Pro Session Drummer

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

A: Sure! David Inamine is a wonderful bassist and friend.

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

A: 1. A drumset & pair of sticks 2. My Mac Studio 3. A pair of overhead mics & a kick mic 4. My Apollo interface 5. A MIDI keyboard

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

A: I've been playing drums professionally since I was 11 years old. I lived in NYC for 6 years, Las Vegas for 8 years, and I've lived in Nashville for over 8 years now. I feel that those experiences have given me a very unique perspective on the music industry.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Authentic. Versatile.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Well it isn't cooking! Seriously, probably hearing the song from a producer's ear and determining what that song needs from the drums. This includes the sound (or tone) of the drums. It might need big boomy ringy drums, or it might need dead tones that don't ring for an effect. Arrangement ideas fall into this category too. Does it need to ramp up during the bridge? Or maybe it needs a breakdown chorus here, or maybe it needs programmed drums before the real drums kick in. Etc.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Hopefully a great "feel" and a notion for what the song needs (and sometimes more importantly, what the song doesn't need). I'm really looking to get to the "essence" of what the song needs, and not play anything more than that.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Usually, after getting hired to play on a song, I will listen to it a few times, keeping in mind any special instructions from the artist. Then I will likely make a quick chart of the song so I don't have to spend time memorizing the song although sometimes making the chart helps me to memorize it. This way I can get on the drums and capture that first or second take "magic" without any mistakes in the music. I strongly believe in the early takes being the best ones.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: It's a home studio with 6 drum kits both new and vintage, a baby grand piano, an iso-booth, and the room is acoustically treated with Audimute which sounds and looks so terrific and it's great for creating content for online communities like social media and YouTube. It's very comfortable and I pinch myself every day for having such a wonderful space to work.

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

A: Mainly I'm inspired by the great session players that have come before me like Gadd, Jeff Porcaro, Jordan, Larrie Londin, Paul Leim, Eddie Bayers, Carlos Vega. Some modern players would be Aaron Sterling, Shannon Forrest, Keith Carlock, Nate Smith, Steven Wolf, etc.but I'm also inspired by outside sources like film and writers.

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

A: I provide a high quality drum tracks and sounds for my clients, typically with a couple of overdubs for auxiliary percussion.

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

A: I'm proud of all the projects I've worked on because I work my butt off to make them sound the way I'm hearing them. I recently played drums and percussion on a song that had a very vibey western sound to it. It required playing the drum set a certain way to leave lots of space for percussion overdubs. I used a modern kick drum with my 1940's Radio King tom's, my 1965 Slingerland snare drum, and the darkest cymbals I own. I topped it off with overdubs containing the usual shaker and tambourine parts, but also goat hooves, triangle, finger cymbals, a concert bass drum, and many other sounds and toys to create the part.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm just finishing a song that sounds like it belongs in a Bond movie. It has that 60's vibe to it with the cool minor 4 chord. I'm using my 1965 Ludwigs to achieve the correct drum tone. Fun!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. Whatever makes you happy.

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

A: I promise to give my heart and soul 110% on every performance.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I get to play drums for a living!

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

A: Can I have some coffee? I answer with "of course!"

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

A: That I don't work for a living.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: When do you need it by? Haha seriously, sometimes I ask what they're going for as per the drum sound. Pristine and clean and pop? Or vibey? Etc.

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

A: Put your trust in me. Tell me what you want from the drums but also let me do my thing with it. You just may like it way better.

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

A: There are so many, but John Mayer is definitely up there. Also maybe James Taylor in another lifetime!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Check the phase.

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

A: Mostly singer/songwriter but I get a lot of other stuff too like instrumental music, music for sync/licensing, etc.