Songwriter / Producer / Mixer

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

A: "People In The Room" was a wonderful project where an elderly man commissioned a song from me to play at what he suspects will be his final Easter. He wanted to commemorate the occasion when his entire family and dozens of progeny would be in the room together, maybe for the last time. I hit it out of the park and am very proud of that song.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am working on an album of children's music. As well as an EP of wannabe Foo Fighters tracks.

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

A: Not yet!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. Analog is way more fun but digital is exponentially easier, faster, cheaper, and easier to change, so it is often the better tool for the project. And the sounds are indiscernible to all but a few sets of ears.

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

A: I promise to put my heart and full creative capacity into delivering a song that makes them smile.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Getting paid to make music, of course!

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

A: My customers mostly want to hear my samples. I send them any work I have done in the past that I think is relevant to the project we're discussing.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I ask them to tell me 5 of their favorite songs. I ask them if there is a song they want their song to sound like. I ask them if they're written songs themselves before. If so, can I hear any of them. Who is the intended audience for this song? Is it for a particular person or group of people? What is the story or message you would like the song to convey? Is there a particular theme or narrative that you have in mind? What is your preferred genre of music? Are there any specific instruments or sounds that you would like to hear in the song? What is your timeline for receiving the song? Do you have a deadline in mind? Would you like the song to be upbeat and energetic, or more reflective and contemplative? Is there a particular mood or emotion that you would like the song to evoke? Are there any specific lyrics or phrases that you would like to include in the song? Would you prefer the song to be performed by a solo artist or a band? Is there anything else you would like to share about your vision for this song?

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

A: Get a sense of the person you are considering working with, reach out for a personal interaction to make sure the vibe is right, and then give that person a shot! If they are worth their salt, they will bring you their A-game.

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

A: My Martin D28, a Prophet 6, a Neumann U87, an interface, my laptop w/ DAW.

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

A: I am a successful television producer but have always been a musician and songwriter. During the pandemic, which coincided with the birth of my first child, I realized that making music brings me incredible joy, I am talented, and that I would like to focus more on making music from now on. I have been doing just that ever since.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I grew up in the 90's listening to music from the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's and I think my style reflects that. I have studied the Beatles extensively. I like clever and catchy songs like Elvis Costello writes.

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

A: Paul McCartney. He's the best musician we've got. I would also love to work with Jeff Tweedy.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Consider the audio spectrum when selecting instruments and sounds. It's amazing how much stronger a song sounds that is well designed in that why.

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

A: I mostly work on singer/songwriter, indie pop, pop/punk, some lo fi beats, and I love to make ambient music.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I have a natural inclination for melody and harmony.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a strong sense of melody and a lot of heart to all my songs.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I will send a client a questionnaire with some prompts about who the desired audience is for a song, what emotions are we hoping our audience will feel when they listen to the song, and other prompts to help get inside the clients' head a bit.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a great studio with killer Genelec monitors and sub, an Apollo Interface as well as a large library of UAD plugins, as well as a spark subscription. I have all the industry standard plugins from Izotope, Waves, reverbs, delays and more. I have multiple acoustic and electric guitars and basses. V-Drums. Keyscape.

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

A: The Beatles. Dan Bern is a national treasure. I love Harry Nilsson's songwriting and style very much. Ben Folds. Radiohead. Wilco. Van Morrison. Drew Holcomb. Vampire Weekend. The Strokes. Green Day. The Cure.

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

A: My work experience in this space has been split between sound editing (mostly cleaning up people's VO and interview audio), as well as composing original music and writing songs for/with people!