Songwriter/Producer/Beatmaker

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

A: Would love to work with Beck but he would probably think I'm a lame dork.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: For almost every type of music, the vocal performance is the MOST important thing. Everything else is valuable and matters, but a great vocal performance is why people listen. Great doesn't necessarily mean professional or perfect either but it has to be compelling or moving or exciting.

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

A: I mixed and mastered The Sons of Otis Malone's first album and although I didn't have much to do with it they are my good friends and I had a blast working with them. I also shot and edited a video for them.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Working on an EP called "Point Break Swayze EP." Five songs and two music videos.

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

A: Wes Rider (Skrilla) https://soundbetter.com/profiles/16258-wes-writer-(skrilla) He did a verse on my EP and it was amazing, very easy to work with. Daramola https://soundbetter.com/profiles/50164-daramola He did a vocal for me and was awesome.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: BOTH, all the time. Whatever it takes to get good sounds it what I want to use. It's fun to take some analog sound and twist it up into some crazy synth-sounding line or vice versa, play a synth out of a speaker and re-record it back in.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Creating, making something that didn't exist a minute ago. Working with creative people.

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

A: Can I get it for free or trade you for something? My answer is no. :)

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

A: That making beats is the hard part and writing the song is the easiest part. Beats are a dime a dozen, there are a million good beats out there now online for you to get your hands on. Being able to turn a beat or a melody or some chords into a song is the real magic.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Start with the usual: Deadlines, budgets, any non-negotiable aspects to the project. I like to do what I call "HFR" which is Hear, Feel, Remember. So I ask clients what they want listeners to hear, feel, and remember. With these three pieces of data I can then ask deeper questions about sound and feel and audience.

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

A: Be open to collaboration and creativity. If you need a studio player or an engineer to execute the technical aspect of your vision then I'm not your guy. I'm a creator, I make things and if you want to invent something or bring a layer of uniqueness to a project then we can work well together.

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

A: Electric guitar, Shure SM58, Macbook, Apogee Duet, Arturia MiniLab MKII

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

A: I've been making music for 25 years. Started in high school playing in rock bands and doing some hip hop on the side. In college, I played guitar in a grunge band and put out some local indie-pop albums. Started learning DAW production and MPC after college and have been playing shows, writing songs and producing ever since.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Creative, unique, emotional, organic.

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

A: Folk, pop, rock, hip hop, r&b.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Producing tracks.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring creativity, strong arrangement skills, a great ear, lyrical acumen and empathy for the listener.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I either start with a beat/track and topline it, or I start on guitar. I've played electric and acoustic guitar for 25 years. Sometimes I will have an idea and build from there, or a certain sound or chord progression will "click" and I'm off and running. If I'm working with a client I start by asking a TON of questions.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Bedroom studio. I have a weird collection of analog gear and oddities that I use with a pretty minimal digital setup that includes a Mac laptop, Logic Pro X (primarily,) MPC Element, a usb keyboard and a collection of mics, guitars and drums.

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

A: I love anything creative and everything well-crafted. I'm inspired by producers like Jake Uno, Dr. Dre, Nigel Godrich, Diplo, and Benny Blanco. I have a lot of respect for the talents of The Weeknd, Beck, Khalid, Years & Years, Flume, Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem, Vulfpeck and Major Lazer.

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

A: I tend to produce, engineer and write songs for people. Sometimes I mix and master but would not consider it my specialty. I'm a creative person who can come at things from new angles and help people find unique sounds.