KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One could say GFM Recording Studios is a well-run machine, but the founders see it differently.
"We called this place the deck," said co-founder Brian Kramer. "We looked at it as a ship."
Kramer and his business partner, Nic Aguero, are steering it. GFM stands for God, family, music; the values behind the men.
If GFM is the ship, the musicians are its passengers.
"It’s our job to make them comfortable," Kramer said. "To make this a creative space where they can do their best and get great stuff."
The studio just celebrated it's fifth year at the end of 2023. The space on Main Street in Blue Springs brings in musicians of all kinds: rap, classical, country and pop. The pair welcomes it all.
That level of customer service is something they learned from their mentor, KC music legend Chuck Chapman. The pair met as interns at Chapman's studio, where they got to see him in action with names like Tech N9ne, Selena Gomez and William Shatner.
Aguero and Kramer agree: they still hear Champan's voice when they're trying to make decisions.
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"What would Chuck do?" Aguero said.
They want to continue Chapman's legacy by amplifying local voices. They work with musicians like Melissa Hickman and Kansas City's Lost Wax, to residents who wish to record a song for their wedding or a funeral. The two say it's a pleasure to work with so many people.
"Some of the conversations or some of the bonds that we have with people is way deeper than the music," Aguero said. "But the music blossoms because the bond is so deep."
They're working toward a bigger goal, however, of turning KC into a music city. They save money working in the Midwest and are still able to work with bigger artists. But, they want it to become a destination for recording.
"There’s a lot of talent around here," Kramer said. "There’s a lot of people that want to do big things around here, and there’s no reason that it shouldn’t be that way."
It's all hands on deck as they continue to grow, with sights set on bringing more people in, maybe even Taylor Swift, the two joke.
"Whenever you meet up with her, just let her know that we’re here," Aguero said.
