Session Guitarist

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

A: My vintage Fender Telecaster, my Jazzmaster, my Vibrolux Reverb, my Strymon el Capistan, and my Analogman Sunlion (presumably cables don't count).

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

A: I work on all sorts of stuff. For example, right now I'm working on producing a new country record, a rock n' roll album, a dance album, an instrumental prog guitar album, and an alternative/dance/funk album. I like working on different stuff. It keeps me on my toes and keeps things interesting.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I tend to prefer the sound of analog, but that's just my personal preference. There are certainly a lot of benefits to digital, and sometimes the sound of digital is what the project calls for. It's nice that we live in an age where we can choose.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I get to do what I love every day and travel all over the place meeting interesting people and seeing interesting things.

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

A: I'v been playing guitar professionally since I was 18 (I'm 29 now). I started out playing locally in Boston, MA (where I'm originally from) and teaching in a local music store. After I finished studying at Berklee College of Music I went on the road full-time with a national reggae/jam/fusion act for two years and then moved to Nashville. I now tour full time with a country act full time. I also play locally live and in studio, and produce records.

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

A: My dream gig was Prince, may he rest in peace. He always seemed like he had such a strong command of his vision and what he wanted out of everyone in the band. He was a true musical genius and I would have loved to have been able to see him work up close.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: LISTEN! It sounds cliche but I always think the most important thing is to listen really attentively to both the music and the other people working on it.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a home setup where I use a UAD Apollo Twin and run it into Logic Pro X. I have a Sennheiser e609 and M-441U that I use to mic guitars. I've found that this is a simple but very effective set up to record guitars at home.

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

A: The list could go on forever but Prince, Frank Zappa, Daft Punk, Quincy Jones, Daniel Lanois, James Murphy, and Brian Eno to name a few (but seriously the list could go one forever).

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

A: I mostly do studio and live guitar work, but I also work on the production/arranging side of things as well. This past year I actually started to produce more and was fortunate enough to have two of my projects debut on the Billboard Country charts.