Songwriting, Producing, Mixing

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

A: I’m very proud of my songwriting and guitar playing on The Reklaws Universal Music Gold Record “Freshman Year”. I wrote “Wish You Were Beer” (their biggest streaming non single song) and the hit single “Old Country Soul” which is Certified Platinum and reached #4 on Billboard.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Lots of artists projects, some indie and some major label and lots of co-writing.

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

A: Steve Rivers with East Town Sound is a great dude and super talented.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both, analog gear into digital for editing. There’s something magical you can only get from analog gear and there something magical about editing in digital to keep your creativity flowing.

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

A: I promise that I will put my heart into every song and do my very best to achieve whatever my client envisions for their art.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love creating and I love hanging out with creative people. It’s a lifestyle and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

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

A: I feel like customers ask me about my process and that is one thing I’ve always strived to make the easiest and most efficient for my clients. These songs are their babies and I respect that and want them to feel 100% confident that they will be apart of the process and end up with exactly the song they envisioned.

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

A: People think the music biz is all fun and games but it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Long hours, late nights, and little thanks, but there’s no better feeling than hearing a song you wrote and produced on the radio.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I usually ask my clients who their inspirations are and if they have any references to songs they would like similar results in regards to songwriting and sonic production.

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

A: Keep your energy positive and upbeat and things will work out for you. Also, just be a good person to the people around you.

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

A: My Martin, my Tele, my PBass, my Neve channel and my Adam’s monitors.

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

A: I’ve been writing songs since I was 8, but consider the beginning of my professional songwriting career when I started working with David Ivory (The Roots, Atlantic Records) about 15 years ago.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is laid back and go with the flow, but also very attentive to detail. I want the people I work with to feel comfortable throwing out ideas and bringing their strengths to the table.

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

A: Taylor Swift, Eric Church, Dua Lipa.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Get the song right before you record it and take time to find the best and simplest parts when tracking that elevate the song and singer.

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

A: I work on all different kinds of Country music from pop to Americana, but have also had success in Pop and Hip-Hop.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My ear for songwriting, dynamic production, and the sensibility for a hit song is my strongest skill.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: The most important thing I bring to a song is 15+ years of songwriting experience. To me this is the number one thing when recording music because of the song isn’t exactly where it needs to be, the rest won’t matter. Once a song is at its full potential, in my experience, production and mixing happen much more naturally and musically.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: The most important thing to me is achieving my client’s vision and that is in the front of my mind through out my entire process. I start by making sure the tempo, key, feel, and structure are all correct when I send the very first rough worktape to my clients and keep them involved in the creative process every step of the way by sending new versions as instruments are added. This way they are 100% apart of their project.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I currently record in a newly built studio in Nashville with a sound proof and sound treated recording booth. My preamps include Rupert Neve Shelford Channel (arguably the best sounding mic pre on the market) for my instrument tracking and the Aurora Audio GTQC for that rich vintage vocal sound. I use high end instruments including a 2003 Martin D35, 2009 American Special Fender Telecaster and PBass, and I record through impeccable Soyuz handmade microphones. For monitors I use pro Adam’s AX7’s and Universal Audio Apollo for my interface.

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

A: My biggest inspirations come from musicians who are not just very talented, but also have a next level work ethic. Some that come to mind are Max Martin, Taylor Swift, and Tom Petty. Great songwriters with stellar work ethics.

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

A: The two services I provide the most to clients are songwriting and production. I have put my 10,000 hours in on songwriting over the past 17 years and consider myself a master songsmith achieving Gold and Platinum certification. I also have been producing songs for 10 years and currently co-produce projects with my good friend Eric Torres, who has recently produced and mixed 3 #1 songs for Jimmie Allen and Matt Stell.