BearSnake studios is run by Nick Groat and CC Ellis who met during their time together at Berklee College of music. They draw upon their shared but unique influences to create productions unlike those that you may find coming out of other Nashville studios. The goal is to help artists find their own unique sound through experimentation and open mindedness. Nick and CC will assist in creating a commercially viable product that will stand up to the quality expectations of professional records, while having a unique sonic character that will stand out from the rest.
Nick Groat is a Nashville based drummer and producer. He grew up in Maine, where his father was a pianist and organist. He learned piano at a young age and developed a love for music through his family and friends. He discovered his passion for the drums in middle school, which was when that became his main focus, and therefore his primary instrument today. Nick graduated from Berklee College of Music, where he majored in Drum Set Performance and minored in Recording and Production. He devoted his time outside of playing drums to writing, producing, and beat-making for himself and other artists. He made a point to study a wide range of genres and styles, spanning from rock and fusion, to R&B and neo-soul, to jazz and avant-garde music. Now residing in Nashville, TN, Nick is doing session work as a drummer and beat-maker, while producing and writing for a variety of artists remotely and locally.
CC Ellis grew up in Kansas City and began playing music at the age of 6 with the piano. He switched to the bass at age 9 and picked up the guitar shortly after. CC’s father, a successful local musician, gave him a Tascam 4 track recorder a few years later and he quickly developed a love for the recording process. CC worked in his fathers analog tape based studio all through high school, recording tunes of his own and demos for his friends. After touring for a number of years with various bands ranging from jazz and country, to rock and R&B, CC received a performance degree in bass and guitar from Berklee and made his move to Nashville, TN. For more info on CC or to contact him for tour dates or recording sessions as a bassist/guitarist please go to www.ccellismusic.com