Piano/Hammond/Keys/Composition

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: NEVER let anything "go through to the keeper." What I do will be there forever and I always want to be proud of any work I do. I honor my name and my reputation.

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

A: My years with Joe Bonamassa were stellar. 8x #1 CD's, 2x #1 Live DVD's, get paid to see the world. 200+ gigs a year, first class travel and good songs to play. A great rig in USA and EU and some truly great musicians that I am honored to call friends. All the major festivals: Montreaux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, East Coast Blues and countless boutique festivals across Europe and the USA. DVDs of The Royal Albert Hall and The Beacon Theater. Max Merrit CD (RIP) legendary singer songwriter and so special as this was his final offering.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Have just finished an independent project. Two days in the studio followed by keys overdubs on all songs in my studio. All Hammond was recorded and some piano and strings were added where it was not heard earlier by the artists in our studio recordings.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Irrelevant question I think. These days so many people are listening on a device or perhaps sharing headphones. Digital is convenient, cost effective, easily available and sounds great. Analog has it's place and was my first love.

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

A: You will always get the best of me. Arrangements, sounds, performance. No one is a harsher critic of me, than ME!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love the fact that musicians trust me with their babies and I really appreciate the fact that I can work from home with no time constraints. Everybody is a winner.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: A brief can be good. Sometimes it hinders! A direction, something to listen to that might be down your street, but ultimately the song will tell me what it needs, where it wants to go and how it wants to sound.

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

A: Trust. I have played thousands of songs, written dozens, learned several hundred, have a rich studio life and played theaters and arenas for tens of thousands of people. I know what a makes a song come alive so trust me just a little while honoring your own vision.

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

A: ukulele, melodica, a hat, a DIY bamboo hut manual and a machete to open coconuts.

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

A: My first pro gig was in 1977 with the late Andy Gibb. The phone kept ringing and happily it still does. I have been recording and on the road all my pro career. I toured the world hard from 2005-2014 with Joe Bonamassa. Five continents every year over 10 months, write and record a new album and then sleep for 4 weeks! Rinse and repeat.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I'm across a lot of styles but I really love the New Orleans piano players, and the blues. Jon Cleary, Prof Longhair, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Benmont Tench, Bill Payne, Ray Charles, Leon Russel, Richard Wright, Roy Bittan. For organ I dig Jon Lord, John Paul Jones, Ian McLagan, Gregg Allman, Steve Winwood, Booker T, Brian Auger, Don Airey, Rod Argent, Tom Coster.

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

A: Derek Trucks. Great songs and plenty of room for keyboards Gary Clark Jnr, he needs keys to color his music IMO. Keb Mo'. What a voice and what a talent. John Hiatt. one of the best songwriters of his generation. Steve Winwood. Playing and singing so well. John Lennon *sigh*

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

A: Rock, RnB, Blues-rock, Blues and Soul. I can rock loud hard and I can also be sweet and tender.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: The ability to add colors, parts and sounds that elevate the song and drive it forward. Although I can be tender, I'm not scared of getting tough.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Decades of experience and a producer's ear. I have produced several projects in my own right and previously owned a professional analog studio for 7 years before retiring to my home setup. Details are important: the lyrics, keeping out of the way of the existing instrumentation as well as supporting the melody and general dynamic of the song.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I like to get to work ASAP while my original thoughts are fresh. I enjoy taking the time to really craft a sympathetic part in regard to both the instrumentation and the vocals. I break for a while to freshen up my ears, maybe have a snack or play some chess and then review and make any alterations. Then I send an MP3 back to the client and when all is approved I send through high rez WAV files.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a beautiful and well maintained 1969 Hammond B3 and Leslie122. Several great mics - Neumann, Sennheiser,Shure,- an Amek Stereo Comp/Limiter, and some vintage Telefunken V72 mic pres. Several keys including Korg M88, Roland 300NX, YamahaAN1x and Nord 4D. Naturally I have the usual arsenal of virtual instruments and plug-ins.

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

A: I do a lot of file sharing internationally, mainly piano and Hammond Organ as well as string arrangements and production tweaks. Recent projects include Max Merritt and many independent artists as well as demos. I enjoy taking the whole day to really get inside the song and craft a piano and/or organ part that elevates the track for the best possible outcome. No one is a harsher critic of me than I am. I'll never return a track that I am not 100% happy with in terms of both the sonics and the performance.

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

A: I have been fortunate to have recorded in excess of a dozen full length projects and several one-offs with Kevin Shirley (www.cavemanproductions.com) in Australia, the USA and Europe. He was always very generous with his information and talent. I adore Tom Dowd's catalog. Little Feat, The Allman Brothers, Keb Mo' and Tom Petty. Marc Cohn, Elton John and Bruce Hornsby continue to inspire.

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

A: Lea Cappelli. What a singer!

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

A: Very few questions. My clients come to me because they either know me already or have been referred. Of course the fee is essential to know, which is why I charge one fee for the song, no extras. My clients know exactly where they stand.

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

A: That it's easy. There are simple songs but there are never easy songs. Striving to keep refining a part until there is no fat left, just the essential elements. That's not easy. Nor is it simple. Check your ego at the studio door before you enter - always helpful.