Producer * Mixer * Dog Trainer

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

A: Mary Bragg is a great friend of mine who also happens to be a wonderful singer, songwriter, and producer.

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

A: It'll be fun and your expectations were hopefully exceeded. Always my goal : )

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: That it doesn't feel like "work"

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

A: "Would it be ok to turn this up (or down)"? Me : "Of course! You're the one who has to live with this forever"!

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

A: That it requires really expensive gear to make great music

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What inspires you? Who inspires you?

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

A: Trust the process. I take a lot of time and care into what I do and I make sure you are kept posted throughout the creative journey.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Access to an array of drums, guitars, amps, and microphones old and new, GFI pedal steel, '38 Rickenbacker lap steel, dobro, baritone/soprano ukuleles, mellotron micro, grand piano, and a Moog grandmother. Apollo/Pro Tools setup UAD plugins For string arranging - Spitfire Audio string samples and Finale Notation

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

A: Jon Brion, Tom Petty, The Beatles, Spoon, Radiohead, Sharon Van Etten, Blake Mills

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

A: It depends on the month but it's typically a combination of production, mixing, string arranging, and a healthy amount of pedal steel guitar work so far this year.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Chameleon-esque? Haha. I was in an indie rock band for 15 years. I've produced and mixed everything from pop to Americana to my current project Hula Hi-Fi which is what I like to call "Hawaiian Noir". I just like to work on great music with great artists. Open to anything!

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Fresh ears and 2 decades experience of producing, touring, and goofing off

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: With Covid-19 in play this year everything has been remote of course. I always like to do a zoom chat or two before we get started on a project (especially if it's production). It's an emotional process working on someone's art so I take it very seriously and want to make sure we're a good fit before moving forward!

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

A: "Late Riser" by Frances Cone comes to mind! I co-produced it with Danny Molad who is in one of my favorite bands Lucius. I'm proud of it because it has a very unique sound and it was very challenging to get there. Christina Cone (the lead singer/principal songwriter) is an amazing artist but I found that we creatively clashed on several things on our musical journey together. This isn't unheard of by any means but my gut instinct was challenged often and I wasn't used to that at the time. In the end, I learned how to adapt and truly embrace the process because the outcome sounded so unique and special. I'll be forever grateful for this collaboration.

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

A: I have tremendous respect for Sharon Van Etten. She's still relatively new and is releasing the most exciting music these days. "Are We There" is a masterpiece.

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

A: Singer-songwriter, Indie, Rock, Hawaiian Noir

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

A: RE-20, Chandler TG-2, baritone ukulele, Rickenbacker lap steel, Fender Princeton

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital if I had to pick one. GREAT records are being made on just a laptop, a mic, and an interface. I like to track on consoles/quirky outboard gear when I can though.

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

A: It all started with my band Slow Runner in Charleston, SC. From 2003 - 2016 we released five albums and one EP. Meeting Michael Flynn (the principal songwriter/singer) was very crucial to my path in production. He just kept showing up with amazing songs and I had to attempt to elevate them somehow. It was an amazing time of learning and failing. : ) A friend of mine (Kelly Buchanan) heard our band and asked if I would consider helping her produce her next album. I believe that was around 2005. I've been hooked on making records for artists every since.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I have my own project called Hula Hi-Fi and recently finished the final mixes with Joe Pisapia (Guster, KD Lang). I mix the majority of the albums I'm a part of but I learned so much from working with someone who I hold in such high regard. It was also out of my comfort zone which is something EVERY producer needs to experience.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: If the vocal performance isn't great, the song can't be great.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Being able to play a variety of instruments while still listening to the song with a writer's ear.