Guitarist/Songwriter/Vocalist

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

A: Pop/rock, Indie rock, Singer/Songwriter, Indie Pop, Modern Worship, some country, soul/R&B.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: It's really streamlined and straightforward. I want to be able to walk in and get to work as quickly and efficiently as possible, so it's not the most elaborate studio setup, but it's incredibly effective. I use a lot of Universal Audio stuff, their Apollo interfaces, and the OX Amp for tracking guitars with my amp collection. I also use the Kemper Profiling Amp quite a bit. I've tracked entire albums with that thing and get compliments on the guitar tones without anyone realizing they were achieved using a "digital amp."

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

A: Mostly tracking electric and acoustic guitar parts. I've also done quite a bit of songwriting, arranging, and even film scoring.

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

A: I made an album by myself during the pandemic that started as a songwriting exercise and turned into a body of work that I'm most proud of as an artist and songwriter. The artist name is Casual Americans. Once I had 10 songs that I loved fully recorded, I passed it around to some friends to see if it was worth putting out. To my surprise, the people I sent it to were not only really gracious and complimentary about it, they wanted to help me get it over the finish line. So, after getting some real drummers to put their stamp on it and an assist or two on some keys parts, I was able to send it to none other than Darrell Thorp for mixing and the incredible David Ives for mastering. I'm still just so grateful that something that started as a way to keep my chops up and stay sane after my kids went to sleep became a full-fledged album.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Album 2 for my band, Casual Americans. I recently worked on some songs for Paul Reeves forthcoming album "Sing Into The Storm".

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

A: James David Carter. Incredible vocalist and songwriter, an even better human being.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. I largely work in digital - it's just more efficient. It's hard to deny the vibe of analog, though. Whatever's the best fit for the project at hand.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Take one of your favorite songs and try to recreate it note for note, sound for sound. I've done this a few times and it's an amazing way to open up your ears and really get under the hood of why my favorite songs sound and feel the way they do. Worst case scenario, you get to spend some time with your favorite music in a more hands-on way.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Creating electric guitar parts that fit the vibe and context of a song.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I like to think that I can recognize where a song wants to go in terms of feel and energy and inject some life and vibe into songs in sometimes unexpected ways. I understand that, at some point, every artist finds themselves in a place it can be difficult to see the forest for the trees with a song - it's definitely happened to me. Sometimes you need an outside voice to help you see the full shape and context of what you've created, and I've had the privilege of being able to help a number of artists who've found themselves in such a place. I was recently recording electric guitars for Paul Reeves (great artist, close friend of mine). He pulled up a song that he was pretty much ready to give up on and was even hesitant to go to the trouble of putting guitars on it, but I could hear the drummer doing a very Tom Petty/"Mary Jane's Last Dance"-ish thing and felt strongly that pushing the guitars in that direction would really make the song click. Not to be arrogant, but the parts I played completely changed the song's energy and took it from a song on the chopping block to something Paul was really proud of and excited about.

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

A: Artists/Musicians that inspire me: The Beatles, Spoon, Tom Petty, Radiohead, Beck, Wilco, Death Cab for Cutie, U2, The Killers, Vampire Weekend, early Coldplay. Producers that inspire me: Greg Kurstin, Ariel Rechtshaid, George Martin, Eric Valentine, Darrell Thorp, Kid Harpoon, Rick Rubin