John Dempsy
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Truth in every chord. Grit in every line. Hey, I’m John Dempsy. Some folks say I’m the most underrated songwriter they know. Maybe they’re right. Sharing more.
I’ve been writing songs for over two decades, most of that time in Texas, playing rooms that smelled like beer, wood, and heartbreak. I’ve never been one to chase fame, but I’ve always chased truth. These days, I’m living in Tennessee with my family, digging into the soil, the silence, and the songs that still want to be written. I’m opening up more. Letting the music carry the weight it was meant
Nerdy stuff
A little studio nerd talk and some cleanish electric guitar. I have my preCBS Deluxe Reverb mic’d up with a SM57, a .berlin TLM102, and an VooDoo VR-1 Ribbon. All three mics are run into a . I’m using a Neve 1073 with no EQ and Empirical Labs Distressor set up pretty much as an opto, and getting about -6dB of reduction on peaks. Both are part of the UAD platform…in the box. I tried to show that all three mics are in a uniform location, on axis, and about the same distance from the speaker…about an inch to the right of the speaker cone. There’s no EQ post production either… I wanted to show the depth and breadth of the speaker…which is a …it gets boomy and full without losing the clarity and articulation of the top end. Really superb sounding guitar speaker.
04/21/2026
04/19/2026
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One of my favorite all time songs!
02/24/2026
New single from Tyler Hilton! This tune was so much fun to work on…and Tyler made it easy to pull the best out of him and this song. Some songs are very special and this is one of those for sure… go put it in your ears!
Cheers, ! I’m so excited for what’s next!
Produced by John Dempsy and Tyler Hilton
Tyler Hilton- acoustic guitar, piano, vocals
John Dempsy- Electric Guitar, Bass, Melotron, Juno
Alex McVey- Drums
Mixed and Mastered by John Dempsy
02/22/2026
Just wanna say thanks to for showing my some love today! I wear these boots every day, and I wear them hard…and they absolutely stand up. I put them on two years ago, and now I can’t imagine my feet in anything else.
02/10/2026
A gentle reminder that music is made to unite us, and the powers that be are using it to divide us. Hold each other up. Love y’all. ❤️
02/05/2026
🎛️ Quick update!!
I have a few openings on the calendar still!
If you’re sitting on songs that you know have something special but aren’t quite translating sonically yet, this is exactly the space I love working in. My focus is helping artists take a song from an idea or rough demo and turn it into a finished record that feels honest, emotional, and release-ready.
All projects are worked through a multi-platinum, Grammy-winning studio environment, with full professional deliverables available (instrumentals, vocal stems, radio edits, etc.).
I work across Americana, rock, pop, singer-songwriter, and genre-blending projects…but more than anything, I care about helping artists and writers capture something that actually feels like them.
If you’ve been thinking about finishing a record, starting a new project, or getting a mix over the finish line, feel free to DM me or reach out directly. Happy to talk through ideas, timelines, and what your project might need.
Let’s make something meaningful. 🎶
-John Dempsy / High Totem Sound
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