Producer | Mixing Mastering

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: It still amazes me that I can listen to a song from when I was younger and it can take me right back to that place - love, sadness, first kiss, happiness - all the feelings come back like a flood. Songs have a timelessness about them, and being able to create those sounds for other people is a beautiful thing to me.

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

A: Ryan Tedder of One Republic - hands down. I think he's a creative genius and I would love to watch his process and see where all these hits come from.

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

A: Being in Nashville, I do a lot of country, but a lot of current country sounds like pop. I also a lot of pop, sync, Americana, CCM, singer-songwriter and indie.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I would say breaking out of the box. Lyrically this means pushing for a deeper lyric rather than the easy lyric. Melodically this means not settling for the first melody that comes to mind, but searching for something unique and unexpected. And finally, pushing the limits of production to create something new and fresh.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I don't think it's always the same, or just one thing I bring to the song. Songwriting is a relationship, and that relationship is constantly changing depending on the song. Sometimes I bring a great melody, and sometimes I bring a great lyric, and sometimes all I bring is the hook - it just depends. But one question that I ask myself in any write is "Who is this song for? and Why does this song matter to them?" I think when your song can answer those two questions plain as day, you've found the heart of the song.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: It really depends what I'm working on. If I am writing a song, I usually want to be very involved in the songwriting itself, not the track building. So I write with just a guitar or piano. Once I know the song is great, I'll work to build a track that emphasizes the greatness of the song. If I am building a track for someone else's song, I will usually begin by listening through the song several times. I want to find the heart of the song. Then I will build the track in a way that complements that.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I am a minimalist by choice. I have a home studio here in Nashville where I do all of my work. I use UAD hardware and I don't buy new hardware unless I plan to master it. As producing songwriter, I don't want to get lost in hardware and plugins. My focus is capturing the heart of the song and building a track that complements it.

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

A: I have an eclectic taste in music. I love everything from Keith Urban, One Republic to Underoath, Miles Davis and Chopin. I think if you listen with intention, just about all music has aspects that can be admired and spark inspiration. I believe all of these have developed me as a musician in one way or the other.

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

A: I am a staff producer and songwriter for VibeCity Music here on the Row in Nashville. So, my job is to help artists hone and develop their signature sound. This involves writing songs with a message the artist wants to communicate, as well as producing the music in a way that they want to deliver that message. My passion is to see an artist have that 'aha' moment where they say, "Oh my gosh, this is me!"