Discover Chris Reynolds’ Journey In Sioux Falls’ Music Scene

You might meet someone today who surprises you tomorrow with their talents, or someone who amazes you with their work ethic, hustle, perseverance, and grind. That's exactly what comes to mind when I think of Chris Reynolds from Sioux Falls. Chris is part of the band Whiskey Rich, and they're becoming well-known around the Sioux Falls area.

I first met Chris a few years ago at a Casey Donahew concert at The District here in Sioux Falls. We were at the upstairs bar when Chris told me about his band, Whiskey Rich. At the time, it was just a duo, and like most radio folks would do, I nodded, smiled, and said, “Yeah, I’d love to hear some of your stuff.”

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But then he started telling me something that really caught my attention: it was him doing the production for the band. Not the live sound at shows, but the actual recording and production of their music. He had a home studio set up and was using Pro Tools to record and produce everything himself.

Let me tell you, that’s a serious time commitment! Learning to edit voiceover music is tough enough, but doing the recording, mixing, and production? I was genuinely impressed.

Fast forward to the other day when I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and saw a post promoting their new song, Singin' Along.  I could immediately hear the progress—both in the songwriting and the overall production. I put on my headphones and decided to reach out to Chris.

I asked, “Is it OK if I put together a story for the website about you, the song, and the process?” Chris replied:

Yes, of course! "So, obviously, I wrote the song and sang it in my home studio. The musicians are hired online. They listen to your demo or work tape, play their parts in their own home studios, and send the track back to you to import into your system (Pro Tools, in my case). The tracks they send are all dry, meaning they have zero processing—no EQ, compression, reverb, etc. Pretty slick!

Over the years, I’ve worked with some really talented musicians, like Dan Hochhalter, who plays fiddle for Dierks Bentley and has won CMA Musician of the Year. Jim Riley, who’s the drummer for Rascal Flatts. And Billy Nobel, who plays keys for Tim and Faith. Pretty crazy.

For this particular song, the pedal steel is played by Vic Lawson, who’s the current steel player for Clay Walker. The guitars and drums weren’t done by anyone particularly famous, though. You can find these musicians online, pay their fee, and they’ll play on your track. Their fees are actually pretty reasonable, too."

Now, let’s talk about Pro Tools—learning it is no easy task. The learning curve is steep, but when I listen to Chris’s music, I can hear his songwriting maturing and his production skills quickly developing. It’s not easy work, but Chris has put in the effort and continues to grind. That’s why I say, Chris Reynolds and Whiskey Rich are impressive.

Here’s a quick sample of their latest song, Singin' Along.

And if you want to see them live, Whiskey Rich will be performing at The District on Saturday, April 5th. It’ll be a full-circle moment for Chris and the band, performing on the same stage where Casey Donahew will be playing later that night. Grab a ticket and get out to support Whiskey Rich, Casey Donahew, and all the great country musicians who come through Sioux Falls!