Top Call Session Bass & BgVs

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

A: There was a project back in the late 90s I worked on with a supergroup comprised of members of Cheap Trick, Wilco, and The Mavericks where I had many roles. I like this. I feel like my real strength is being a multi-instrumentalist/vocalist. I co-wrote several songs on the projects, sang lead on one, sang bgvs on many, played electric guitar, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, trumpet, percussion, melotron, etc. The whole experience was really cool. If you can find this project, it's called "Catchall" by a group called SWAG. Over time many bands called "swag" have emerged so it may be hard to find, but it was a really fun project.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Actually, I'm working on my own project. I'm excited.

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

A: Oh man, many of my colleagues are on here. I'd hate to mention one without mentioning ALL of them.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Oh geez... one of these. Analog or digital? PC or Mac? Coke or Pepsi? Both have their pluses and minuses. The digital world has become so great that it's REALLY tough to hear the difference between that and analog unless you can to a high level, side-by-side comparison. I've worked with both. I remember recording to tape through analog boards and outboard gear. The warmth was amazing. But the noise was distracting. I also remember the early digital gear. Recording with ADAT. Yuck! But now digital products can emulate the best features of analog gear and leave out the ugly stuff (or not). I believe in moving forward and keeping relevant. I refuse to be stuck in the past.

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

A: I will deliver the same quality of musicianship that I deliver for the famous people I've worked for. If you hire me, you get my best. Always.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I get to do what I love and what I was put on earth to do for a living. I'm fortunate.

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

A: How fast is my turn around and how many revisions will I do. Again, it depends upon what they are asking for. If I'm doing an entire albums worth of music, multiple parts, etc., it will take longer. I'm happy to do one revision for free.

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

A: That I'm rich! :-)

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Well I start with the basics. What are they needing? What are they looking for? Do they have specific parts they want delivered? If not, do they have references for the type of parts they are seeking? From there it really depends on the project, genre, songs, etc.

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

A: Ooo, another tough one. Well, first of all you need to know what you want and be able to describe it either with your description or with musical references. Next, you need to trust the professional you hire, especially one with a lot of experience. They may come up with something really great that you didn't expect so open your mind (and ears) a bit. But at the same time, be able to ask for changes if you don't like what they do. Just remember it's a "collaboration." Yes it's your song and your project and you need to get what you want. But you're also dealing with creative people that (hopefully) put their heart and soul into what they are delivering to you. And always treat them like the professionals they are.

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

A: Well assuming I had power and cables don't count :-) I'd bring an acoustic guitar, my C48 knockoff, my fractal, my Apollo twin, and a laptop.

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

A: I started my career, even recording back in the early 1990's while I was still in Maine. I moved to Nashville in 1997 and have been touring and recording ever since. (don't let my age fool you... :-)

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Personally, for my own music, I'm more on the pop side of singer/songwriter stuff. But as a session musician you have to be adaptable and relevant. I'm best in the popular genres (Pop, rock, country, soul, etc.) but I can adapt to just about anything.

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

A: Oh man... so many. I've been fortunate to record and tour with some great artists (see my credits) but there are always others I'd love to work with. Let's see... Sting? KT Tunstall? Paul McCartney? James Taylor? Harry Styles? Sarah McLachlan? Alicia Keys? Bruno Mars? Why these? Well, they are all masters of their craft. Great songwriters. Great performers. They each exude soul in their own way. They are true artists in my opinion. Not just good looking people that can deliver a song.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Well this is more of a performance tip but it certainly can make or break a track, but note length is the key to a killer bass line. Of course it all depends on the genre and the song itself, but a simple choice like, "Do I play right up until the snare hit, or do I play through the snare hit" will change the feel of a song. The devil is in the details.

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

A: Most of my work deals with songs in popular genres: Pop, rock, country, soul, funk, Americana, folk, singer/songwriter, etc. I have recorded some jazz but it's been mostly "commercial" jazz, light jazz. Nothing too heavy.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I have great ears. I hear parts quickly and can perform them at a high level quickly. But my greatest strength I think is playing multiple instruments and singing at a high level. I've performed a lot of music in different settings: Pop/Rock bands, country bands, orchestras, jazz bands, brass quintets, vocal groups, etc. I have a pretty broad background that I can pull from.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I love questions that force you to brag! :-) Well, I feel my years of experience have taught me to (not to sound cheesy but...) serve the song. Too many musicians try to show off and make their performance about them. There have been songs that I've recorded where the bass lines were busy, percussive, or melodic. But other songs required a simple 1 - 5 - 1 - 5 approach because that's what the song needed. The same with vocals. I've recorded songs with 12 tracks of stacked, counterpoint heavy parts with complex harmonies. But other songs I've delivered with one single, simple harmony because anything else would have taken away from the song and it's intended impact.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Once I accept a project, I like to have a meeting with the client just to go over everything, get their thoughts, make a pre-production plan, etc. Then I do the work and pass it on. Then another conversation to make sure everything is acceptable. If there are revisions to be made, I do them. Pretty simple, really.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have two rigs actually. One in my home studio and one that I take on the road with me. The home studio is a Pro Tools rig with UAD Apollo converters and plugins. I have a handful of mics, instruments, etc. My road rig is basically the same, except I run it from laptops. Yes multiple. When I'm doing film scoring, orchestral parts, etc. I use Vienna Ensemble Pro to link two computers together. One for the DAW and one for the MIDI Instrument processing. For simple bass and vocal recordings, I don't need that. But I'm always prepared for those projects.

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

A: That's a difficult question to answer in a short amount of time. For bass, I can list people from James Jamerson and Paul McCartney to Leland Sklar and Sting. Vocally, I'm inspired by everyone from the Beach Boys and Fleetwood Mac to Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars.

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

A: I provide bass guitar and backing vocal tracks. Typically, I will provide multiple takes/approaches that can either give my client many options to choose from or to stack/layer.