JVP is the professional handle for Jay Van Poederooyen. In partnership with producer and songwriter Brian Howes, he has earned a growing reputation as a world-class recording engineer while working with such premier rock acts as Hinder, Puddle of Mudd, Rev Theory and Boys Like Girls.
The Port Alberni, B.C. native was raised in an intensely musical environment. His father played in a Vancouver Island rock band and let his kids romp free amongst the gear in his garage studio. While brother Ryan opted for the drums (and now anchors the rhythm section in Roadrunner metal act The Devin Townsend Band), Jay discovered an early passion for capturing sounds on tape. He also studied saxophone, winning a scholarship to Boston’s renowned Berklee College of Music in the process.
Rather than formal study, however, JVP relocated to Vancouver, wrote songs and played bass and guitar in a series of local bands. Inspired by the example of Little Mountain Sound’s Bob Rock, Randy Staub and Mike Fraser, he found his true calling while running his own analogue facility and then working at Greenhouse Studios. In 2003, he hooked up with Brian Howes. Sharing the same dedicated work ethic, musical feel and obsessive attention to detail, the two have been collaborating ever since. Their work on Hinder’s multi-platinum Extreme Behavior skyrocketed the pair onto the international production A-list. Subsequent work with the likes of Skillet (the Grammy nominated album Comatose), Puddle of Mudd, Hedley, Rev Theory and Boys Like Girls has cemented their reputation.
JVP and Howes opened their own recording facility, Van Howes Studios, in downtown Vancouver in June, 2007. Among their first credits there: Hinder’s hotly anticipated sophomore album, 2008’s Take It To The Limit for Universal/Republic. “We’re thrilled and proud to be keeping the amazing rock ‘n’ roll tradition in this town alive,” says JVP. “I’m stoked to say the least.”