Versatile Session Bassist

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

A: Taylor Swift's "Fearless" album. It was so much fun work on, and exciting to be a part of those great songs and a Grammy winning Album of the Year.

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

A: I'll give your music my full attention and bring the best part I can to it.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Mostly freelance session work around Nashville and doing overdubs at home. For the last couple years I've also been playing in a guitar trio with Guthrie Trapp, which is very improvisational and has been a blast.

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

A: Jordan Perlson on drums and Dave Cohen on keyboards.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both are great and have their place for sure.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: That it's different all the time. It's always fun and interesting to play good music.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I'll ask for any references or ideas they have about the music.

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

A: Some nice Precision basses and a good Ampeg.

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

A: I've been doing this my whole adult life. When I was first starting out I lived in Detroit for several years, playing lots and lots of gigs. I moved to Nashville after that and have been lucky to keep on going, working with a lot of talented people.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Supportive, organic, and bringing a good energy.

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

A: I can't choose! Probably one of the many classic soul/R&B singers I love.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Listen to everything that's happening--the big picture--and don't too focused on one small thing.

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

A: All sorts. Being in Nashville, lots of country, pop, and singer-songwriter/americana stuff. I love playing blues and soul music and have done a lot of that too. I'm into lots of different music and try to be versatile as possible.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Playing in a supportive way that helps the music as a whole.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I listen to the track a few times to get it in my head and then start playing. I'll have some ideas about an approach from listening, and then playing along gets that dialed in.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a collection of basses I'm really happy with. Several Fender Precision basses with different setups, along with some hollowbody bass options and a good sounding 5-string. I use a Universal Audio 6176 channel strip, or Solo 610 for recording direct into Logic through an Apogee interface.

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

A: Too many to name for sure. I'm lucky in that I'm around great players, writers, and producers regularly. That in itself is inspirational and motivating. I'm also an avid record collector and music geek in general, so I'm always digging deeper into music that I'm into.

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

A: Overdubbing bass from my home studio setup.