Lij joins Nate and Neil to trace his unconventional journey from architecture school to playing blues five nights a week in Hong Kong, discovering recording engineering, and eventually building The Toy Box Studio in East Nashville. He also opens up about the growing need to create music for himself after decades spent helping other artists realize their musical dreams.
The conversation explores Lij’s month-long songwriting retreat in Costa Rica, the portable setup that helped him write and record on the beach, and the power of collaboration, accountability, and shared ownership. Lij also offers thoughtful advice for anyone building a home studio: decide whether you’re creating a critical listening room or a space that makes it effortless to pick up an instrument and create—because those priorities don’t always lead to the same room.
Chapters
00:00 – Welcome to an epicisode
01:05 – Introducing Lij Shaw
04:01 – When your AI-generated bio makes things up
05:04 – What 500 interviews taught Lij about recording
08:19 – Lij Shaw’s origin story
11:11 – Leaving everything behind to play music in Hong Kong
13:01 – The studio experience that changed his direction
14:27 – Moving to Tennessee and studying recording at MTSU
17:54 – Hearing Nirvana for the first time in Nashville
20:21 – How different cities and genres shaped Lij’s musical identity
24:07 – The artists and projects that come through The Toy Box Studio
25:03 – Why it’s easier to succeed at work you genuinely love
28:23 – Why beginners need instruments that inspire them
30:28 – How Lij approaches producing an independent artist
31:46 – Finding the moments where a song loses your attention
35:04 – Rediscovering the need to make music for himself
37:29 – Asking for help and collaborating with other musicians
40:33 – How a failed wellness retreat became a songwriting retreat
43:13 – Building a creative routine in Costa Rica
44:12 – Songwriting exercises and generating lyrical ideas
45:05 – The portable studio Lij used on the beach
47:33 – Why creating in an unfamiliar place can be freeing
49:02 – Escaping distraction and integrating movement with music
51:01 – Lij’s upcoming music and unfinished projects
51:42 – Turning poetry into songs with Birds of Chaos
54:39 – Shared ownership and removing barriers to collaboration
57:19 – Lij’s advice for building a home studio
58:03 – Control room or writer’s room?
01:02:11 – Why more studios are becoming single-room creative spaces
01:03:40 – How many inputs and microphones do you really need?
01:05:45 – Lij’s desert-island creative tools
01:06:48 – Monitoring, room design, and knowing when to upgrade
01:09:03 – The name of Lij’s first band
01:11:34 – Where to find Lij Shaw
Key Five Takeaways:
1. Helping others create doesn’t replace creating for yourself
2. Collaboration creates accountability—and better records
3. Changing your environment can change your creative behavior
4. Build your studio around what you actually want to do
5. The best creative tool is the one that helps you finish music
Resources and Links:
More Lij:
Recording Studio Rockstars - https://recordingstudiorockstars.com/
The Toy Box Studio - https://www.thetoyboxstudio.com/
Lij Shaw on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/493pQhEnKsrrRaJFHo1rK5
Poetry Scores - https://poetryscores.blogspot.com/
Lij Shaw’s Nashville home-studio case - https://ij.org/client/lij-shaw/
Songwriting and Music:
How to Write Songs - https://howtowritesongs.org/
How to Write Songs on YouTube - @htws
GoHill Records - https://www.hollywoodrecordingstudio.com/gohil-records
Studios, Education, and Media:
Middle Tennessee State University Recording Industry program - https://www.mtsu.edu/program/recording-arts-and-technologies-bs-m-f-a/
Mix Magazine - https://www.mixonline.com/
WRVU Nashville - https://wrvu.org/
Bonnaroo - https://www.bonnaroo.com/
Gear Mentioned:
Martin Backpacker Guitar - https://www.google.com/search?q=martin+backpacker+guitars
Carl Tatz Design and PhantomFocus - https://carltatzdesign.com/
ADAM Audio D3V - https://us.adam-audio.com/products/d3v
Grace Design - https://gracedesign.com/
Lynx Studio Technology - https://www.lynxstudio.com/
Slate Digital VSX - https://stevenslateaudio.com/vsx/
Native Instruments - https://www.native-instruments.com/
iZotope - https://www.izotope.com/
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