Songwriter, Producer

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I write songs for a publisher in Nashville, so I am always co-writing, solo writing, and producing my own demos for my publisher.

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

A: Yes, Mike Butler. He is an amazing mix engineer that mixed 2 of my last singles. Great guy, great value. Extremely talented.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Contemporary American Music, with deep Country, Rock, and Singer/Songwriter Roots

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

A: As a songwriter, I would have to go with Ryan Adams. He has a fearlessness and an honesty in his songwriting process that allows him to connect with so many in a seemingly effortless way.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Song construction, lyric writing, and track production.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Honesty, heart, believability, and contemporary sonic elements.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Songwriting: I typically start from the hook/title/main idea, try to find the best, most unique and interesting angle on the title, and write the rest of the song toward it, line by line until we have it as conversational, interesting, poignant, and magical as possible. It needs to make us feel something. Production: Once I listen to a worktape/voice memo of the song once all the way through, I find the tempo, and begin laying down drums. Once drums are locked in and the groove is feeling good, I begin layering rhythms and melodies of the instruments as I hear them in my head. The full instrumentation is beginning to take shape at that point, and we are off to the races.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Like many, I have a studio here in my home in Music City - Nashville, TN. I run a highly efficient setup of Logic Pro X, wired to an Apollo Twin II, with a pair of Yamaha HS8 monitors. My space captures a great vocal on my Aston Spirit, no matter the timbre/style of the singer. I have a very comprehensive collection of amazing plugins and virtual instruments to get your song sounding like a record quickly. This virtual gear includes products by Native Instruments, Izotope, Waves, Slate, Output, Soundtoys, and a wide array of others.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: From a cost/time management perspective, I'm going to lean digital for sure. If cost and time weren't a factor, nothing beats an organic, analog vibe.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Being able to create things out of thin air daily!

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

A: An acoustic guitar, iPhone, interface, condenser microphone, and a pair of headphones!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Develop a workflow and process that is conducive to your creativity. Have everything set up and ready to go at all times, if possible. It's a shame to have creative energy and momentum wasted on setup logistics.

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

A: Country, Pop, Pop/Rock, Americana, Singer/Songwriter

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

A: Ryan Adams, Butch Walker, Jason Isbell, Keith Urban, Prince, Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally, Sam Cooke, etc... The list would go on forever, really. If it happened in the last 70 years and was on the radio, there's probably something I dig about it.

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

A: Songwriting Assistance and Full Instrumental Production Tracks.