Producer/Musician/Composer

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

A: I tend to sit in a world that's somewhere between singer-songwriter, jazz and pop. But it's a pretty diverse bag. Really I'm in the service of great songs and great performances.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Maybe it's that I don't really have a singular, primary skill.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I think I bring sensitivity and a sense of groove and pocket to a song.

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

A: I recently recorded a version of my friend Jorge Drexler's song "Al Otro Lado Del Rio" which I adapted into English and retitled "Row On". It featured 40 singers from around the world on the chorus, and it was a beautiful way to connect with friends and artists everywhere during this crazy time. I was the principal artist, co-producer, primary musician and mixer.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm scoring a documentary film, recording on a feature film score for another composer, producing and regularly releasing original music for myself, and collaborating with friends around the world on songs from quarantine. I also release a new episode of my podcast The Third Story (which features interviews with creative people) every week.

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

A: Chris Stromquist (drummer), Marc Plotkin (composer-producer)

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Sometimes the little mistakes are the most musical part.

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

A: I try not to think of making music so much in terms of gear. I generally work at home in my studio with all of my favorite and familiar gear, but I have had the (wonderful) experience of making music with very few available tools and it's actually a very creative and rewarding experience.

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

A: I started writing and producing songs as a teenager in the 90s, and developed my musical approach in tandem with learning to record. My first professional songwriting / session gig was writing songs for the Steve Miller Band when I was 15. I began making solo records in college and starting producing for other artists shortly after. At the same time I was honing my craft as a live musician. Eventually I began scoring for tv and film as well.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Again, it really depends on the project. But my process is generally very intuitive and playful, to get my hands dirty and start working as quickly as possible.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio is the parlor floor of a Brooklyn brownstone. It's equipped with ProTools (Neve, API, UA, Wunder, UAD Preamps, Apogee converters; Bock 241, AKG 414/D112, Shure KSM 32/SM7/SM57/BETA57, Advanced Audio CM12, Cascade Fathead microphones). Focal, Genelec and Yamaha monitors. Wurlitzer and Fender Rhodes electric pianos, Musser vibraphone, Yamaha upright piano, Ludwig and Rogers drumsets (various snares and cymbals, 18" and 22" bass drums), Various electric & acoustic guitars, electric basses, amps, ukeleles, mandolin, assorted toys (glockenspiel, harmonium, melodica).

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

A: Some of my favorite producers include Larry Klein, John Leventhal, Bob Power, Steve Jordan, Michael League, Mitchell Froom, Jon Brion, Tommy LiPuma, Quincy Jones, Glyn Johns. Engineer / mixers: Tchad Blake, Ryan Hewitt, James Farber, Al Schmitt, Michael Brauer, Husky Hoskulds Artist / producers: John Mayer, Jacob Collier, Donald Fagen, Prince, Anderson .Paak

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

A: My career is quite diverse. A big part of my work has always been writing and producing songs, both for myself and for other artists. In that context, I work with the artist to develop material, record and arrange the songs. Often I play multiple instruments (drums, bass, guitar, keyboards) and behave as a kind of one-man-band, recording engineer and mixer. Obviously each case is different, and depends on the needs of the artist and the project. Sometimes I work with session players to achieve the right sound. I have also worked extensively scoring music for television commercials and film. I write, program, orchestrate and perform largely instrumental music for those projects. I also work as a remote session player, recording drums, bass, guitar or keyboards for artists around the world.