"I Play For The Song"

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I can usually tell what they need from their inquiry questions. If not provided, I ask for the sample and bit rate they want me to use, along with tempo; any section questions, like breakdowns, double time sections, is the song ending or fading out to know whether I should play longer after the demo ends. Stuff like that.

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

A: Solar generator, record player, good monitors, Steely Dan's Aja and Donald Fagen's The Nightfly on vinyl. That's 5 right? (I think the correct answer is: a speed boat and 4 full gas cans?)

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

A: That it is EASY! It is not easy at all! It's fun and challenging at times, but it took me 30+ years to acquire the knowledge, skills and ears to do what I do. I would fathom that it IS easier for me now as opposed to 20 years ago! So, I'd say it is EASIER but not EASY to play drums, produce, mix and edit audio.

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

A: I played drums on the theme song for "Oprah's Next Chapter" TV series and wrote a music cue for the Carrie Underwood episode!

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm currently working on a drum loop library for a company in Germany. All through Soundbetter!

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

A: Bryan Daste, Jordon Henry, Steve Reich, Victor Samalot, Ray Nesbit - Pretty much anyone I've worked with has great reviews.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: A little of both. Analog for the traditional sound. Digital for the modern benefits. Today's plugins are incredible emulations of very expensive analog gear. They are getting it right!

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

A: Can you just play what you feel is best for the song? Yes, of course! I love those types of jobs and they almost always become repeat clients.

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

A: I started at age14, in my family bandplaying private "animal" clubs (Elks Lodges, Moose Lodges, etc.) From age 18-26, I toured the US and Europe with Rock and Country artists. Highlights include: playing the Grand Ol' Opry several times, performing on Country Music TV shows, playing a couple arena concerts with members of AC/DC. I settled in Florida at 26. At 32, I started my own studio producing artists and recording drums for people all over the world.

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

A: Singer/Songwriter, Pop, Rock, Country, Indie.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: With 30+ years of drumming and 20+ years of producing, I bring experience. It's all about how the song "feels" to me and how to get more of that emotion into the song whether I am drumming on it or mixing it. As a producer/mix engineer, I like to be able to add to the mix via percussion or keys and fx when necessary to complete a song.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: As a drummer cutting a drum track, I like to know the direction the song will go. Specific genre or samples of styles that are similar. But sometimes - we just go for it!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I use Cubase Pro 13 on an iMac with UAD, Plugin Alliance, Slate Digital and Waves plugins. Preamps are Focusrite Clarett 8PreX and Clarett Octopre. Mics are Earthworks, Coles, Sennheiser, AKG, Shure, Rode, Warm Audio and Slate mics.

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

A: I am influenced by the technical recordings of Steely Dan and Roger Nichols, the vast artistry of producers Tommy LiPuma, Russ Titelman and Quincy Jones. More recently, I've been getting into mix engineers Michael Brauer, Steve Sykes and Andrew Scheps.

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

A: First and foremost, I am a drummer. I play most types of music live and in the studio. I have a drum kit ready to record at any time. Over the last 20 years I've been producing releases for songwriters, artists, TV/ad clients, production libraries and record labels. I love it all!

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

A: I work fast and I try to understand what the client wants. I tend to hear the final mix in my head - as a drummer and producer.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Drumming - Producing, editing, time aligning, and mixing. Okay, that is more than one...

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

A: Do the best I can for you time after time!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The journey of a recording project. Beginning to end.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Grooving, funky, and soulful.

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

A: Jonny Lang. Because he was a prodigy and he has matured in his last few albums.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Always pull OUT the "bad" frequencies in a track or mix.