Remote Session Rhythm Artisan

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: My last two records with 12AX7, Rescue at Nazaré and #ihateeverything. I played bass, drums, and a bit of synth and wrote all those parts. Solid instrumental rock with some real experimental bits I'm especially excited every time I hear them again.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both have their strengths, and it's important to use them in the correct ways. I like using both if I can.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: That it's easy, it's not.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What do you want this to sound like? What reference tracks do you think of to compare with your song? Who would you really like to be playing on this track?

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: More preparation is always helpful: do you have charts for your songs? Do you have multitrack projects so it's easy to remove temp tracks? Do you have a good sense of what you want out of my performance and can convey that?

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: An acoustic guitar, a monophonic analog synthesizer, two hand drums, and a tape recorder.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I've been playing music in some capacity for 40 years. Bass since 1992, drums since 2002. Working in bands from 2005. Slowly but surely learning and improving.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Human. Melodic. Fragile and bombastic.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Less is often more.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I usually work on rock instrumentals and sometimes surf and blues rock with my bands. But I have done work with very experimental synth groups, straight ahead pop bands, and even bluegrass. I like everything to be honest.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I have a deep background in music theory and rhythm and that allows me to understand song structure and arrangement quickly.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: The right feel. I've spent a lot of time thinking and learning about feel: where to put the beat, when to push and pull. All of that depends on what the song needs and I've developed good instincts.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Listening first. I want to get a sense from the track and the artist what the goal of my work will be. From there I sit with a notebook and chart the song out. Then I will play along with the track to get some ideas down and see what works and what doesn't. It's important to get the feel right before anything, and that comes from talking with the artist and experimenting a bit with the track. Once that is settled, I will get deeper into writing, working in sections and making sure everything flows. After that, full performance and recording, followed by editing for delivery.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a dedicated studio that's reconfigurable easily for switching between projects. For drums I use a 6-piece Roland TD-50KX electronic drumset triggering Superior Drummer 3 or Steven Slate. For acoustic drums I use a DW collector's series 5 piece kit with various snares. For bass I play Fender Jazz Basses and a Carvin 6-string. Those are recorded into Avalon or Sansamp 2112 preamps into UAD audio interfaces, with or without amp modelling (GK, Ampeg). All recording work is done in Logic Pro, but I can export/import from anything.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: There's so many, I've learned from so many players in a variety of genres. From my earliest days listening to Rush and Van Halen, the obvious choices. Now I really get into watching folks like Gavin Harrison, Nate Smith, Sonny T, Joe Dart. On the production side, Steven Wilson is hard to beat as an inspiration.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: I most enjoy adding live drum/bass tracks to tracks with temp tracks. Live played tracks elevates song that would otherwise have stale loops or canned backing tracks. A rhythm section responsive to the singer or guitar and able to play off those dynamics is what makes or breaks a song.