Session Guitarist / Producer

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Sometimes people wake up the next day and want to change something on the recording. Making a record is like takin a picture of a moment in time. A lot of times, if you keep revisiting something, it takes the originality and the organic quality out of it.

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

A: Guitar Tracks. Sometimes starting with acoustic scratches unless done by them. Then Electric guitar tracks, and then redone "keeper" acoustic tracks. Occasionally BGV's and utility (Mandolin, Banjo).

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I was initially inspired by Jimmy Page and John Mayer, but in more recent years, my inspiration comes from Buddy Miller. So it varies.

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

A: I am especially proud of Maggie Koerner's Quarter Life. I wrote several of the songs on the album, and played all of the acoustic and electric guitars on it. It was a great experience with producer Brady Blade engineer Chris Bell, and other players such as Shawn Stroope, Tony Hall, and of course Maggie herself.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: 3 Demo's for local Nashville songwriters. Also, working on my own demos.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Definitely Analog. Analog takes more work and therefore people that use Analog take more time and care in what they are doing. Also, Analog adds more warmth.

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

A: That they will enjoy what I do and it will add to the song or project and never take away from it.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I get to create on a daily basis and listen to a song get built from he ground up. I also get to perform in large venues and have the time of my life.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What is your goal for this song? Is there a song reference for tone and parts that you have in mind? Do you want a solo? How many versions of the solo do you want? Do you want any utility work on the song?

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

A: Good tone is important for guitar tracks. You want to make sure that the guitar player you hire understands the difference between live and studio guitar tones.

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

A: My Mcpherson, '68 Fender Princeton, My 70's Tele, Analogman King of Tone, Peterson Strobostomp.

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

A: I have been touring with national artist like Neal McCoy, Jana Kramer, Billy Currington, etc. for the last seven years. At one point in my career, I started working with Brady Blade and Chris Bell at Blade Studios and began my studio career there around 5 years ago.

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

A: I would love to work with Buddy Miller, I think his work musically and his approach to the guitar are right in my wheelhouse.

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

A: The majority of my work is done on pop country because I am in nashville, but I also do a far amount of work on Americana, Country, Pop, Electronic, Rap, Hip Hop, R&B, and Rock.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Listening to whats right for the song and being able to play that. Thinking less like a guitar player, and more like a lover of music.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Great guitar tone and creative guitar parts that fill out the sound of any track.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I listen through the whole song and talk to the producer if there is one about what his vision is for the song, and if not present, I talk to the writer or artist. Then I sit down and play through the song once or twice to see what will work or can be made better. Then I lay down the rhythm electrics, then any other electric parts, then the solo, then finally, I re-track the acoustics if necessary.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: The majority of my work is now done out of Studio III in East Nashville, TN. It is a brand new, well designed studio, with new high quality components. Guitars are recorded through these mics: SM57, SM58, SM7, SM81, Neumann U87, Cascade Fathead through Neve, Focusrite, and API preamps using Apogee and MOTU convertors.

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

A: I am a big fan of Daniel Lanois and T Bone Burnett. They have a very musical and eccentric approach to recording and producing music and create amazing sounding recordings. Another part of me also enjoys the pop productions of Dr. Luke and Mac Martin. There is an art to pop music that I think is under appreciated in the several musical circles. Dan Huff does some great production on the Pop Country side of things.