Electric/Upright/Synth Bass

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

A: I started playing saxophone at the age of 12, but found that bass was my true musical voice at age 14. I then studied on upright all through high school while simultaneously practicing the same skills on electric. At 18, I took a moratorium from my traditional studies to focus on college, where I was a Division 1 athlete and earned a degree in Civil Engineering. For the last 4 years however, I have picked up right where I left off, diving headlong into the world of music production, recording and gigging as much as my schedule allows. I now perform in various wedding bands and my soul/pop original group Miss Milo, in addition to ghost writing for dozens of NYC local artists and production of stock music.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am working on tracking and recording the premiere album for my band Miss Milo. Very exciting stuff and very bass heavy arrangements, so there's a lot of fun to be had!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Why choose? Both have such great qualities. I enjoy using an analog front end, but the convenience (and relative affordability) of digital really makes up for any inherent or perceived shortcomings.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: First and foremost, I ask which instrument they are interested in me playing on their track. I then ask for any stylistic or tonal references, and if they have a clear-cut, defined idea or if they need me to help them develop the song into something more complete.

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

A: My best advice to prospective customers would be to have a vision in mind and be communicative. The expectations for what you want from me and what I will create given free reign may vary wildly, and that's okay! I love when a customer comes to me with a least a stylistic example in mind. It makes the initial recording process and track collaboration so much smoother.

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

A: My Roscoe Century 5 string, my upright, my acoustic guitar an interface, and a laptop with a DAW. Pretty much a small version of my current home studio setup.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Context is important here. For the most part I'm a very "serve the song" player, I try to weave together the drums and the harmonic elements of the rhythm section to create a platform on which the melody can be conveyed most effectively. I also love letting the bass shine through though, so I'd say my style is a mix between Pino Palladino, Evan Marien and Tool's Justin Chancellor, maybe with some Larry Graham thrown in for good measure.

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

A: What a question! I would love to play bass for Tom Misch, Sammi Rae, and (sadly impossible now) Chick Corea. The first two evoke the sound that I hear in my head almost perfectly, and Chick Corea was just a powerhouse whose music made me want to seriously study bass.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: For upright bass especially, the distance to the microphone makes a HUGE difference. The bass multiplier through the proximity effect can greatly impact the low end presence. A high pass filter can help tame the boominess while still maintaining the bloom in the low end which the instrument is famous for.

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

A: I work on a lot of R&B, modern jazz, rock and pop tracks, but I do manage to squeeze in some folk, country and americana from time to time.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill would have to be my versatility. I know I mentioned it several times, but I pride myself on being able to play pizzicato, fingerstyle, with a pick, slap, and tapping with above average proficiency. I also have a solid ear for tone and understand the technical side (EQ, compression, frequency analysis, etc.), so I can reverse-engineer tones with a fair degree of accuracy.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I first and foremost bring versatility. I pride myself on being able to play in a wide array of genres and nail iconic tones and styles, from the classic motown thump all the way through the brashest of modern metal. I also bring a unique approach to the bass guitar, utilizing chords and extended-range composition to showcase the entire range of the instrument.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: This is highly contingent on where I am starting in the project. If there is a bass line already programmed or tracked, I tend to copy the essential phrasing and tone pretty close to what was there, and then I'll track a bunch of fills and embellishments to give the client plenty to choose from. If starting from scratch, I tend to find a song with a similar style and see what the bassist is doing there, pulling inspiration and adding my own embellishments that I think will serve the song.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I record using a Grace Designs ALiX preamp directly into an SSL 2+ into Studio One 4. It's perfect for electric or the piezo on my upright. If needed, I have a number of effects I can place on the front end of the chain, but I lean towards mixing in the box with the plethora of high-quality plugins available.

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

A: I aspire to the likes of John Patitucci, Kenny Davis, and Stanley Clarke mostly. I love the "doubling" aspect of these musicians and how adept and at home they are on either upright or electric, and how their musicianship translates across multiple physical platforms. Alternatively, I am a huge fan of Pino Palladino, Justin Chancellor and Evan Marien. Their approaches to the bass are so unique and almost instantly identifiable.

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

A: The most common work I do is tracking electric, synth and upright bass, but I also do a decent amount of production work in the singer/songwriter realm.