Session Guitarist

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

A: I am Very proud of all the work I've done with Vida Blue and Page McConnell of Phish. It such an incredible group of musicians and when I work with them I am there as band member and as an artist. I'm often hired to fill a preconceived role and sometimes play someone else's parts. In those projects I was brought on board because of my own artistic musical choices and I can express myself however I want. It's a dream come true.

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

A: Sure, Jon Button, Tariq Akoni, Tim Lefevbre, Takeshi Akimoto

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: analog if possible but there are a lot of great digital options now. If a virtual amp is right and sounds good then great!

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

A: the more detailed you can be about what you want the better, have references and examples then we can really zero in and make it "your" sound

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

A: Assuming it has electricity, My 60's Gibson SG, I guess a modeling amp (so we don't need a mic), a Bass, a drum machine and Laptop!

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

A: I've been doing this for close to 30 years now. I lived in Miami for years after college before moving to LA. which is how I got involved with Latin artists and Reggae and first connect with the Jam Band scene. Once in LA I got more involved in indie, rock and Singe-songwriter work. I've also worked on some TV music and was in The House Band for a singing show on NBC called "The Winner is" that unfortunately only lasted one season but was a great experience.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: There should always be some unexpected moments in a production. It's why first takes are often valuable.

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

A: It varies, I've obviously been playing a lot of reggae lately but around town I find myself working on a lot of singer-songwriter stuff, rock, and Americana.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I think my strength is the choices I make. Playing with artist across a lot of different genres has honed that skill. You Can't be a master of all styles but being yourself and making the right choice at the right time goes a long way.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Hopefully something memorable and a little bit unexpected,

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: First and foremost I like try to understand where an artist is coming from and what kind of story they are telling or just what kind of energy and emotions they are looking for. If they have specific references that's always great, but it can also come from getting to know someone personally and understanding what's in their musical DNA so to speak so I can find common ground and give them something as personal to them as possible.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have A lot of vintage guitars and amps. A great stereo Neve style mic pre made by Great River for my front-end. Along with some nice large diaphragm condenser mics and the standard dynamic mics A UA OX to get a wide varied of speaker models if I need something my amps aren't delivering and a of course, a dysfunctional amount of pedals and effects!

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

A: I am constantly inspired by my peer and the artists I get to work with. I spent the last year on Tour With Ziggy Marley paying tribute To Bob Marley so digging deep into that catalog and getting to perform that music with people that played with Bob was incredibly meaningful. I'm in Vida Blue which is made up of Page McConnell from Phish, Oteil Brubridge (dead and Co, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Allman Brothers) and Russell Batiste (the Funky meters). Playing and recording with them is a hugely inspiring. My First love was bands like the Police, U2 the Pretenders and the Clash, so that music and its production along with how the guitar functions as an arrangement tool is a big part of who I am as a player, I also love the sonic world of Nine Inch Nails and some heavy stuff like Soundgarden. it's all over the place. I started out in Miami and played with a lot of latin musicians was in an afro-cuban funk band called The Spam Allstars, which really inspired me to go deep into rhythm and groove playing.

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

A: Mostly Electric and Acoustic guitar tracks I have done some production in the past and have collaborated and composed music for a few big ad campaigns(Nikon, Toyota, Uniqlo)