"Guitarist and Producer"

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

A: I worked with a producer and an artist in Asia. He was going to be part of a music competition show, and needed an original work for the competition. They had a simple demo: just acoustic guitar and vocal. I recorded guitars, bass, mandolins, dobro, electric guitar solos- we threw everything at it. Hearing the difference between the initial demo and the finished product was very gratifying.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am streamlining my process to make the process even better for my clients. I'm also working to add options like full mixing and drum recording. Stay tuned.

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

A: No yet, but I'll be looking!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I wish I could afford analog. So I try to "think analog" in a digital world. I love the old 1176 and LA2A compressors. But the secret behind those great albums wasn't the technology. It was the people. It was the constraints those people had to work under to be creative. They also had a musical heritage to draw from. Nowadays, we have limitless choices in our technology. But endless options don't make good music. Good musicians do. So while I work in the digital world, I draw inspiration from the analog world.

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

A: I'll stick with it until I find the right fit for your track.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love the feeling when you've been looking for the right part, and then you find it. It is thrilling.

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

A: "How fast can you do this?", and "can you add more tracks?" My answer is, "Of course! for a price."

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

A: When it's done right, music looks easy and inevitable. When you listen to a great song you think, "Well of course it should sound like that." The same is true of Michelangelo's David, a Ferrari Daytona, or Bugs Bunny. It just works. The process, however, isn't easy or inevitable. It's ugly. But it's worth it.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I want to hear their project, and the reference track(s) they are drawing inspiration from. If they can be specific about genre and mood, I will have a better chance of matching their vision.

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

A: Two things. First, listen for "feel". Does their feel for the instrument match what you are trying to achieve with your own project? Go with that. Second: try and have your arrangement set before you hire someone. I understand that sometimes people don't know what they want until they hear it. But if you can make decisions beforehand, it will save you and your session player a lot of emails.

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

A: My first acoustic guitar (a Sigma dreadnought), my American Strat, my Tele, and a Fender Jazz Bass. Throw in a Bassman amp and I've got what I need.

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

A: I started playing guitar when I was 11. I was blessed with a great teacher. He taught me to read music, play rock, jazz, country, and funk. I played in a band in high school and got hooked. Then I branched out into other instruments like bass, piano, and mandolin. I wanted to know why everything sounded so good together. I taught lessons for years and used my spare time to record and dissect great albums. All the while I was writing my own songs. Eventually I wrote, recorded, and mixed my own album. Now I just want to keep doing it. I think my curiosity took my from one aspect of music to the next.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Happiness on wood and steel.

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

A: My favorite stories are about groups that came up with something in the room. I would love to go back and sit in with the Funk Brothers during those Motown sessions.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: The bass is the unsung hero of the band. Once you have your chords and melody, take the time to get the bass groovin', or find someone who can do it for you. Then your drummer will know what the song is about. If your drums and bass aren't hitting right, your song will never take off.

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

A: Usually I do everything under the country/folk/Americana umbrella. But I also love doing old school Soul and RnB. I just want to hear real instruments played by good musicians.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Hearing how the parts fit together. I have played in bands and taught others to play in bands most of my adult life. I know what makes a song work. If the melody is good, and the groove is in the pocket, you're on your way to success.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I think like a producer, not a guitarist. I want to serve the song, not my own need to play something flashy. If the song wins, then everyone sounds good.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I listen to the client's track, as well as their reference track. I keep one ear on the melody, and one on the groove. As a vocalist myself, I'm very careful to enhance the melody, but never step on it. Then I audition parts until it starts to feel right.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work out of my home studio. I run through a UAD Apollo Twin and UAD plugins into Logic Pro X. I have a variety of mics from SE Electronics, AKG, Shure, and Avantone.

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

A: I love hearing musicians play real instruments. I grew up loving Nickel Creek, Allison Kraus and Union Station, Robert Randolph, and the "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" Soundtrack. Then I really got into Stevie Wonder and Funk Brothers on those MoTown Hits. Lately I've been interested in the session players from Muscle Shoals, the Stax records, the Nashville A-listers, and the Wrecking Crew in LA.

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

A: If a client has a simple demo, but needs the song built out, that's my jam. I love starting with the bass, laying down guitars, finding hooks on different instruments like mandolins and dobros, and building a sound for the artist.