Yellow DOG Studios is built on a simple idea — creativity thrives in the right environment. Founder David Percefull, Managing Partner Casey Johns, Partner Ethan Lugbauer and Production Manager Andrew White have built a polished, welcoming space where artists can focus, connect and fully immerse themselves in the creative process.
Percefull is a veteran producer/engineer who built yellow DOG over 30 years, worked at Abbey Road Studios, and has collaborated with artists like Green Day, Colter Wall and David Cook, to name a few.
Percefull recalled that his first trip to Abbey Road Studios — booked as a joke after he told a surly music industry representative that he “usually” worked at Abbey Road or Olympic when in London — turned into months of basically living at the studio.
“I walk in thinking they’re going to laugh at me and tell me to leave,” Percefull said.
But staff instead moved his session into Studio Two, The Beatles’ recording room, where he cut vocals and played Paul McCartney’s Steinway D piano and Billy Preston’s Hammond organ.
“The Beatles were across the hall remixing ‘Let It Be… Naked’ in Studio Three,” Percefull said. “So I was hanging out with them — the ones that were still alive.”
His time at Abbey Road is where “a lot of dots connected” about the marriage of analog and digital recording — lessons he later used for his own studio.
Tape machines in every session, paired with a collection of vintage instruments — from century-old pianos to Hammond organs — gives albums recorded at yellow DOG Studios a rich, signature warmth.
“What makes this place so kick ass is that it’s 30 years of Dave’s knowledge curated down to the best marriage of both worlds,” Johns said. “There’s a lot of studios in the area that have tape machines, but I don’t know a single one that runs at every session.”
As Percefull put it, the studio is analog on the front and back end.
“The only thing that’s actually digital here, by design, is the computer,” Percefull said. “We store and we edit and we originate mixes from the computer, but everything else is analog.”
Over three decades, the studio has evolved from Tulsa to Austin, Wimberley, and now San Marcos, refining its approach along the way.
Yellow DOG Studios was at the Wimberley location for around ten years, and that location embodied the ranch-style seclusion that Percefull admired.
“We used to joke around and say that it was deceptively comfortable. Bands would get out there, and then they would realize that there was no TV. There was no gaming system. There was a vinyl record player in their guest quarters with a curated set of vinyls that we put together, literally, 10 or 15 vinyls,” Percefull said. “So what do they have to do? They can make music. They could bond because half the bands are so tired of themselves.”
And the proof was in the pudding. Johns said around 80% of the bands that stayed there would write at least one new song during their stay.
But Percefull was still having to fly to London to use Abbey Road’s facilities to record string instruments. The San Marcos move meant an upgraded facility where they could accommodate that.
“One reason we’re in this space is so that my old ass doesn’t have to fly to London 10 times a year,” Percefull said. “I do all my string work here now, and it’s better than Abbey Road. I’m proud.”
The studio is spacious, with several different recording rooms that each have their own purpose and distinct vibe: from furry walls, to neon signs, comfy couches and chairs and their extensive instrument collection, yellow DOG is a creative space where musicians can explore freely, have fun and produce their strongest work.
“This is by far the best studio arrangement that we’ve had, and all of that comes from Casey’s energy as a much younger person and having some somebody that has a little bit of sage advice,” Percefull said. “I never had that when I was building this thing from the ground up, so this is a dramatically improved version of it.”
Though yellow DOG has helped out some big names, the team is committed to supporting any musician who’s willing to learn, grow and pay for the services.
“If they don’t need me, then I’m almost immediately disinterested,” Percefull said. “I put a lot of value in an artist that needs me, so I hardly ever say no. It could be based on personal challenge or a belief that I can help this artist grow and be better.”
Learn more about the studio, located at 1254 W. Hopkins St., or book services at yellowdogstudios. com.
