Rock Solid Bass

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

A: My band, The Year End, just put out the best release we've had in our five years. It was a nearly two year process putting that release together. I played bass, a little acoustic guitar, and some keyboard parts, and helped to arrange a few sections. This release features some of my best and most tasteful playing to date. As always it was a pleasure to work with the very special musicians I get to play with and together we put out some songs I am truly proud of.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Just finished work on some guitar samples for a pop producer and a twin peaks style bass track with some Moog drones for a psychedelic blues artist.

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

A: Check out my good friend Rob Bulman for all your drumming needs!

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

A: I will bring passion and enthusiasm to your song and love every track I send your way.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: My favorite thing about doing session work is celebrating with the client on release day and sharing the fruits of our effort with the world.

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

A: I sometimes get asked to send tracks with varying degrees of production (DI, Preamp, Mic'd amp) tacked on. Generally I can send all 3 of these options!

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

A: I think among bass players there's an idea that old strings can get the job done. I find the secret to great bass tone (unless you're playing flat wounds) is a fresh set of strings, and if you work with me your track will get some great sounding tone with some fresh strings.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Generally, I ask what vibe and tonality the client is going for. That way I can figure out how to play the part and what bass to use.

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

A: After college I started playing bass with as many artists as I could. In 2017 I launched my guitar lesson business and started doing music full time. I started playing with a couple local cover groups, and touring a little bit. In early 2020 I made it a goal to start getting into session work and here we are a little over 30 projects later!

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Tasteful singable grooves

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

A: I would love to work with Tom Misch one day. He is responsible for some wonderful grooves and I'd love to be a part of that team.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I am a great communicator and collaborator. I have good instincts for crafting tasteful bass lines and I am meticulous about getting the right part, but the most important thing is making sure that the line that gets put together is the line you're looking for.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Record direct first!

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

A: Don't be afraid to tell me your exact vision for your track, but be open to ideas and input.

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

A: Assuming my Laptop is included, I'm taking my American Pro P Bass, my Suhr, my helix, my apollo twin, and Arturia Key lab 49 controller, that song is as good as produced!

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

A: Rock and Pop music is my bread and butter, but I love working on R&B, Hip Hop, Blues, or anything else I can get my hands on.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Bass is a foundation of any song, so I always try to bring forward something that the rest of your song can stand on.

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

A: The Killers, Anderson .Paak, Fleet Foxes, J Dilla, Pharell, Eric Valentine, Will Yip, Kacey MusGraves, Matt Rubano, Isaac Bolivar, Dan Nigro, Julio Tavarez, Cliff Sarcona

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

A: Usually I'll take an otherwise finished song, and write/perform/record bass, guitar, or a keyboard part for it. I can also perform a prepared part

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I think the best producers use a combination of both for great tone and ease of use respectively. Every job is different and you've got to be well versed in either to get the job done.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Listen and learn the song, and serve it as well as I can.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a great little home studio with tons of basses, guitars, amps, preamps, cabs, Amp sims, keyboards, synths, and VSTs.