Pro Bass Player

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

A: I recorded bass on a record with 'The Corrs' in the UK and TBone Burnett produced it. That 3 weeks were so memorable for so many reasons. He is a hero of mine, so it was wonderful to work so closely with him.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: A record with a Songwriter from New Zealand. Its such a lovely experience. Im touring there in 2022 so Im looking forward to meeting the guy......lol.

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

A: Im new here, so, sorry, not really.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: For now, digital. As a remote session player its the way to go....

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

A: That they will be really happy with my bassline. 9/10 they will come back with more songs for me to play on. Im easy going and will make it work for them...

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Music is my life, its a dream to be able to do this every day as a living.

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

A: Whats David Gray like to work with? Answer- A dream. I get so much freedom, it's a beautiful thing.

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

A: That playing bass is an easy job. The bass is the floor, its never noticed until it's gone.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: If the style is not mentioned in the brief, I will ask for that and for them NOT to send the demo bass, that's always a complete red herring. lol...

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

A: Don't be afraid to ask for revisions. Sometimes you can get more out of your session musician than you think.

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

A: Macbook pro/ Apollo Arrow/ Fender P/ acoustic gtr/ Headphones

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

A: I've been playing music professionally since I left school 32 years ago. That's been my path.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Soulful .........

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

A: It was always Prince, but sadly that dream is over.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Send clean, non-clipped Wavs to a client.

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

A: Mostly Singersongwriters send me tracks, but i get all sorts of projects from funk to rock. Its a joy to play bass on any music.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: That I play for the song and fit around the vocal melody and rhythm.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Simplistic and creative lines that will be to a really high standard.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I get the track, work on it for the day and send back 2 versions. You then get the option of 2 revisions to mould the line how you like it. I'll then send on clean wavs and some versions with some tight plugins that will sit perfectly in your mix.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My home set-up is simple but effective. I use Logicx through an Apollo interface, that's all you need with the quality from UAD Unison plugins. I have lots of Fenders, Lakeland and NS basses, so variety is not a problem.

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

A: I'm a big fan of the classic players like McCartney and Jamerson, but I also like Thundercat and Leonard "Hub" Hubbard.

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

A: I will deliver a high-end bass line for your song. This will include revisions as you need them. Having a creative line that sits in the track and lets the vocal breathe is sooo important.