Country/CCM writer, producer

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

A: I'm really proud and excited about the Emerson Day stuff coming out soon. Incredible Christian/country artist, I co-produced some songs on her debut record. Also really proud of the song that Love & the Outcome cut. That one was gift from God, I wrote it in my room by myself one day and expected about 12 people to hear it. Never imagined it would be my first cut on a major label.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Waiting to get a mix back on a CCM pop song I produced. Also trying to write as much as I can.

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

A: I don't know of anyone yet.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both! Can't beat some of the warmth and "realness" of analog, but the modern conveniences and unreal things that today's digital world can do is amazing. I feel like today's music is really a mix of both. Everyone uses ProTools or Logic to record in. So therefore something about every song is digital unless you're recording to tape, which no one does anymore. That's why I love Universal Audio, they've taken the old-school analog gear and put it in our computers.

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

A: I will serve you to the best of my ability to make sure you have a record you're happy with and can be proud to share with the world.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Taking a song from an idea in your head to a reality coming from your speakers and then watching how it affects people in the real world. It's the coolest thing ever.

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

A: How long until it's finished? It depends, but from start to finish we can usually finish a song (or group of songs) in 3-4 months.

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

A: That I hang out in some fancy Nashville studio all day, lol. I don't. I work out of a spare bedroom as my home studio and I love it!

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What do you want your record to sound like? What are some of your favorite records right now?

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

A: Know what you want. Trust your gut and your instincts. They're not lying to you. Also, know that a career in music is an investment, much like someone would invest in a college education. It's not cheap to hire good songwriters, producers, musicians, engineers, etc. If you're gonna invest the money in getting a great record, have a plan to distribute your record and get out and play as many shows as you can so you can find fans who want to listen to your music. It's no use to have a great sounding record but then you stay in your bedroom and never take it out into the real world.

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

A: My Gibson LG-2, Mac mini, MIDI controller, Apollo Twin and headphones... Do cables count as gear? Because if they do then I guess I'd just take my Gibson, 3 picks and an extra set of strings.

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

A: I played music in my little hometown church for 10 years, starting in 2011. I started as a drummer and then eventually was leading worship, playing guitar and directing the band. I started writing songs during that time and to my surprise, people actually liked them! From there I just tried to learn and get better with each song I'd write and produce. In 2020 I got a call to play acoustic guitar for Anne Wilson when her song "My Jesus" took off. I moved to Nashville in October 2022 and have been writing and producing for other artists besides myself since.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I'm pretty easy going, but I like to make creative decisions with conviction. If something isn't right, it isn't right. If something is right, it's right! Trust your instincts, your gut more than the opinions of people.

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

A: You! Lol, for real though. I'm super grateful for anyone who trusts me to produce their music or wants to write with me.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Reference other songs! Study your favorite records and the songs you want your song to sound like. What creative decisions did they make? What instrument and sound choices? How does the arrangement flow? Also, less is more. I know a lot of people who are talented, great musicians but they play too much. Everything has to support the vocal and tell the story with most impact.

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

A: Christian and country music.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Probably my ear. I'm usually able to pick out what's special in a song, how to emphasize it and how that song will be perceived by people in the real world. That's relevant in songwriting and production because you want to use lyric, melody and production to make that song hit people as hard as it can.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I've had people tell me that I am good at helping artists make their song sound like what they pictured in their head. I've also been told I have good instincts and that I'm strong at arrangement. That my sound is very real and organic.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Depends on if I'm writing the song or not, sometimes I produce songs that I didn't write. If I'm writing, these days I love keeping it simple and writing on my acoustic guitar. Maybe if it's a pop song or something more piano-based I'll pull up a Keyscape piano or a Splice loop, but I usually like keeping the songwriting phase simple so that we can focus on the lyric and melody. I always say a song should be able to move a room with just an acoustic guitar and a voice. The production is just putting the best set of clothes on it. After the song is written, I usually like to sit down with the voice memo or demo and map out the arrangement first... how long is the song, how many bars are the intro, turns, instrumentals, etc. What tempo feels right? After that I like following the inspiration and figuring out what are the most interesting or important things in this song? Is it the drums? Is it a hook? Is it a guitar song or a piano song? Is this a hyped and exciting pop song with lots of programming and electronic instruments? Or a more raw and organic song with real instruments and players? Once I have a song sketched out I'll often record acoustic guitars and keyboards, (pianos, pads, organ, synths, etc.) program drums, percussion, synths or anything else the song needs. Get the song as close as I can and then I'll send it out to session players for all of the stuff I'm not as good at... live drums, electric guitars, bass guitar, choir performances, female vocals, strings and sometimes acoustics or pianos if I want something that I'm not able to achieve on my own. I work with some of the best session players in Nashville and they always take the songs up a notch. When the production is done and we have something we're all happy with, you'll come to my studio in Nashville and we'll record the vocals. Sing on my Telefunken tube microphone and once we record vocals it's time to edit them, get a rough mix together and send to mixing and mastering! If I'm mixing the song myself then I just do it myself after everything is edited. Once everything is mixed and mastered... We'll high five and I'll deliver the final .wav and .mp3 for you to distribute however you like!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work out of my home studio in Murfreesboro. Just a spare bedroom that I've converted into my studio, like a lot of others you see in Nashville these days. With a walk-in closet that's been converted into a vocal booth. I record everything through my Universal Audio Apollo and love their plugins. I work in Logic Pro. If I need other musicians I send my session out to them for them to record on remotely.

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

A: Some of my favorite producers are guys like Dann Huff, Joey Moi, Shane McAnally and Josh Osbourne and the stuff they've produced for Carly Pearce, I also love guys like Zach Crowell, Jay Joyce, Jonathan Smith and Jeff Pardo.

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

A: Songwriting and producing Christian music. As well as country music.