a meditative quiet feel when you walk into a studio. It’s a positive space. There’s that sort of energy. I’m a super believer in music and harmony.”

Breest values the charity work his company performs. “It’s important to leave a legacy of creative positive products and experiences. It feels good when you do nice things for people,” he said.