Guitarist & Singer/Songwriter

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: A lot of rock n' roll and pop, some country, and a little bit of glitter and sparkle thrown in now and again. Gotta make it shine and keep it classy.

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

A: As mentioned earlier - I'm a huge fan of Butch Walker and his work as both a songwriter and producer. Aaron Dessner of The National is brilliant, and I enjoy not only his work in that band, but also his production catalogue as well. Tom Petty. Keith Richards. Prince. Peter Buck of R.E.M. The Edge of U2...so many giants...this list could go on endlessly.

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

A: I'd love to work with Butch Walker. He started as a guitarist, like me - and he grew into producing some incredible records. On top of that, he's a great songwriter - and he's also just a real cool dude. Definitely a guy I'd hang with - and I'm a firm believer that personal chemistry between artist and producer is a huge component in making great records.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio is set up at my home in Brooklyn - I'm using a UA Apollo as my interface, with Logic and a plethora of plugins on the software side. I have a wide variety of analog amplifiers and pedals, but lately, I find myself using (and being more satisfied with) software modeling for a majority of records.

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

A: Most important, I think, is that you have an idea of what you want your song to sound like. Reference tracks are fantastic - if you want a certain guitar sound from a track, I can listen to it and probably know AND copy what kind of guitar it is, the amp, the effects. I'm pretty good with tones and (for better or for worse) possess way too many guitars. Don't be afraid to say what you're thinking, or even send me a voice memo of you humming or singing a part you are thinking would sound good on guitar - this is how we triangulate and deliver you the sound that's in your head.

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

A: I'm most commonly involved with rock and pop records, indie or otherwise. But in all seriousness, it really all depends on the day of the week. Sometimes you gotta do some swampy blues. Sometimes it's funk, or soul, or hip-hop. I dig that - it keeps me on my toes, keeps me listening and learning.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Making music come to life seemingly out of thin air is the closest thing to real magic I've ever seen in my entire life. I've been fascinated by that since the beginning, and probably will be til the end of my days. When the mix is done and I'm grinning a stupid grin because it sounds great and the song is complete, I'm very likely to be found exclaiming "How did we...?!?" and laughing. I absolutely love that.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I've been working on my second full-length as a solo artist this year - the songs are written, and the studio sessions are underway!

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

A: Why do you have so many guitars/pedals/amps? It's like a carpenter with screwdrivers - it's not just one size phillips screwdriver, right? There's a tool for every job - and some of them are highly specific (and a lot of fun). Would I use an ES-335 on everything? Certainly not. But when the time comes where I KNOW I'm gonna need it - it's right there, waiting.

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

A: An acoustic guitar, a telecaster, a microphone, an interface and a computer. Gimme these five things and I can make records forever (as long as there is power on said desert island, of course).

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

A: I've been a career musician pretty much since I've been old enough to make money doing it - my first gig was on a boardwalk down the Jersey Shore - I guess maybe 16 or so. I was going to school to be a history teacher, but well...music felt like magic and I was having success in it, so there went that. I played in a bunch of NYC and Long Island bands, and then one of those bands started getting kind of big, and after that, there was no going back (and not that I'd ever want to!). A little while later I moved to NYC and started playing in all the bars and clubs there, too - and after awhile I got to build a network of folks in town. I get a kick out of walking into a place like Rockwood and randomly running into artists and musicians I know and have played with over the years. It's just fun - even in the bad times, it's always been more fun than anything else.

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

A: The majority of the time, I find myself laying down guitar tracks for clients. This can range from acoustic to electric to classical...it depends of course, on the tune.