Gritty, Soulful Male Vocalist

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

A: One project I'm especially proud of started with me recording several completely different character takes to explore who the singer should be. The client found one he liked and was ready to use it, but I told him not to because we were still developing the idea, and I didn't think we had found the song yet. As we worked, I recorded a few partial takes through the chorus because I wasn't completely understanding what he was hearing there. Instead of guessing our way through a finished track, we used those takes to communicate. Each one helped him describe the vision more clearly and helped me understand what he was reaching for. On the eighth take, he said, “That's the one.” That's one of my favorite moments I've had doing this. He'd had some disappointing experiences before and had been willing to settle for something that was simply good enough. Instead, we kept working until we found the performance he had actually been hearing in his head. I helped make the process a good experience along the way. My role was developing the vocal melody, character, phrasing, and performance. I'm especially proud that it didn't end with that song. We continue to collaborate on more music now.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Right now I'm working on a blues song with my dad, which has been a really fun personal project, and I'm also working through a series of songs for a client with a punchy, melodic punk/alternative-rock sound. I'm developing the vocal melodies and performances across the project, finding the character and energy that fits each song. It's a fun contrast—one project has me deep in the blues, while the other lets me explore a completely different kind of attitude and delivery.

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

A: I'm new to SoundBetter, so I haven't had the chance to work with enough people here to make a recommendation yet. I'd rather recommend someone because I've actually worked with them and trust their work than just throw out a name.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital tools, acoustic soul. I work in software for a living, so I love what digital technology lets us do. The flexibility, experimentation, and ability to create without needing a room full of expensive gear. But when it comes to sound, I'm usually drawn toward things that feel organic. Give me an acoustic guitar, a harmonica, real percussion, and a voice with some texture. So I don't think I'm really analog vs. digital. I like using modern tools to capture sounds that still feel human.

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

A: I'll give your song my best. While we're working on it, your project matters to me, and I want to understand the vision you're chasing and help bring it to life. I'll communicate, I'll listen, I'll bring ideas, and I'll put real effort into the performance. Just as importantly, I want the process to be a good experience. Making music should be something we both enjoy.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love getting to create with people. Finding the character, experimenting with the performance, and figuring out what makes the song come alive. But the best part is that moment when the client listens and says, “Yeah, you nailed it!” That's the moment. You took something they were hearing in their head, brought your own creativity to it, and somehow landed on exactly what they were hoping to feel.

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

A: I haven't been doing client work long enough to honestly claim there's one question I get most often yet. What I can tell you is that I don't need everything figured out before we start. Give me the track, the lyrics, any references you have, and tell me what you're trying to make the listener feel. If you already have a vocal melody or specific direction, great. If you don't, that's part of the creative work I enjoy doing.

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

A: That we can just listen to your track and automatically know what you're hearing in your head. The music tells me a lot, but it can't tell me everything about your vision. A reference, a feeling, a character, or even a few words about what you want the listener to experience can completely change the performance. My job is to bring something creative to the song, but the better I understand what you're reaching for, the better I can help get it there. I can always give you something, but I want to give you your vision.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Who is the person singing this song? What are they feeling, and what do you want the listener to feel? What references do you have? Not necessarily to copy, but to help me understand the sound, energy, or attitude you're after? And finally, how much direction do you already have for the vocal versus how much room do you want me to explore? Once I understand the character, the emotion, and the boundaries, I can start finding the performance.

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

A: Try to communicate your vision in a way that gives a creative person something to work with, not a script to follow. Tell me what the song should feel like, who the character is, what you want the listener to experience, and share references that capture what you're hearing. The clearer you are about the destination, the more freedom we have to find an interesting way to get there.

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

A: A good camping knife with a ferro rod, a container for water, a fishing kit, a harmonica, and a satellite phone. I'm assuming everyone else is bringing microphones and compressors. I'm getting us off the island. I'll play the harmonica while we wait.

