Producer/Songwriter/Vocalist

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

A: It was my most recent EP called Return To Saturn. I pretty much took on every role for that project from the writing to the mastering. I learned that I am not an excellent mastering engineer, but I learned a great deal about the value of vision and how it can create amazing prosody for a project.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm always writing material for myself and the band I front. I've also been working on some local artist songs here in the northern Utah area.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I prefer analog because of its ability to contain the precise air pressure movements of a sound, including its overtones. There are some cool tools though in the digital domain that when combined with analog, you get a unique sounding combination.

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

A: I will work as hard as I can, with the knowledge that I have, to make the best piece of music possible.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love music. Period. I love creating a piece of music out of obscurity. I like it when I can create a song that can transport me to another time and place.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What is the overall vision you have for the project? What kind of visuals are you trying to create? Who would you like to sound like while retaining your own unique sound.

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

A: Have a strong vision for what you want to accomplish. Use a vision board for giving that vision something you can always refer back to.

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

A: Apollo X Twin, Soyuz Bomblet, Neve 1073, Laptop, Nowland Acoustic

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

A: I've been writing and producing music for 13 years. I acquired a songwriting degree at Berklee College of Music and I plan to attain a Masters at some point in my career.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I would say that my style is found in the way I can create unique blends with countermelodies and harmony.

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

A: I would love to work with Greg Kurstin. He has written and produced some incredibly inspiring music. I would also love to work with Sting. He has been one of my favorite songwriters for a long time.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: It's not about capturing the perfect performance, it's about capturing the emotional performance.

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

A: I usually work in the rock and pop areas, but I also work quite a bit in with folk/acoustic rock as well.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Melodic and harmonic movement. Vocal arrangement and music arrangement.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I like to try and balance opposites by finding the perfect mix synthetic sounds and organic. I chase the chills, and try to find those moments in a song that pull you in and command your attention. I try to make the song a portal into a daydream.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I usually try to refine the song in its simplest form first before moving into production, though sometimes that refinement happens during the production process.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I am the manager at the recording studio inside Alvey Media Group, located downtown Ogden UT. It has an excellent sounding tracking room for live tracking, and the control room is loaded with some great gear. Simplified list: Apollox8p, Neumann U87, Avalon vt-737 Preamp, Neve 1073, Nord Stage 2 EX, Nowland T Dread Acoustic, 1984 American Deluxe Stratocaster, Tama Kit, etc.

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

A: Greg Kurstin, Paul McCartney, Beck, Sting, Shawn Everett, Bill Evans, Joe Hisaishi, Nobuo Uematsu, Ryan Tedder, Aurora, Hayley Williams, Mark Lettieri, Brian Eno, Brandon Flowers.

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

A: Songwriting, music production and vocal production.