Production, Studio Vox/Guitar

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

A: My proudest recent project is my upcoming EP. I was the writer, instrumentalist, producer, mixer, and mastering engineer of all 5 of the songs. I never in my wildest dreams as a younger artist thought I would be capable of creating a fully written and produced song by myself. To have an EP with 5 of them coming up is a dream come true.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am currently working on producing my own EP. A country artist myself, I work with a great producer here in Nashville on most of my projects. As an artistic challenge to myself though, I've decided to release projects intermittently produced by myself. I also have a queue of client demo songs I'm currently working on.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Analog is wonderful, and I hope to grow my business enough that I can afford to invest in more analog gear. I do believe in the power and versatility of digital though. Ultimately, though, it's like all things: A little bit of old and new always compliment one another nicely.

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

A: My promise to you is that I'll do everything in my power to create the feeling you want to create with your music. Music is meant to inspire feeling. That's why we love it. If the feeling isn't there, I didn't do my job.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love getting to hear a final product. When a final mix is printed, and it hits me that just a few weeks ago, this song didn't exist, and now it does - that feeling never gets old. 2 weeks, and something that'll last a lifetime is made. It's hard not to think of it like it's magic.

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

A: Generally I'm asked about the details of revisions, potential up-charges, and more. These are all things that I'm happy to discuss, but often do depend on the context of the project. I try to do my best to direct projects into fitting my primary pricing models, but I also want to accommodate my clients in every way I can.

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

A: I'm not exactly sure how people do or don't see me, but I'd say the biggest misconception of me is that I'm merely a singer-songwriter. I don't know that many people know the full scope of the musicality I bring to the table as a player/producer/songwriter/artist.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I will ask all of my clients: 1. What do you hope this song does in the world/Why are you creating it this song? 2. How do you want this song to make people feel? 3. How do you want to feel when you hear it completed?

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

A: I would say, trust the process. Making music is often a messy and chaotic process. The vulnerability of making music can create big emotions, as you wonder how it will be received or responded to/received. Having somebody in your corner who doesn't have the personal emotional attachment to the project, but you still trust cares about the project, can be essential in not self-sabotaging the creative process.

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

A: My 5 pieces of desert Island gear would be: My Macbook, Martin CEO-7, 1997 Gibson ES-335, Apollo Twin Mark II, and a Shure SM7B.

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

A: I have been a recording artist/performer since I was 11 years old. For the last 14 years, that has been, and continues to be my greatest passion in life. A passion for production found me over the last 3 years, as I desperately wanted to find a way to develop my musical skills, instead of spending my days waiting tables/serving coffee for a living. I took the leap in late 2020 to become a full time songwriter/producer and haven't looked back. I've made over 1,000 client recordings in the last 3 years.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style, at least I hope, is "Listenable". I strive to create sonic pallets that are easy to get to know, and easy to come back to. Even when emulating trends, I like to find ways to create elements of a production that can remain timeless and accessible to all different types of music lovers/listeners.

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

A: The artist I would most like to work with is Ruston Kelly. Ruston has a bit of everything in his artistry that I love, from his audacious lyricism, to his steel guitar soaked instrumentals.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: My one production tip is simple: Second guess later. All the best artistic and production work I've done has come from trusting my gut, making the first best decision, and then re-assessing after the fact. Editing should never interrupt the creative process, but should always follow it.

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

A: I typically work on modern commercial country music, ranging from the sounds of Morgan Wallen, to Sam Hunt, to Keith Urban. I believe my production tendencies also lend themselves well to the Singer-Songwriter sounds of artists like John Mayer, Ed Sheeran and Jason Mraz, as well as the Pop/Rock sounds of OneRepublic, The Script, and Maroon 5.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is my ability to listen. On my artist journey, I have found that my favorite producers are the ones that I truly felt made an effort to understand my vision, hear my ideas, and put the same trust in me that I was putting in them. I'm devoted to being that kind of producer for every client I work with.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: In additional to my multi-instrumental capabilities, I believe I bring a strong artistic intuition to a song production. Being a Country artist myself and having worked with many producer personalities, I have developed a nuanced approach to making music, with a 'feeling first' mentality. I understand that production choices are pivotal in supporting the feeling an artist wants to convey with their songs; I am dedicated and sensitive to understanding that artistic vision while I help you bring your songs to life.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I've worked to make my demo/production process as simple and streamlined as possible: The process starts with your work tape, and a phone call/zoom pre-production meeting. You will send me your work tape, and I'll work up an acoustic arrangement before we arrange a call. On the call, we'll talk through the final arrangement, confirm the tempo, key and other song details, as well as talk through reference tracks and sounds to inspire the song. This is also where we'll discuss the logistics of you singing on the song yourself, or want to have any singer other than myself sing on the song. Once we've completed our pre-production meeting, I'll collect a 50% deposit and begin work on your track. In no more than 2 weeks, your initial mix will be delivered. My productions come with up 2 rounds of revisions (mix levels, etc...). Once you've confirmed your final mix, I'll collect the second 50% of payment, and the process will be completed.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio set up is simple, but very effective. I record through an Apollo Twin Mark II interface, and primarily use a Shure SM7B for versatile vocal production. I record acoustic guitars on through a Slate Digital modeling microphone for a wide variety of sounds, and electric guitars through a Blues Jr Tweed amp. In studio, I have multiple acoustic/electric guitars, a rubber bridge acoustic, a Nashville high-strung acoustic, a banjo, bass guitar, and an upright piano.

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

A: Some of my top musical influences include John Mayer, Eagles, Ruston Kelly, ERNEST, and Keith Urban. My production is definitely influenced by the modern Country/Rock tones of Joey Moi's work with ERNEST, Morgan Wallen and more, as well as Jon Randall's work with Parker McCollum.

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

A: The most common type of client work I do is Acoustic/Vocal and/or Full Demo production.