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

A: I actually thought I'd end up in an a cappella group with my brothers when I was a kid. I sang and performed in grade school, including an ensemble that performed at malls and other events, but then life took over. I played around with harmonica as a young adult. This was back before you could learn almost anything from the internet. But music eventually took a back seat to a career in software and IT. About a year ago, I found my way back to performing. It started when my wife was developing a character for a burlesque show. I wrote a song for her act and decided to sing it live as part of the performance. That opened the door again, and I've been running through it ever since: studying voice, writing and recording music, performing live, and doing vocal work for other artists. So my professional music career is relatively new, but performing isn't. In a lot of ways, it feels less like I started something new and more like I finally came back to something I left behind.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is "all in". When I step into a performance, I want to sing my heart out and leave something real in it. Every project I work on is THE project while I'm working on it. I want to find the emotion, feel it myself, and then give it to the audience. Technique matters, but ultimately I want someone listening to forget about the singer and just feel the song.

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

A: I don't really have one dream artist. I'd rather work with someone who's serious about creating something great, but not so serious that there's only one acceptable way to get there. The best collaborations happen when everyone brings ideas, experiments, listens to each other, and isn't afraid to follow something unexpected when it works. Give me a great song, an open mind, and room to create. That's the artist I want to work with.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Think about what job each instrument is doing instead of whether an instrument “should” be there. Every part should have a reason for taking up space in the song. One of my favorite tests is to mute a track and listen again. What changed? What did you lose? If you can't tell, or if the song actually feels better without it, you probably don't need it. Serve the song, not the track count.

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

A: I gravitate toward music where the vocal can really make you feel something and the arrangement supports the performance rather than competing with it. That can be soul, blues, rock, classic rock, country, or something completely different. To me, it's more about the feeling than the genre. When I'm working on someone else's music, I'm comfortable adapting to the style the song calls for. My favorite projects are the ones where I can find a character, step into their world, and deliver the lyric like I mean it.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is finding the character of a song and delivering it convincingly. I can take a lyric, imagine who is singing it and why, and build the phrasing, attitude, and emotion around that person. I also have a naturally textured, gritty voice that I can lean into when a song calls for more edge, soul, or rawness.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring character and presence. The things that make a vocal feel like someone means it. I don't just want to sing the right notes; I want to find the personality of the song and sell the story behind it. Whether it needs grit, swagger, vulnerability, restraint, or raw emotion, I want the vocal to feel lived-in and believable.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: When I'm recording for someone else, I start by getting completely immersed in the song. I'll listen to music in the genre, study any references I'm given, and listen to the client's track more times than I can count. I usually build a character in my head. The person whose story this is, and I imagine how that person would actually sing it. I'll often start with a scratch track that's just spoken phrasing, sometimes before I've even settled on a melody. From there I experiment with different melodies, phrasing, dynamics, and approaches, listening back until something feels right. Once I've found the voice of the song, I perform from that character's perspective and comp the strongest parts into the final vocal. My own music develops a little differently. I usually know how I want the song to feel, so I'm looking for the thing that unlocks it. Maybe a chord progression, groove, rhythm, or musical idea. I'll build a rough vocal to establish the structure and timing, then gradually add instruments and shape the arrangement around it. Once the song has its identity, I record the final vocals and finish the instrumentation, percussion, and other layers that give it body.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio started in a walk-in closet and eventually grew until I completely took over the spare bedroom. I record through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 with a condenser mic in an acoustically treated space, with foam treatment throughout the room. These days there are instruments everywhere: guitars, keys, percussion, and an ever-growing collection of harmonicas. It's a comfortable, dedicated space where I can record, experiment, and focus on getting the performance right.

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

A: I'm inspired by artists with unmistakable voices and performances that feel lived in. Tyler Childers, Chris Stapleton, Ray Charles, Etta James, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Janis Joplin, Marilyn Manson, and many others across very different genres. What connects them for me isn't a particular style; it's emotion, character, and conviction. I also love arrangements that know when to get out of the way where the music supports the vocal, builds the atmosphere, and gives the performance room to tell the story.

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

A: I provide lead vocals for original songs, bringing the melody, phrasing, dynamics, and emotion that turn a track and lyrics into a finished vocal performance. I work especially well in blues, rock, and country, and can deliver multiple takes or interpretations to help find the right feel for the song. I also offer songwriting and lyric work when a project needs more development.