Work with Steve
Steve Dawson works with artists, songwriters, and producers on records that value feel, tone, and intention. Whether producing a project from the ground up, contributing instrumental parts, or mixing a record with a strong existing identity, the goal is always the same: serve the music.
Projects range from full productions to focused session work, both in person at The Henhouse Studio in Nashville and remotely for artists around the world.
Steve also teaches guitar and recording privately and in group lessons/workshops.
Record Production
Steve produces records with an emphasis on performance, arrangement, and capturing a moment in time. The process is collaborative and artist-driven, with close attention paid to the details that make a song feel finished without losing its character.
Production projects can include pre-production and arrangement, assembling the right players, tracking at The Henhouse Studio or in other cities, and guiding the record through to completion.
The goal is a record that feels intentional, cohesive, and honest—one that holds up over time.
This is especially suited to records where feel, space, and performance matter as much as clarity.
Mixing
Mixing is approached as an extension of the production process, not a technical afterthought. The focus is on clarity, depth, and emotional impact - helping the song speak clearly while retaining its personality.
Steve has developed a hybrid mixing style that can be tailored to each individual project, but most of his work is centered around the studio’s API 1608 automated console, as well as an extensive selection of analog outboard gear.
Mixes can be done for projects tracked at The Henhouse Studio or for sessions recorded elsewhere.
Session Work
Steve brings decades of session experience and an arranger’s mindset to each part, focusing on lines that support the song rather than fill space.
He is available for session work on steel, guitar, and related stringed instruments. Sessions can be remote or in person, and are always tailored to the needs of the song rather than a pre-determined approach.
Parts are delivered cleanly and musically, with close attention to detail and using high-quality equipment to ensure the track feels right in the context of the record.
Sessions can be in person or remote.
Lessons & Workshops
In addition to production and session work, Steve teaches both instrumental and studio skills.
Instrumental
Steve teaches privately or at guitar camps and workshops. He is happy to help you out with pedal steel, Hawaiian lap steel, slide guitar, dobro and fingerstyle guitar, either in-person in Nashville or via Zoom.
Reach out to arrange a lesson
Studio
Steve teaches recording, production and mixing, and while private lessons are possible, we urge you to look at
The Henhouse Hang as the best way to explore these subjects with Steve
Selected Credits
Steve has recorded, produced, mixed, or performed with artists including Allison Russell, Joe Henry, Shelby Lynne, Kelly Joe Phelps, Matt Andersen, Bruce Cockburn, John Hammond, Van Dyke Parks, Jim Byrnes, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Fats Kaplin, The McCrary Sisters, Maya DeVitry, David Hidalgo, The Deep Dark Woods, Old Man Luedecke, and many others.
“Steve Dawson is an extraordinarily gifted and versatile musician. Being as well a songwriter, engineer, and producer allows Steve a broad and nuanced perspective of any project’s scope; and he is an unfailingly inventive and generous collaborator. I find myself turning to Steve less for any particular instrument he might play, and more for the expanse of his experience and humanity that he brings to the table. And worth noting: beyond his virtuosic ability at so many stations, he’s also willing to play less than almost any great player I know —and that egoless restraint is priceless.”
Let’s Talk
If you’re interested in working together — whether on a full production, a steel or guitar session, mixing a project, or recording at The Henhouse Studio, the best place to start is with a conversation.