Producer, Session Guitarist

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

A: Send as much context as you can up front — a reference track, the rough mix, and a few words on the vibe or genre you're going for go a long way toward getting the right take on the first try. If you already know something specific you don't want (too busy, too clean, too aggressive, etc.), say that too — knowing what to avoid is just as useful as knowing what to aim for. And don't worry about over-explaining; it's much easier for me to dial in a part when I understand what you're hearing in your head than when I'm guessing. And send me what you have in the best quality you can.

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

A: Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, my macbook pro, interface and headphones

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

A: I've been playing guitar for 25 years and producing for the last 3, and I've been making a living from music professionally for the past 6 years. Along the way I've done a bit of everything — session and live guitar, studio work, teaching, and now production and mixing — which has given me a pretty broad base of real-world experience to draw from, not just theory.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Honestly, I don't think I have one single style — it's more like a mix of everything I listen to, which spans decades, from older records to whatever's current right now. I've got too many influences pulling in different directions to box myself into one lane, and I like it that way. If I had to sum it up, I'd say versatile and a little unpredictable: I follow whatever moves me, and that usually ends up shaping how I approach a song more than any fixed style would.

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

A: Billie Marten. I'd love the chance to see her process up close and learn from how she builds a song — there's a restraint and honesty in her writing and arrangements that I really admire and try to bring into my own playing. Beyond just working with her, I'd genuinely want to be part of creating something alongside her.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Track more takes than you think you need, especially for guitar. It's tempting to comp the first take that feels good and move on, but having 2-3 solid options — even small variations in phrasing or tone — gives you real choices later, either for yourself or for the client. A lot of the best parts I've ended up using weren't the first take, they were the one that came after I'd already relaxed into the part.

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

A: Most of what I work on falls somewhere between folk, blues, rock, country, pop and related genres. The genres I grew up playing and still feel most at home in, whether it's a stripped-back singer-songwriter track or something with more drive and texture. That said, I'm comfortable stepping outside that range when a song calls for it, and I'd rather adapt to what a client needs than limit myself to one lane.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Probably knowing when not to play. It's easy to fill space on a guitar track, but a lot of what I've learned from years of session and live work is judging when a part needs to sit back and support the song versus when it needs to step forward. That, paired with having a decent ear for tone and feel, is what I lean on most when I'm figuring out what a track actually needs from me.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I don't come into a song with a fixed style I try to stamp on everything. I try to listen first and figure out what it actually needs. Sometimes that means something simple and restrained, sometimes it means leaning into a riff or a texture that pushes the track further. I draw on the playing and production I've absorbed over the years but only as a toolkit, not a formula I apply regardless of the song. What I can offer is real studio and live experience, a decent range across genres like folk, blues, rock, country and pop, and the honesty to tell a client if I think a different approach would serve their song better than what they originally asked for. Beyond that, I just try to do right by the track, within whatever I'm capable of.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: When a client sends me a project, I start by listening closely to the reference or rough mix and going over any direction they've given like tempo, key, genre, and the feel they're after. If anything's unclear, I'll ask before starting rather than guess. For session guitar, I dial in tone using my guitars, amps, and pedal setup (or amp sims when that fits better), and record a few takes so the client has real options rather than one locked-in performance. If a part could reasonably go more than one way, I'll often track both and let them choose. I comp the best takes and deliver clean, dry WAV files that drop straight into their session. For production, I start from a rough idea, voice memo, or bare vocal/guitar and build the arrangement around it like instrumentation, structure, and sound design choices that serve the song, checking in with the client at key stages rather than presenting a finished version out of nowhere. For mixing, I work through balance, EQ, and dynamics first, then add character and depth with saturation, effects, and spatial processing, always referencing against the artist's intended genre and comparable tracks so the mix translates well across systems. Across all three services, I always leave room for revisions if the direction needs to shift once a client hears it in context, I'll adjust at no extra charge within the included rounds. I keep communication open throughout, with quick updates and a call available anytime it'd get us to the right result faster.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My setup is built around a Mac Mini M2 Pro and a MacBook Pro M3 Pro, so I can track and mix seamlessly whether I'm in the studio or working remotely. For interfacing, I run a Universal Audio Apollo x4 through a Furman power conditioner. Mic-wise, I mainly use two Avantone Pro CV-12s for versatile large-diaphragm capture, a Shure SM57 for guitar amps and snare, Universal Audio SP-1 Pencil modeling condenser mics and a Sontronics Solo for dynamic vocal and instrument work. For monitoring, I mix on Yamaha HS8 studio monitors and check translation on Sennheiser HD 650 and Audio-Technica headphones. On the instrument side, I've got a solid collection of guitars, amps, and pedals to cover a wide range of tones — clean and articulate to driven and textured — plus a large plugin library for production, mixing, and sound design. Between the hardware and software, I can usually get close to any tone a client is after without needing to leave my own room.

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

A: On the guitar side, I pull a lot from Tame Impala, Billie Marten, Madison Cunningham, Marcus King, Taylor York, Slash, The Black Keys, and Jimmy Page — a mix of texture, feel, and riff-driven playing that shapes how I approach different tones and parts. On the production side, I look up to Kevin Parker, Blake Mills, Ethan Gruska, Nigel Godrich, Greg Kurstin, James Ford, and Danger Mouse, Jack Antonoff, Finneas and many others. They are producers who each have a strong, recognizable sonic identity while still knowing how to serve the song first. I try to bring that same balance into my own work: distinctive character without losing sight of what the track actually needs.

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

A: Most of my work is remote session guitar recording. Clients typically send me a rough mix or reference track along with a bit of direction — the tempo, the vibe they're going for, and where in the song they need guitar (rhythm, lead, texture, or all three). I track a few takes and part options in my own setup, then deliver clean, dry WAV files that drop straight into their session and sit well in the mix without needing much extra processing.