Alan Jax Bowers: A One-Man Trop Rock Factory

Update: 2025-06-20

Description

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The Beach Maniac Island Music Podcast
(audio):

The Beach Maniac Island Music Podcast
(complete video):

Alan Jax Bowers is one of the secret weapons behind many of your favorite Trop Rock songs. Whether he's performing live on stage, laying down killer drum tracks in his Florida studio, producing and engineering records, or just being the guy every artist calls when they need musical magic, Alan Jax Bowers is everywhere in the world of island music. He's worked with some of the biggest names in Trop Rock, Sunny Jim, Monallo, Mark Mulch, Jonas Lorence, Jesse Rice, Donny Brewer, and so many more. And there's a good chance that when you hear a Trop Rock song on the radio, Jax had a hand in it.

Highlight Reels:

The Many Hats of Alan Jax Bowers

Inside the Hit Hut

Taking on MFG Records

Jax's Musical Journey

Gigging on Cruise Ships

Changing Jimmy Buffett's Guitar Strings

The Impact of AI on Music

Drums: The Heartbeat of Music

A Drummer's 'Personality'

Being Musician of the Year Nominee

Highlights:

Alan Jax Bowers is originally from New Jersey, where he began playing music at age 10, and spent time in northern Pennsylvania before moving his studio to Englewood, Florida, in 2019. It is now called Mudcut South Studios, also known as the Hit Hut.
He is, first and foremost, a drummer but is also a producer, singer and songwriter. He primarily works with Trop Rock artists, and recently has developed a special musical relationship with Monallo.
Recently, Jax purchased MFG Records for Dave Signs and has incorporated that business into the Hit Hut.
For 25 years, Jax has played off and on with a New Jersey Buffett tribute band called Parrotbeach.
He also has played gigs regularly on cruise ships, and currently is a guest artist with Virgin Cruise Lines.
One of his favorite stories is when he changed guitar strings for Jimmy Buffett while Buffett was playing at the Baz Bar in St. Barts, one of Jimmy’s favorite venues and a place that Jax has also played many times.
Jax says drums are the heartbeat of a song. “If you’re cutting a record, it’s usually the first thing that gets done is the groove. That’s the start of it.”
Jax lives in Englewood with his wife and four children.

Podcast Transcript

Today's guest on the Beach Maniac Island Music podcast is one of the secret weapons behind many of your favorite Trop Rock songs. Whether he's performing live on stage, laying down killer drum tracks in his Florida studio, producing and engineering records, or just being the guy every artist calls when they need musical magic, Alan Jax Bowers is everywhere in the world of island music. He's worked with some of the biggest names in Trop Rock, Sunny Jim, Monallo, Mark Mulch, Jonas Lorence, Jesse Rice, Donny Brewer, and so many more. And there's a good chance that when you hear a Trop Rock song on the radio, Jax had a hand in it. So I'm excited to have him today on the Beach Maniac Island Music Podcast. Jax, welcome aboard, my friend.

Thanks for having me, Bill.

So you're kind of, as I mentioned, a one-man Trop Rock factory, drumming, harmonizing, producing, engineering, recording. Before we take a deep dive into that, give us a big picture. What are all the hats you wear in the Trop Rock world?

Oh yeah, I wear a lot of hats. I'm a drummer first and foremost. I've been playing drums for 40 years, but you know, I always say like at this point in my career, it's a nice balance between producing and drumming and you know, I'm a songwriter myself, and I produce a lot of the stuff you hear. So it's a nice mix of me behind the drums, me behind my mixer, you know, with my production hat, my drum hat. So yeah, it's a lot, but every day is different.

I can imagine. How do you fit all that into a busy schedule that also includes traveling and performing? </