The Platinum Path to MilkBoy the Studio

A wise man once advised, “Learn it. Know it. Live it.” Now who was this wise man? Brad Hamilton. Never heard of him? He’s not real, but a minor-character played by actor Judge Reinhold in the 1982 coming-of-age teen comedy, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Wise words… wouldn’t you say?

But why resurrect a script from an 80s teen comedy? Because it’s one of Tommy Joyner’s favorite movies. Joyner is Brad Hamilton’s advice in the artistically-driven flesh.

Producer/engineer Joyner, in partnership with composer Jaime Lokoff, are the dignified new owners of legendary cellist/producer/arranger Larry Gold’s world-renowned recording studio on 7th and Callowhill, next to the Electric Factory.

Joyner and Lokoff met at Joyner’s first studio (North 5th street in Olney), where Lokoff was a client composing music for a children’s toy. Joyner, a sole operator at the time, partnered with Lokoff in 2000 and built a new studio in Ardmore soon after.

“Ardmore is where we did all of our best work to date. Some favorites include Lilys, Bam Margera, Gnarkill, Gomez, and Dave Matthews,” says Joyner. “Last year, we got our very own first platinum record for work we did on Usher’s record, Raymond v. Raymond.”

With the status of a platinum record gloriously achieved, the offer to take on Gold’s studio at the start of this new year was only the next rewarding step. In Joyner’s eyes, the stars had aligned at just the right time.

“It’s the kind of thing that cosmically makes sense to now move to a platinum-award winning studio, because we had finally reached that level ourselves,” he says.

But before platinum, Joyner had to put in a lot of years, work, and experience. Opening MilkBoy Recording in Olney in 1994, Joyner had one room, a 4-track, and a microphone. In comparison to Gold at age 55, who was a first-rate composer opening a world-class studio in 1996, Joyner was fresh out of college and had only previously made tapes in his basement for his band- with no prior studio knowledge.

Joyner was working hard and long, with local street rap, hardcore rock, and punk while making rookie mistakes. Meanwhile, Gold was booking award-winning, composition-work clients from all over the world in more sophisticated R&B and pop genres  in the club-bumping likes of Justin Timberlake, Destiny’s Child, Nelly, R. Kelly, Brandy, and Kelly Clarkson to name a few.

Presently, with two MilkBoy Recording studios under their belt, Gold’s recording legacy of 75 gold and platinum records lining the walls is now distinguished décor for their new Milkboy studio. Exhibiting a George Augspurger designed SSL room, the A – B – C room layout features top-of-the-line computers with ProTools HD, as well as a comprehensive collection of analog, tape machines, amps, and outboard gear.

“We have a killer mic collection of Neumann and Coles mics,” says Joyner.  “I had a good mic collection, and Gold had a good mic collection, but when we stuck the both together, they are great.”

With Gold’s gear purchased by Joyner and Lokoff, the merging of eras is electric. Joyner adds, “The place now is phenomenal. It’s really decked out.”

Outside their posh studio is a bewitching city skyline that was missing from ‘burb life in Ardmore.

“This studio has windows, and at night, it is so beautiful and so inspiring,” says Joyner. “The vibe is pure Philadelphia again.”

Their clientele has shifted from the commercial work they were dabbling with in Ardmore to an explosion of the combination of two studios worth of a higher-level of experienced clients.

Joyner explains, “You know that great records have been recorded here, and the visiting artist/musician knows that they are about to do something epic as well.”

Now booked daily, Joyner welcomes keeping the work pedal down and on the grind.

“When you’re a musician, engineer, producer, anyone involved in music really, the most important thing is to not get idle,” he says. “As soon as you start to get idle, it kind of breeds on itself.”

From Robbie of The War on Drugs just dropping by to record piano, tracking strings for an upcoming R. Kelly record, cutting drums on a Fleeting Ends record, doing mixes for Blayer PointDuJour of Philebrity Records, to a tracking session from Young Jeezy, idle is not a word you would use to describe Joyner and Lokoff.

Banking on an unprecedented indie scene in Philadelphia, MilkBoy the Studio is also booking a lot more R&B and hip hop than they’ve done in awhile.

“It all ties in with the city vibe,” Joyner adds.

Even at the present moment, they have all three studio rooms filled with session work.

“In Studio A is a charting R&B artist, Jazmine Sullivan. Studio B is a more rock/upbeat writing session for client Will Smith, for his son, Jayden, and Studio C is one of my favorite local bands, working on edits for Fleeting Ends,” shares Joyner. “That’s just a little window of our day, as all three rooms have something very cool and very different going on.”

As if taking over a new studio is not enough, Joyner and Lokoff are bursting into additional creative ventures. Not only are they in talks with their neighboring venue, the Electric Factory, to record concerts, but they are putting their prior experience in television, movies, and commercial sound work to good use by challenging themselves yet again and producing a feature film.

“It’s a new experience, something we have not done before.  We wear a lot of hats, so Jamie and I try to surround ourselves with people who are experts” says Joyner. “Our co-producer Tammy Teihel-Stedman has an Oscar, which is very exciting to have someone that knowledgeable around us.”

With a budget of $1.5 million, their romantic comedy is due to start filming in Philadelphia this summer.

“We want to bring on a good director and actors, and drill our message into their heads- that we are making great art,” says Joyner.  “We want it to feel real.”

Likewise, Joyner also hopes the rom-com, Bad Boys Crazy Girls, is “just as cool as Fast Times at Ridgemont High. It was great and touched people. That’s what great art does, it touches you.”

“Learn it. Know it. Live it.”  MilkBoy founder, Tommy Joyner, has learnt his business, made known his talent, and is now living that creative vision. With his studio-partner, Jaime Lokoff, they are a literally unstoppable team, ready to honor Larry Gold and make the already decorated wall of award-winning gold and platinum records their own. With three MilkBoy cafes: Ardmore, Bryn Mawr, and Center City, MilkBoy the Studio, and now a motion picture on the way, we are witnessing new Philadelphia legends in the making.

Written by: Julianne Cassidy