Songwriter

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I like that I can paint a picture using almost nothing. Being able to take an experience that meant something to me and share it with people who then attach their own experiences to it and create their own meaning is truly incredible to me. A song can be a shoulder to lean on and a force to uplift, it can heal and it can teach. To me, that is magic.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I ask whatever questions necessary for me to understand what they are trying to emulate in their song. What is this song about? What do you want people to take from listening to it? How does the story make you feel? What are aspects of this story that are inherently relatable and what are aspects that we need to work to make listeners understand?

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

A: Being a writer, I don't really require much. A guitar, a capo, a notebook, a pen, and a tuner please.

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

A: My answer to this changes almost monthly, but as of late my dream would be to work with Cody Johnson and any of his writers. His music is incredibly inspirational to me and I feel that my style relates to his. He is one of the few artists I can listen to without analyzing the lyrics and thinking how I would have written it differently.

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

A: My own personal writing style varies but tends to lean singer-songwriter/folk/country, but I have done session writing for pop music as well. I am fairly comfortable writing in most genres.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a unique perspective to a song. I steer away from over-used cliches and lean toward ideas and phrases that catch you by surprise while still feeling familiar and relatable.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I start by getting as much information as possible. What message do you want to convey? What feelings are you pulling from for inspiration? How can I help articulate what you are trying to say? Based on that information, I then make a list of a few key points/notes that I would like to touch on throughout the song. This helps me to begin forming your raw idea into something with structure, and sometimes this is where our song title or hook will reveal itself. I will usually send my client something like a first verse/chorus demo and have them confirm the song is headed down the right path before I move onto finishing the song. Once I have a finished product that I am confident in I will send my client a final demo and if they are happy with it, my work is done!

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

A: I am particularly inspired by artists like Miranda Lambert, Cody Johnson, and Trent Willmon. Their writing never fails to make me stop and think "ha, why hadn't I thought of that?"

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

A: I take my client's ideas and turn them into a finished product they can then take wherever they want.