Rock & Country Mixing engineer

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: Well there’s quite a few actually. Two that come to mind right away, who on the surface are very different would be Chris Stapleton and Slash. The reason is with both artists it’s all about serving the song.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: That while I'm not perfect (who is?) I will always give everything I have to make them proud to share their music when it's done.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. Analog because there is just that something almost unexplainable about the way it messes things up in a beautiful way. Digital because it's repeatable, loss less and it's workflow advantages.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What do you want to hear. What's the direction and vision you have for your music?

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

A: Find someone who shares your vision for your music. As opposed to someone just looking to get paid. Although, hey we all have to pay the rent....right?

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Being able to translate the artists vision through the mixing process.

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

A: Vance Powell, Reid J Shippen, Bob Ludwig, Byron Gallimore, Rick Rubin, Brendan O'Brien, Bob Ezrin, Michael "Elvis" Baskette, Bob Rock, Mutt Lange, Warren Huart, Jack Douglas, Billy Decker

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

A: I did a record with Todd Kerns (Slash, Age of Electric) Reed Shimozawa (Zuckerbaby) and Ian Grant (Zuckerbaby). It was probably the most fun and rewarding time I've spent in the studio. First of all, Todd, Reed and Ian are some of the most talented, humble musicians I've ever had the pleasure of working with. No egos, just serve the song. The other part that made it fun and challenging, was there were no songs written prior to the studio being booked. The goal was to come in each day and write, record, and mix a new song. No carry over to the next day. We worked hard, had a lot of fun and 14 days later we had 16 songs completed. The album TKO (Todd Kerns) is the result of those sessions. An experience I will always be grateful for having been a part of.

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

A: That it's all about the plugins, and gear. While gear is important and let's face it, a lot of fun, the most important piece of gear is your ears.

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

A: Mixing and Mastering

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Let the song take you where it wants to go. Don't try and force it somewhere it doesn't want to go.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love hearing and working on exciting new music.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Let it breathe. What makes things sound upfront is the quiet spaces in and around the song.

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

A: Rock and Country primarily. Although I do work in most genres.