Session Drummer

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

A: I'm obviously proud of all my work, but for some reason today I'm thinking about a band that's a little off-topic for me. The Pullmen were a punk-rock inspired band that I was in that had musicians of varying levels of experience but raw talent and passion. The lead singer had this scream that was unholy but he was kind of overwhelmed by it and kept trying to "really sing" and it was like "no, no, this guy that comes out of you, be THAT guy" - we all lost someone close to us and made a record basically entirely about that called Going Dark. I produced and engineered parts of it. We all chipped in to make it the best it could be. We toured it in Europe and had some great California shows. I loved the amount of sweat that happened in that band. Every memory is one of full-on athletic intensity.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Launching Echo Magic, plotting out the next year of recording, releases and goals.

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

A: Scott Hirsch is on here now. Unbelievable mixing engineer.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Whatever's handy and right for the job.

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

A: I will become passionate about your project.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love connecting with people. The musicians I'm playing with. The engineer, producer. The audience. Getting swept away into a little 3-5 minute world that feels self contained.

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

A: I'll add to this section over time - right now I think the most common question I get is "I have these songs, what next?"

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

A: That I might measure my success based on fame. I do not.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Well, with session drumming, it's all about the song at hand. What's it about? Where's it going next? What instruments are you expecting to add that aren't there...Just a general chat.

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

A: When you're looking for a session drummer, find someone whose playing already speaks to you and be open to hearing what they do without a lot of guidance. The song should say it all.

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

A: My wife's Yamaha acoustic. I don't know what it is about this guitar, it just rules. An iPod + headphones with millions of songs on it. My gretsch '54 drum set. It was my grandfathers, my uncle's, my father's and now mine. A box notebooks and pens A multitracking device of some kind. Hopefully I'm getting off this island, because I'm basically saying this is how I want to write my next record.

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

A: I grew up in the business - my father was a production manager for several famous clubs and historic music festivals, he went on to be VP of a chain of clubs - so I grew up beside the stage, under the stage, in the rafters, watching rock and roll. I started playing drums very young and pursued that through high school. I played the guitar "on the side" until I went to college when (I still don't know what got into me) I relentlessly pursued a career as a singer-songwriter. I had modest success, lots of touring, lots of fans - but nobody sat me down and offered me any songwriting advice - and I sort of learned to write songs "in public" which is a little bit cringeworthy now. Those records are still out. But I became part of a group of people that were just like me - obsessed with records from many different angles and pushing themselves to be better. Eventually I settled back in behind the drum set to find my way into songs that way and got into production. I've been in bands and writing songs now for 20 years.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Classic record-maker. I admire the folks that worked on making records, that toured on those records and then went back and did it again.

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

A: I'd like to write some songs with Dan Wilson and I'd like to work with Jackson Browne.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Play less.

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

A: Music in the rock and roll, country, soul, r&b and dance traditions - I think broadly Americana, but my America includes zydeco and cajun music as well as The Ramones.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My passion - which allows me to really see the superpower of a person I'm working with and chase that with them. Helping to shed any baggage and just highlight the song, the artist.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: A love of songwriting and a desire to make honest, fantastic records. That means getting real with each other, not chasing trends or audiences.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Setup at 9am, downbeat at 10 if it's a studio day or 10am for writing/mixing days. I'm a day owl.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: We have two rooms, both are in the back of homes here in Ojai. The tracking room is a beautifully converted garage and the mixing room is a beautifully converted guest house. Each room has gear that we love working with - both rooms are based around the UAD Apollo systems but incorporate lots of "real" outboard gear and beautiful mics. Whenever we work we cook a meal together and hang out with our families.

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

A: I love the people I work with at Echo Magic and the greater circle of musicians around me. I have this real allergy to talking shit about records or bands - I feel like if you were able to find the time and commitment to write a song, record it and release it, you deserve my respect.

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

A: For drum sessions, I'll be sent tracks by a producer or engineer and myself and an engineer will open them up, mic up the drums and perform along with the track. That's the service I'm offering here. The majority of my work is with songwriters and bands producing full length albums from start to finish and going on tour in support of the projects closest to me.