Pop & Rock Session Drummer

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

A: The time a DIY recording that was made using cheap, unbranded microphones that was recorded in a small rehearsal studio ended up being played on BBC Radio 1 (that's a huge UK radio station with about 7 million listeners)

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm filling out answers to an interview. Musicially speaking, I'm working on drum parts for a really cool 80s synth type track with an artist from Canada. I haven't been able to get the chorus out of my head for days!

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

A: There might be but I haven't looked and can't search by name!!!!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital. I have no experience in the analog world. People debate this all the time and I'm sure they both make excellent points but I don't know enough to have a proper educated opinion either way. Ask me if I prefer playing acoustic drums or electric and it's easily acoustic. Electric kits definitely have a place and serve a very useful purpose but nothing beats the movement of air you get from hitting real drums and real cymbals. Wait, maybe that's why some people prefer analog over digital!?

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

A: I will always deliver quality work to the very best of my ability! I honestly don't know how to do it any other way and certainly couldn't bring myself to give someone a less than perfect - even if I tried.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I get to play drums and make music with people all over the world on their interesting projects that I wouldn't have got to otherwise. It's very satisfying for me!

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

A: A lot of clients ask if they need to credit me when my song goes on Spotify, YouTube, Apple etc My answer is that you can if you'd like and letting me know is good as I can share it on social media upon release to help it gain traction but there's no obligation to do so :-)

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

A: That I sit around doing nothing all day. "Well, the washing up isn't nothing mate, and I'm gonna be doing that any minute!" (Let me know if you know where that quote is from and we can be best friends!)

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Can you send me any song references or demos that highlight the drumming or drum sounds you're after. It's because people who hire me aren't drummers and often struggle to describe in writing what they want. Song references just make it so much easier for us to collaborate together.

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

A: Do it! We're excellent, we really are.

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

A: Probably a large boat, fuel for said boat, some sort of navigation system, a communication device, and sunscreen. In case you can't tell, I don't really want to be on this island and I'm also not sure why I'm there or why I was given any 5 items of my choice! Where even is this island and what made it deserted? If you mean music gear - is there electricity on this island? Who's paying the electricity bill? What plug type is it? I'm in the UK and if I go to France they have completely different outlet types that I need an adapter for, so I highly doubt that some unknown island is going to have UK plug outlet next to a coconut tree. Unless I don't take my own gear, in which case, I'd just ask for the most rare and expensive things I could and then hope they don't get damage by the saltwater. Actually, I mean, probably a practice pad on a stand, some sticks, and a metronome.

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

A: I once played a gig and someone was so impressed they asked me to do some session work. From there, I got educated - I took private lessons, then got a degree in Professional Musicianship and have worked as a freelance musician ever since graduating!

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: As mentioned before, I think I've got a very Pop approach to things. I'm always considering how what I'm doing is affecting the rest of the arrangment and the listener/audience. I know all styles pretty require the same thinking but I come across a lot of things where it feels more about the musician and their ego than anything beyond that.

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

A: My favourite band wouldn't feel like my favourite band anymore because I'd feel too attached to the process. Part of what I love about my favourite artists is listening to their finished work as they've presented it to the world. Having said that, I also feel like I'd love to be part of their process and how they go about creating the amazing work they put out!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: A good mix can't fix a bad arrangement! Or in my case, a great drum part or sound still won't fix a bad arrangment.

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

A: I tend to think of Pop as an attitude as opposed to a specific genre and I tend to work on a lot of music that has a "pop" approach. So I could say I work on a lot of Rock or Funk but it's often 3 minute long songs with a catchy chorus and a dancable tempo which I would describe as Pop. So pop is the short answer!

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I think I've got a really nice pocket and play in a way that gets a great tone out of the drums. That's two skills but they're important because the nicest microphones, in the fanciest studio with the best engineer in the world don't mean a thing if the drummer they're recording isn't laying it down right. It starts at the source!!!

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: An ear for the details. The kind of things that most people perhaps won't conciously notice but would notice the effects of. I strongly believe that the clever little details (whether it's in the sounds, the arrangement, or elsewhere) are what separate the good from the great.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I usually start with a quick mock-up, just to check if I've captured the right vibe as a solid starting point to build on. Once the client gives the green light, I start perfecting things whilst providing them with periodic updates on how it's coming together. I then keep refining in rounds until they're happy! It's a very collaborative way of working because I made the mistake when first starting out years ago of "finishing" a project then being told by the client it wasn't right and realising I had to go back and start again.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: It's a purpose built music studio in my garden! It took ages to build and then even longer treat the inside (building bass traps, acoustic panels etc) However, as setting up and finding sounds is the part of the recording process that takes much longer than you'd expect, I've been able to cut down how long it takes to get tracks to clients as most of my gear is already set-up!

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

A: I love anyone with flow. People who've just mastered their craft to such a point that everything they do seems effortless yet always of such a high quality.

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

A: Most of my clients tend to have an idea of what they're trying to achieve so my job is often intrepreting what they have in their head combined with my expertise as a drummer to bring their artistic vision to life.