Guitar, Bass, Mixing

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

A: I got to play guitar on an album with one of my teenage musical influences. A whole week in a beautiful studio with a fantastic rhythm section and producer. Maybe it will get released someday.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital recording. Analog instruments.

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

A: While I'm playing your song, I will love your song.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The creativity of set boundaries.

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

A: Why did you play that instead of this?

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

A: It's not magic. It's years of tedious practice.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What does a successful delivery look like for you? What are your musical goals? What's your favorite song?

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

A: I'm not the expert on your musical idea, so the more you can communicate about what you want and what you like, the closer I'll be able to get. Art is subjective.

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

A: My strat, my Supro amp, and a cable.

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

A: I started piano lessons as a child. I played the trombone from elementary through high school. I added stringed instruments along the way. I started recording on a dual cassette radio with a built in mic before my family owned a computer.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Great mixes are made of sounds that often sound pretty bad in solo. It's about the blend.

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

A: Pop and rock, mostly. Usually I'm adding parts to a completed song that has it's structure defined and has basic chords and lyrics locked.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I think like an arranger. Playing many different instruments in different types of bands in my life, I not going to cover up something important to make myself shine. It's a sonic puzzle.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I look for opportunities to add rhythm and melody to create moments of interest that enhance the message/feel of a song.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I need to know what the artist wants. I listen to reference tracks before I pick up an instrument. I want to be able to sing the part in my head first. Then it's about finding the right sound to convey that musical idea.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have many instruments, amps, and pedals to choose from. I record with microphones in front of speakers as well as DI. I use Pro Tools with a Digidesign interface.

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

A: Sloan, Teenage Fanclub, Madison Cunningham, The Kinks, Blur

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

A: I add creative and interesting guitar parts and basslines to songs. The melody and lyrics are the most important part of the song, and the other instruments are there for support. But they all deserve moments to shine. I look for those moments.