Session vocalist/musician

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio has gone from lazy and fat to trim and lean. I've gotten rid of a lot of unnecessary gear in favor of a less is more approach. My current set up for vocals is either a Mojave MA-200 or a Shure SM7b into a UA Apollo Twin and then into Logic. I have a treated room and an sE Reflexion Filter behind the mic. For keys, I use an array of keyboards including a Korg SV1, Korg Poly800, Novation Bass Station and software instruments from Arturia, XLN Audio, Native Instruments and more.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: As a writer and a singer, I'm well aware that the lyric and melody are without a doubt, the key component in a song. I try to always approach my writing and singing from a place of expressing an idea emotionally and viscerally. Being genuine is of the utmost importance to me, and I feel that I bring a high level of it to whatever I'm working on.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skills are singing and writing in a way that draws peoples attention.

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

A: Pop, pop-rock, indie/alternative and worship.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: The best piece of gear to use is the one you have. Don't let gear or the lack of it get in the way of your creativity.

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

A: Damon Albarn from Blur/Gorillaz. I would love for some of his magic to rub off on me.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Piano driven pop rock, drunk on 70's songwriters and 80's panache.

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

A: I've been singing and playing piano since I was 5 years old. I began my professional career 20 years ago as the singer, writer and pianist of Warner Brothers Recording artist Melee. We had a 12 year run, with some big successes overseas. Now I primarily make a living as a songwriter, singer, producer and worship leader. All in all I have about 30 years of experience.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I ask prospective clients what references they have for the song and usually what sort of quirks they want to hear that are specific to the song.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I like that I get to use my skill set and passion to make a living while working from home. Walking downstairs to have lunch with my wife and kids is a blessing.

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

A: I promise they will get more than they paid for.

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Not yet, but I'm hoping to!

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

A: I wrote and produced a record with and for a friend of mine; a talented Christian singer-songwriter named Kerrie Roberts. The record is called "Boundless". I played every instrument, and recorded everything at home but what makes me the most proud is that Kerrie and I really went for it. Lyrically it's got a lot of color and depth and musically, we took it places that CCM doesn't often get to go.

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

A: I work primarily as a session vocalist and top line writer (melody and lyric), although more and more I am getting hired to produce tracks as well.

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

A: I am inspired by genuine artists; those that do what they feel, rather than what the market is doing. Blur is my favorite band of all time, although as a singer the Buckleys, Bono's, Mercuries and Flowers of the world inspire me.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: For vocals, I listen through the song a few times, read through the lyrics and listen to references to get an idea of where it should go. Then I track a full take to get a feel. After that I hit each section of the song, comp and tune and it's done! As a writer, more and more I've been trying to tackle the chorus first and let the rest of the song flow out of that. The message of the song lives and dies by the chorus. If I can nail the chorus, the rest of the song usually writes itself.

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

A: Assuming there is no power on a desert island, I would take my upright piano, acoustic guitar, a notepad, a pen and my Olympus stereo hand held recorder (with lots of batteries!).

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

A: Know what you want and be able to communicate that clearly.

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

A: I don't know if it's a misconception, but I think some musicians and producers treat the vocal as an afterthought. They put so much emphasis on getting a great drum sound, or guitar tone, and leave the vocal for the last thing to wrap up the production. It's not always the case, but I would argue that most of the time, the vocal performance and recording is the most important part of any recording. It is quite literally the song. Spend your time writing a great melody, thought out lyrics and recording a killer vocal performance, and the rest will fall into place behind it.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: I've been fortunate to have mostly, very agreeable customers who trust me. I guess the one question I get the most is how long will it take. I generally can get a finished vocal to a client within 2-5 business days, depending on how much work is in my queue.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I used to have a romanticized view of analog, but there are so many pros to both. The biggest con to digital, is that it creates room for laziness. With analog, you have to be good. Editing is virtually non existent. If you treat digital as a tape machine and really focus on a great performance, that's where the magic is.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I have three projects currently. One is a film/tv project called Secret Chords. Another is an ongoing collaboration with a Centricity recording artist called Neon Feather. The last is a worship record for my church.