Session Bassist (el. + upright)

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

A: I recently got to play bass on two songs on Dan + Shay's latest record. They are such a huge, successful band and I'm so grateful that I got the chance to work with them.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love getting to work with different people everyday. It never gets old and always keeps me on my toes.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: How quickly would you like this turned around by? Are you thinking upright or electric or would you like to know what I think? Will you be sending me just a two-mix or stems from your session or an entire pro tools session?

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

A: Be clear on what you are looking for and if you have any track references or even other artist's that have influenced you that's invaluable information for folks like myself to have. We can hone in on a sound/direction so much more quickly if we have information like "I would love for this song to sound like..."

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

A: My old German upright bass, Some sort of water filter to drink fresh water, as many cans of sardines as I could, a small drum, and my cheap nylon string guitar for songwriting.

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

A: I started playing recording sessions in 2008 but spent many years on the road. Around 2016 I decided to really hunker down and grow my session roots and it's been an incredible 6 years of working in different studios around Nashville as well as out of my home studio for remote clients.

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

A: I would love to work with Fiona Apple. I've always loved her songwriting and her ability to connect her music to her heart and bear it all for your audience. She's fearless and I envy that immensely.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Perspective is everything! Take a mix out to your car and drive around the block. Pull up your streaming platform of your choice and type in something random and unknown to you(Polish Jazz) and listen for a little while. Then play a song you're extremely familiar with. What's one thing you like and dislike about both tracks? what's something happening in your track that you love and what's something happening in you track that maybe you don't love and need to mute for awhile?

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

A: I am usually working on songwriter's productions that would fall into the country genre. I also work with a lot of Americana and indie artists.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I'm a very strong communicator and have worked in so many different situations that I feel my strongest skill is my work ethic. I don't take things personally and am here to ultimately see other's musical vision to fruition. I think so many musicians take too much liberty when asked to be a collaborator and one of my strong skills is the ability to know what's needed, and what's not needed. How to be present but also be able to get out of the way. At the end of the day, we are making music and all need to remember to enjoy it!

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Having toured with Miranda Lambert, Rodney Crowell, and Emmylou Harris, I'd like to think of myself as a strong "song advocate." What I mean by that is that the music is serving the song and not the other way around. When I've worked in the past with musicians who aren't as in tune with a songwriter's needs/vision, it leads to a musician who's playing for themselves and not for the artist. I have the experience both on stage and in the studio to know what's enough bass, what's too much bass, and what's just right!

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Listen Listen Liste. Before I do anything, I find it best for me to listen down a couple times. This gives me an idea of what the artist's overall sound is like, the direction of the song, what may be lacking in the bass department of the song, and ultimately lets me know where to start. Once I've picked a signal chain I think will be appropriate fro the song I'll play a chorus or some section and then stop and listen to the track with and without my bass. This usually leads to one or two minor audio adjustments to help the bass fit in the mix better and make sure I'm not recording something out of phase, clipping the gain, etc. This will lead to a few takes until I feel I'm comfortable to share or if I'm recording live with audiomovers, I'll take any and all direction given by the producer/artist. I'm going to have my own opinions on where to take the music but at the end of the day this is your music and my goal is to find out how best I can serve you and you vision and then execute that to the best of my ability.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I run Pro Tools 12 on my Mac mini. I have an Apollo x6 interface, Api Preamps, and a couple different fun compressors including a vintage UREI 1176(rev. F). A lot of the time I"m playing my 1960 fender Bass, but also have a lot of other electrics including Sadowsky and Gibsons. For microphones on upright bass, I like to record the low-end of the instrument with a 67 clone and use a small diaphragm condessor mic for the top end. Blending these two together with my 160 year old German upright creates a big beautiful sound.

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

A: I'm very inspired by everything written or produced by Ian Kirkpatrick, Jay Joyce, Jon Brion, T Bone Burnett and others. I love when the songs are at the forefront and the production offers familiarity but also lots of new and confounding soundscapes. I love to dial in my bass tone to reflect the mood and vibe of the track and love music that is intertwined with the meaning and lyrics/melody of a song.

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

A: I am typically hired to perform and record bass tracks for Artist's songs whether it's one song or an entire ablum. Typically a writer or producer will reach out to me when they need some low end glue and a bass track that's exciting, not overplayed, and recorded extremely well.