_{By Zach Collier}

The last time I saw music production duo Bly Wallentine and Colin Foy, the weather was far different. The sun was shining and faint, white, wispy clouds floated overhead in the yellow light as I parked my car on University and walked to a wooden table outside of El Gallo Giro.

There, I sat down with Bly and Colin to split an entire chicken and a round of Dr. Peppers. I always love talking with them. Anyone who has met me knows that if I’m not on Adderall I’ll talk for ten years, and will put my foot in my mouth more often than not. But Bly and Colin are gracious listeners and excellent conversationists.

The thing I enjoy most about them is that these two aren’t the kind that claim to be open minded while actually having deeply entrenched, hostile positions. The pair are genuine philosophers, and as we ate we discussed everything from Mormon metaphysics and temple rites to local politics and Tarot readings (with Bly Wallentine even pulling out a deck). We eventually settled on our real object of conversation: the Provo music scene, and their new studio here in town.

Accomplished musicians themselves, Bly and Colin had just returned from a national tour with Little Moon. Bly is known across Utah for their recording studio, Studio Studio Dada. That day at El Gallo Giro, the bandmates and longtime friends had just moved back to Provo to join forces and start The Toaster Oven.

“Bly and I go way back. We had a short-lived improv-punk band in college but it wasn’t until this year that we started talking seriously about combining forces,” Colin said. “Bly approached me with the idea and it was a no-brainer. We come from similar musical backgrounds with a listening-first approach to everything we do. We can read music and explain the theory behind things, but we both play by ear, which for me is necessary in music production.”

Bly told me that over the years, their paths had often overlapped as they worked on music: with clients, with aesthetics, with processes. “I’ve always really admired the way Colin creates and connects,” Bly said. The idea of teaming up started simmering when Colin moved back from LA. “The thought occurred to me that we and everyone we work with might really benefit from us joining forces. And then working together on this Little Moon record solidified that feeling.”

Little Moon’s followup to 2020’s Unphased was produced and engineered by Bly and Colin. The lead single, “wonder eye,” made waves after it won NPR’s Tiny Desk Competition earlier this year. “It’s been magical watching this thing unfold,” Bly said. The experience made them want to not just open a studio in order to engineer and mix for other musicians, but to help them during the writing and arranging stages by applying their own creative method. “I envision a really beautiful, fun, connective community growing in and around Toaster Oven. I feel really grateful for the way it’s begun to bloom.”

Their website has a really detailed and super user-friendly flow chart to help musicians prepare to enter the studio according to their method. “We’re still tweaking and perfecting, it but that was born out of years of working with artists,” Colin said of the flow chart. “We want to be as upfront as possible and help guide musicians through recording. The idea of making a record is simple: I’ll record my song and put it out so people can listen to it. But you can work different ways. Recording can happen with a full band all at once, or come together in pieces. A song might need parts arranged to help keep the listeners’ attention. Some artists want to record themselves at home. Whatever it is, we want to make the recording process as easy and enjoyable as possible while achieving each artists’ unique vision.”

At other studios, helping artists “achieve their unique vision” can be incredibly expensive. At the Toaster Oven, it doesn’t have to be. I talked extensively with Bly at El Gallo Giro about developing pricing structures that are fair and equitable for artists.

“We’re both really big on working in ways which are sustainable, pleasurable, and aligned with everyone’s needs and passions,” Bly said. Their pricing is responsive and project-based, and asks the questions: how does the artist like to work? What can the artist afford? When there are significant financial limitations, how can those limitations benefit rather than inhibit the music?

“We’ve worked with singer-songwriters who want to make full-band records but can’t afford to hire musicians and build tracks from the ground up,” Bly said. “Colin and I both love playing on a records and have a broad musical capacity, so we’re happy to act as their band. We spend some time rehearsing, then record it all live in a few takes and mix it. The price is much lower than recording instrument-by-instrument, and the records turn out wonderful. It’s so fun for everyone to work that way.”

The handy-dandy flow chart also details arrangements artists may have never considered before. For example, sometimes bands and musicians want to come in and record a few takes live in the room, then overdub some vocals and synths or bring in a string quartet. The Toaster Oven adjusts their prices to meet those specific needs.

When a solo artist wants to make a whole album and they’ve got some specific budget limitation, sacrifices can be made creatively and artistically to work within that limitation. 3 songs on the record could be reduced to really smart guitar/vocal arrangements. 3 songs could become richly-orchestrated, fully produced masterpieces. “The last 5 songs on the record could be tracked live as a four-piece band with Colin on drums, me on bass, and their ex on keys,” Bly quipped.

“Whatever the artist’s needs and capacity, they get this unique thing where financial limitations are a boon rather than a curse, and we all get to have fun doing it,” Bly said. “And then, as artists bring these beautiful things they’ve created into the world, they find success and that fuels their capacity to record more in the future.”

Creatively and artistically solving financial problems also opens doors for collaboration between artists. “Our favorite sessions are ones where we can get an artist playing on someone else’s record. Recently, Soph Blair came in to play viola on a Mavi Blue song and it elevated the track so much,” said Bly. “The next day, Nathan Hardyman came in and played guitar on a Joey Brandin song and Joey was smiling the whole time. Connecting musicians fosters more bands and a supportive community.”

“We also hope to encourage artists to finish their projects,” said Colin. “We all know the excitement of a brand new idea and the complete boredom months later when you’re checking your umpteenth mix. The longer a project drags on, the less energy you’ll have when it comes to promotion. We want to wrap things up long before artists run out of steam and keep the excitement present.”

The Toaster Oven is currently open for business, and recently sponsored Velour’s Winter 2023 Battle of the Bands, where Ferrin walked away with the win – as well as studio time with Bly and Colin. “It’s been such a pleasure and a whole big adventure working with musicians around here,” said Bly. “Fill out the form on our website and book a time on our calendar, and we’ll take it from there!”

If recording with Bly and Colin is anything like chilling with them at El Gallo Giro, then you’re in for a lot of fun. I can’t imagine a studio run by two warm, welcoming people with talent and experience to back it up would be anything but magical. Having a production house that’s laser focused on helping artists collaborate, create, and plan financially is a real win for the Provo music scene.

Make sure to follow The Toaster Oven on Instagram. If you’re interested in hearing some of their work, check out “wonder eye” by Little Moon below!