Pro Session Bassist

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

A: In 2013 I produced a record for the Haitian folk singer Beken, which required several trips to Port Au Prince to record lead vocals, primary acoustic guitar, and accordion, before finishing the tracks at my Nashville studio. It required enormous amounts of diplomacy and persistence to bring to fruition, but was well worth it in the end. I remain grateful to Thirty Tigers Music for making it possible and also for the filmmaker Jonathan Demme, who is himself heavily invested in Haitian artistic culture and reached out to me to offer ongoing support throughout the making of the album.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Analog into digital! Plugin technology is better than ever and amazingly efficient, but there is no substitute for real tubes in the signal chain.

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

A: 1) I will draw upon all my years of experience and musical sensibilities to honor your songs. 2) I will communicate clearly and honestly. 3) I will draw you into the process.

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

A: It's "just bass." (-;

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: How were the existing tracks recorded? Are there any parts in the song you would like for me to highlight or accentuate? What singers/bands do you like? How will this recording eventually be used?

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

A: 1) Consolidate your tracks to :00 and know your exact grid tempo (if a click track was used). 2) Make sure the vocal in the stereo mix isn't too loud - otherwise it can obscure the chord changes and groove elements I will need to hear. 3) Wav files are preferred over mp3s.

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

A: My 1975 Fender Jazz bass, a headphone amp, an iPhone, a solar charger, and a pocketknife.

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

A: I've been a full-time session and performing musician for over 25 years. After moving from New York to Nashville in 1994, I toured with various artists throughout the nineties including GA-based Vigilantes Of Love and Nashville-based, Grammy Award-winning Sixpence. I built my session career as my creative community in Nashville expanded and I continue to work with many of the same producers and musicians to this day. I've been a member of Emmylou Harris' live band since 2006.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I work hard to make sure my bass parts not only feel good groove-wise but are also tasteful and stylistically appropriate for the song. Though I'm alone when recording remotely, I work hard to create parts that sound as if they were recorded simultaneously with the other instruments in the track.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I usually record one take that is very basic and incorporates any particular requests from the client, and another take where I play more intuitively and spontaneously. In this way the client can select which approach they like best or combine elements of the two into a single "comp" take.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My work suite is housed within a full production studio in East Nashville. I record using Pro Tools and my signal chain includes preamps by Great River, Useful Arts, and Avalon, a Dbx 160A compressor, and various pedals by Aguilar, Lehle, Darkglass, and many more. My 19th-century Tyrolean double bass is recorded with a Stager ribbon mic.

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

A: There are too many to list, but Buddy Miller and Emmylou Harris certainly deserve particular mention as they are not only masters of their craft, but they've also connected me with musicians such as Robert Plant, Indigo Girls, Shawn Colvin, Dave Matthews, Iris Dement, Elvis Costello, and so many others.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I've just finished a collection of bass-forward cues for a media library and am preparing for upcoming shows with Emmylou Harris and Iris Dement.

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

A: Dennis Holt and Larry Aberman (drums) and Phil Madeira (keys)!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Getting into my flow state, listening deeply, and losing track of time.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Tasteful, confident, and - when called for - assertive.

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

A: Springsteen. No explanation required.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Remain constantly aware of what the listener is meant to be paying attention to at any given moment.

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

A: Recording bass tracks, composing music for media, and live performance.

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

A: In any given season I work on a broad range of projects from the Rock, Pop, Country, Jazz, and Musical Theater genres, but Americana has been the main focus of my career.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Deep focus.