In The Spotlight with Dave Woods: Aj Astle of Roadhouse Productions

Several years ago, I began noticing that some of the best music videos for independent country artists in Ontario were being made by Roadhouse Productions. It’s certainly not a well kept secret. Their work is quite simply amazing and is extensive – and I wanted to know more about the company and about one of its owners Aj Astle. So it’s time to put Aj & Roadhouse Productions in the spotlight!

Along with his music video career, Aj works with several artists playing bass. You can find him playing with artists Mackenzie Leigh Meyer, Elyse Saunders, Greg Williams, Brian John Harwood and a host of others. In 2022, Aj received his first nomination for CMAOntario Music Industry Person of the Year.

I asked Aj how it all started for Roadhouse Productions.

“Roadhouse Productions began around 2016 when myself and Jonny Diano were just finishing our Bachelor’s of Music at Humber College,” explains Aj. “We noticed a lot of our friends and colleagues needed photos, videos, and other media to help promote their projects outside of school. I started with just taking photos for friends at their recitals, then it transitioned into video and then eventually into shooting full productions style music videos. At the time, neither of us expected it to expand into what it is now!”

Aj on set with Elyse Saunders

I’ve always been impressed with not only the quality of the music videos but also with the storylines in each of them.

“Sometimes the artist comes with a concept and I help them make it a reality and other times I create the concepts myself with input from the artist,” says Aj. “I think it’s really important to have the artist involved in creative decisions and processes. It’s their song and we want it to be the best representation of themselves. They know the song better than anyone so it’s always good to get into the head of the artist! I love collaborating with artists, each one has their own creative vision and vibe so it’s fun capturing that in video.”

As with any art form, the creator learns a lot on the path from their early days to the time when their best work is being made.

“I’ve certainly learned a lot. Obviously as we progressed my shooting and editing got a lot better,” reveals Aj. “Like anything, it takes a lot of time, patience, and practice. I also learned a lot about running a business in a professional way. You’re working with artists whose songs are like their own babies. They’re precious to them and you want show the same care with the video as they took with creating the song.”

Screenshot from Nicole Rayy’s music video “Feels Like Yesterday”

Anyone who has seen the work of Roadhouse Productions knows that they capture some really cool and innovative shots. From Nicole Rayy’s “Feels Like Yesterday” to Brian John Harwood’s “Rich” to Jessie T’s “I Can Be Your Margarita” and on & on, the Roadhouse duo have an eye for what will catch our eye.

“Recently we’ve shot a lot of cool scenes,” states Aj. “I really liked shooting Mackenzie Leigh Meyer’s “Barbie Doll” promo. We were on this little life size Barbie set complete with a life-size box and neon furniture. So cool! Another one was being on a yacht for Brian John Harwood’s “Rich”. I hadn’t been on a yacht like that ever so it was a really cool experience. I loved the way all the shots turned out on that one. A challenging one recently was on the set of “Graveyard” with Nicole Rayy. We had to drag our actor (Damon Ironstone) all around this field and then push him into a shallow grave. It was tricky to get it right to make it look like Nicole was dragging a dead body. Now that I think of it, it was probably pretty challenging for Damon as well! I absolutely loved the way those scenes turned out. It was also pretty tricky to make it look like the only light source was a full moon. That was a fun one!”

I look forward to the new music videos on the way from Roadhouse Productions in 2023. A music video can really take an artist’s song to the next level and create/enhance their brand. Thank goodness, they came along and are providing all of us with these works of art. For Aj, Jonny & Roadhouse Productions, there is now slowing down anytime soon.

“I think the prospect of constantly getting better and expanding my knowledge is what keeps me going,” admits Aj. “I love anything that will challenge my skills and make me a better filmmaker. The craft of filmmaking is so expansive and I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface. I also love meeting and working with new and exciting artists. Any chance I get to take on something new gets me really pumped. I consider myself very lucky to be in a position to do this for a living so every opportunity to work on a new project is a blessing.”

Aj & Jonny on set with Graham Scott Fleming

To get your next music video started, reach out to Aj & Jonny at their website www.roadhouseproductions.ca or on their social media sites.