Songwriter:Vocalist:Production

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

A: I worked on a project a couple years ago with a fellow producer and writer out of Connecticut for a local organization that places children with foster families. This song was basically for a commercial and video shoot to help raise awareness about adoption and foster care in Connecticut. The song was a piano style ballad with very emotional lyrics but hey, it hit home hard! It was really nice to work on something that had so much meaning and depth to it. I really enjoyed being a part of that project.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: At the moment I’m working on two different projects - One is a full production to be used as a demo. I’m building this from the ground up including drums and every other instrumentation that will be included. I’m also doing the vocals. I was a co-writer on the song as well which makes it a little more fun. The second project I’m working on is actually some keyboard work. I’m doing some layering and tone shaping on a pop rock song which is a lot of fun Lastly, I’m always working on something for myself. Whether that be a folk singer songwriter piece or some sort of new stylistic song I put together and have been playing around with in the studio.

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

A: Absolutely. One of my favorite songwriters is Jason Nix. He’s a guitar player and a writer and will not do you wrong.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital. Mainly because I don’t have a ton of experience working in analog and I think digital is extremely flexible. It’s only getting better and better

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

A: My promise is that I will deliver a product that exceeds your expectations or you don’t owe me a thing. When working with an artist or with artwork in general, nothing is ever perfect and that’s the whole point isn’t it? Two people don’t always fit so if this doesn’t work out, no hard feelings. You don’t owe me a thing!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Freedom! I spent a lot of years doing something I do not love just to pay the bills. It is truly a blessing being able to spend my hours in music rather than in sales meetings at some random company

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

A: The biggest questions I get is how fast can you get this to me or what is your turnaround time on piano or guitar. I say most of the time it’s 24 hours or less

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

A: Most people think that I am just a session musician or a guitar/piano player. For someone that is not a musician I can understand why they would think that but, at my foundation I am a artist first and a producer second. I like to take time and thoughtfully lay out my arrangements to try and best meet my clients expectations and goals they have for their music

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I like to ask my clients what their intentions are first and foremost. What are they looking to get out of this product whether that be a piano, guitar, vocal, or a full demo / production. I also like to ask what it’s going to be used for whether that be a release, a demo or just for personal pleasure. There are a number different questions I like to ask but that’s just a starting point

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

A: My advice to anyone looking to hire someone to help with their music is to take your time. Find someone that fits you first. Don’t try to fit yourself to them because they’ve got a bunch of credits. There are millions of extremely talented musicians out there that have something super unique to offer. Make sure you find them

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

A: Easy. A piano, an acoustic guitar, a harmonica, a MacBook, an SM 7B and a preamp

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

A: Out of college I actually went into sales, working for a number of different companies like RedBull and a few liquor and wine distributors. Through it all music was always my anchor. I was doing my own thing with music on nights and weekends, working with clients I had met through open mic nights, local shows and events around town. It all started by recording myself to make demos and then eventually recording others as I slowly built my home studio. I’ve been a musician since I was a kid, starting piano at the age of 5. I started recording and learning to produce in 2007.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Stylistically I love to play on just about anything. I’ve done hip-hop, rap, jazz, tons of blues and even Bluegrass. I’m always up for a challenge. When I’m writing for myself or producing something for myself, it’s usually piano driven but always seems to fall in the americana genre. I’ve got an influence of country and definite folky feel

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

A: This list is extremely long but if I could work with one artist I would say it would be Bruce Springsteen. His wisdom, his songwriting and his career are unmatched. I know there is so so much I could learn from him

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: This may be a simple one but I think so many people overlook it especially when you start playing in the plug-in world. There is so much out there right now for people to get their hands on that it’s become very easy to overdo it. My biggest tip for myself and others is "less is more". Less compression, less EQ, less sounds and layers, less everything! If you can get the sound right at the source there is no need for all the extra. Keep it simple because simple translates well.

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

A: I mostly work in the americana vein including country, rock and lately quite a bit of pop music. I love being able to blend the world's together. There's nothing I am not willing to try!

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I would say my strongest skills are what I like to call song mapping or arrangement building. There’s nothing I love more than sitting down on the piano and mapping out the exact way a song form is going to play out. I always ask myself, How can we make this song as influential and persuasive to the listener as possible without it being repetitive or boring?

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a unique one-of-a-kind sound to any song that I work on. I believe that no one musician is exactly alike. There may be millions of guitar players, vocalist, piano and keyboard players BUT none of them play exactly the same. I bring my own unique style of playing, which comes with its own sound! I am the product of practice as well as years of listening and being influenced by millions of different songs and artists.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Typical work process when I’m building a track or a demo usually includes starting with the basics. I’d like to listen through what I am given by a client and sort out my parts whether that be piano or guitar or vocals. I spend a good few hours running what I like to call demo or scratch vocals or tracks to make sure I’m putting everything right where I want it. I do the exact same thing when I’m building out a demo for someone. I can build out a full demo in a day if needed. A typical turnaround for an instrumental track or vocal is a full day to get the quality, tuning and pocket right where I want it before I deliver

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a humble home studio that’s about 1000 ft.². It sound treated and has just enough space to give it some ambience for live recordings if needed. I’ve got a slew of recording equipment but my go to work horses are my universal audio Apollo paired with a couple of good microphones like my Shure SM7B, a couple lewitt mics and the slate emulation microphone which does well on a number of different things. I have a 610 preamp as well as a Neve preamp that I like to get creative with. I also have a warm audio outboard compressor I use often on vocals and acoustic guitars. As far as instruments go I’v got a couple Gibson guitars, A Hammond organ, a Korg Triton, Yamaha Motif and my favorite… A 1950s Baldwin grand piano that we have down in the living room. I like to Mic that thing up from time to time if I am looking for a really unique vintage sound

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

A: As a piano player first, I am inspired by and drawn to instrumentalist who focus on piano. Some of my more well known influences are Leif Vollebekk all the way to some of the oldies like Bruce Hornsby. Of course I’m a fan of Elton and Billy Joel as well. I am constantly working on my own unique sound as a self producer but I have to say, my favorite producer right now is Dave Cobb. I am a huge Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell and of course, Chris Stapleton fan. Dave Cobb has developed such a unique sound throughout his career and I am very drawn to it

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

A: The most common type of work I do for clients are acoustic guitar and piano/keyboard tracks of all sorts. I do a lot of rhythm and a lot of layering for artists to plug into their larger arrangements. Another thing that I have started to do a lot of is building demos for clients. That includes everything from writing or co-writing a song all the way to a radio ready demo with guitar, bass, drums, vocals and harmonies etc. It is actually one of the most fun things I get to do!