Guitarist | Producer

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

A: I was really proud of the guitars I added to a song called Open Arms by WNDRS Worship. My role was to write and record all of the guitar parts in the song.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I just finishing up a pop song (think Ariana Grande) this morning for a producer friend of mine, and this afternoon I will be finishing up guitars for a pop country track.

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

A: Jared Chance is a killer producer, arranger, and keys player that you should hire!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: This question has always been so funny to me. Both can sound great, it just depends on the context.

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

A: I promise to play inspired parts the fit the feel of your song.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love getting to be creative.

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

A: Q) "What is a Kemper?" (Or if they are in the room with me: "What is the fancy green box with all of the lights on it?") A) This is a fancy piece of gear that allows me to get the amp tones of hundreds of different amps without having to own hundreds of fancy amps. (My wife LOVES that).

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

A: People think that my job is as easy as just plugging in and playing the part. Often times people don't realize the work I put into to craft specific tones that fit each part I play.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What do you want the song to feel like? Who are your favorite artists? What songs is your song inspired by?

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

A: Pick good reference track that you think correctly show the direction you want your song to go.

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

A: Macbook Pro fully loaded with Logic and Protools, Apollo 8xp, a good pair of headphones, Kemper (with my RYRA Klon clone in the FX Loop), and Fender Marauder (this is my favorite guitar that I could play anything with).

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

A: I've been playing in bands since high school, but during college in 2017 I started touring with a CCM artist named Mckinney Dawson. This was my first "professional gig". I started playing with other artists through college and then decided to make the move to Nashville. Since moving here lots of opportunities have opened up. I've had the opportunity to play with Lacy Cavilier, Krigarè, Janelle Arthur, Highway Women and many more.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Feel and groove oriented

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: My favorite trick for recording rhythm guitars that are very wide and carry a lot of energy is to double track. But it's not quite as simple as just recording the same part twice and panning them left and right. It's important to make the parts have variation. One of the most common ways I achieve that is by using a different guitar for each take. I love the sound of the single coil pickup in my Telecaster matched with the filtertron in my Gretsch.

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

A: Typically I work on R&B music and CCM music, however in the past couple years, since moving to Nashville, I've been doing quite a bit of country music.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is hearing a song and know what part needs to go where to compliment the track. It's one thing for a musician to have technical skill but it's another for them to be able to know what part is necessary to make the track feel right.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I've been involved in making music for over 10 years now, and had experience playing jazz, gospel, R&B soul, CCM, country, and rock. I bring the experience of these genres to every track that I work on.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: After I have gotten the song from the client I take the time to listen through the song a few times just to get familiar with it. Then I put it into a Logic session and map out the various parts (verse, chorus, bridge, etc). Then I listen through one more time this time writing down parts I plan on play or other notable features I want to emphasize. I typically do doubles of rhythm parts, leads, any textural elements like swells, and then go back and add doubles to rhythm parts if necessary.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I track through my Universal Audio Apollo Twin X into Logic. All of my amp sounds and some of my effects come from my Kemper. And I monitor everything through a pair of Adam A7X's.

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

A: There are so many I could choose from, but currently my biggest inspirations are Yebba and Allen Stone.

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

A: I mostly record electric guitar for artists but absolutely love when I get to play acoustic.