Pro drum tracks - any style!

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

A: That playing music only involves the performing of the music. The many years and thousands of hours of practice, learning, admin work etc are usually overlooked by most people. Today's professional musician is truly a jack of all trades.

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

A: I was the drummer for alto saxophonist Alison Young who was listed as one of the top 35 Canadian jazz musicians under 35. Her debut album "So Here We Are" was nominated for the Jazz Album of the Year in Canada in 2019.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Actually, i'm really busy right now on my own album project. Doing remote recording of my compositions including a host of musical friends from my travels around the world.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both are great. Digital is more convenient and transferrable etc.

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

A: To always be open and available to them and to do my absolute best for them.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love getting to be a part of so many people's creative vision, helping them to get the best end result for their song, creating something they can really be proud of.

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

A: How does this process work? My answer is usually that it varies depending on the needs of each individual and what they are looking for.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What style is the song? How far is the song in the process... is it completed, is it partially completed? Is your project recorded to click? What do you envision from the drums for this track? Do you have sheet music, song maps or any other reference materials?

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

A: Don't be afraid to be very clear about what you are looking for. This is your creation and your process, I am only here to help you get your best result. Never feel bad about getting in touch, giving guidance - even if you're unsure how to articulate what you want.

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

A: Bass drum, Hi hat cymbal, ride cymbal, snare and some kind of stereo system! - solar powered I guess! :)

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

A: I am a self-taught drummer and composer. I began as many young teenagers do, gigging in local cover bands playing the classic rock and pop tunes of the era. So I began with classic rock legends like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Motown etc. I began to tour extensively in the late 90s with indie pop bands across Canada and from there moved to the UK where I broke into the jazz scene in Europe and Britain. I came back to Canada in 2014 and am active on the Canadian jazz scene to this day. My career now spans 25 years. I also teach lessons to students of all ages and levels of ability.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Tasteful and musical.

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

A: Peter Gabriel, his music is always very artistically focused with integrity but also very emotional and strongly based on percussive and rhythmic foundations.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Never be afraid to experiment and try things. There is no failure, only growth and learning.

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

A: Most of what I play on would fall under the jazz, soul, R and B, funk, pop and rock umbrellas.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: As a self-taught drummer I believe my biggest strength is my natural sense of musicality and my ears. Because i've played high level jazz internationally as well, I have learned how to listen extremely well and my natural feel and sense of time are highly honed. Also, my attitude is focused on the big picture of the final result and not just my own personal contribution.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring over 40 years of drumming experience and 25 years of touring and recording in extremely diverse musical situations, but most of all I bring a deep passion for music and especially a reverence and appreciation for the drum set and its role in the music. I know from personal experience that the drums are the single most important element of a group or song: if the drums are not quite right in some respect, you will feel it and know that something is off.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: First I will get the track loaded into Logic and make sure everything is as it should be. I then do several run throughs of the song to fine tune key elements of the arrangement, dynamics etc. Then I lay down the drums doing a number of takes. Each take may have some slight differences and these provide options for the buyer to choose from. I'll then make sure the drum tracks are adjusted and in phase and I will export the individual tracks as WAV files to send to the buyer.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My home studio is equipped with a beautiful TAMA SLP Fat Spruce drum kit. I use a small set up like many of my drumming heroes of the jazz and early rock and R n B scene. 12" x 8" rack tom, 14" x 14" floor tom, 20" x 14" bass drum. These drums are extremely versatile and able to handle any musical style and tuning range with ease. My main snare is a TAMA SLP Spotted Gum snare 14" x 6.5". I am a Bosphorus Cymbals artist and use a wide range of Bosphorus lines in my studio. I use a classic 4 mic set up similar to what was used in the 60 and early 70s on many classic recordings including Motown and Led Zeppelin, Cream and many other legends. Stereo pair of Warm Audio WA - 84 overheads, Shure SM - 57 snare mic and AKG D -112 bass drum mic. Antelope Audio Discrete 4 audio interface and Logic Pro X

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

A: Many jazz legends including Elvin Jones, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette. Classic rock players such as John Bonham, Ian Paice, Phil Collins and many others. Creative artists like Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell and countless others.

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

A: Up until recently the majority of my work was live performance based in clubs, playing as a freelance drummer in the Canadian jazz scene. Jazz, soul and R and B were the most common genres in my live work load. I would also record in a wide range of projects mostly under the jazz umbrella. Since the covid situation i've been providing tracks from my home studio for a range of artists in a mix of styles.