Vintage soul with PHAT pocket!

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

A: When I was 20 years old I was asked to do a full length album for a Norwegian Pop group called Playn (I think it’s still on Spotify). I was the drummer on the session and we did it in Oslo, Norway at rainbow studios which is a breathtaking studio. I worked with Grammy winning producers and arrangers. It was a formative time of my life reassuring me that I was on the path I wanted to be on.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am currently in the mixing and mastering phase of a live EP. Getting ready for the holiday craziness. And of course getting on SoundBetter so that I can work with lovely artist such as whoever is reading this.

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

A: Mike Maimone. A truly awesome producer/pianist/writer. I work with Mike often and it’s amazing how he can change songs that I was not excited about into sonic landscapes that I couldn’t imagine and stories I wanted to hear.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. It’s amazing what we can do with technology but there is some thing about analog gear that is always going to be a special. Probably because we’ve been listening to those amazing older records and it is imprinted in our identity.

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

A: That I will always try to do my absolute best at meeting your demands. I take it very seriously that I get to be a part of your art and that means a lot to me that you would give me that privilege. So I do the best with that that I possibly can.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Working with others in a creative process.

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

A: How much some thing cost to which I usually reply it depends on the project.

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

A: That playing music for your living is always fun and easy. It is a job just like anything else and you show off every day and do it. Being a professional in any profession is a challenge.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Try to find someone based on similar interests in music and that is willing to be a part of the collaborative process.

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

A: Try to find someone based on similar interests in music and that is willing to be a part of the collaborative process.

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

A: Drum kit, cymbals, Mac, headphones, & Slingerland 60’s snare.

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

A: My career path started when I was eight years old and wanted to be just like Steve Gadd. Steve is a world renowned studio and live touring drummer. In high school I studied a lot of jazz and big band as well as playing in local rock bands in Illinois. For college I went to Berkeley College of music to further my education which was a great Time of my life. After school I moved to Chicago for around 10 years and pursued many original projects as well as session drumming, and cover band work. Then in 2017 I moved to Nashville Tennessee to further explore my studio/session aspirations. I also play in jobbing bands here and a few original acts.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Modern vintage

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

A: Current: Matt Corby, Foy Vance, Oliver Wood, Jamie Cullum, Childish Gambino, Anderson .Paak, Bruno Mars, John Mayer, Lizzo, and many more. Older: Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Bill Withers, The Band, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Donny Hathaway, and so many more.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Yes the tip I would give is actually a John Lennon tip. You know that you have a good song if it can be played only on acoustic guitar/piano and sung and it’s still interesting. Also great songs are always going to be about the story and the performance.

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

A: A lot of singer-songwriter, rock, soul, blues, funk, pop, and New Orleans funk.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is adaptability and being aware of what this song needs rather than my needs as a drummer.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a lot of feel and energy. My number one goal is to get in the mindset of the song’s emotion. If I can enhance the emotionality of a song with a groove that ties a listener to it then my job has been done. I definitely try to stay more in the pocket while often trying to keep the energy of a song with a well time to fill etc. Being a musical drummer is some thing I take as the highest compliment.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Once I receive the track and the click track by then input them into my session. I have a template so I’m typically up and running in a few minutes and getting sounds/gain staging etc. Then I usually look at any notes if there are any and play through the song once or twice to get a feel for it. I start tracking as soon as I can because sometimes the early takes are spontaneously great. once I feel I have a track that is good for me I make a rough mix and send that to the artist to see if we’re on the same page as far as feel, arrangement, overall vibe of what they’re going for. Then they send back what they like or don’t like and I start tracking again. Often we do one or two revisions and then my part of the process is completed.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I run a universal Apollo X8P with eight additional input from a Phoenix audio DRS8 which is a new style mic pre. 16 total tracks. My DAW of choice is UA’s Luna. I use 80s Gretsch Maple drums for the larger rock sizes 22, 13, 16, and a vintage 60s Slingerland for more of a tubby warm sound. The Gretsch are much more bright and have a whiter tuning range but the Slingerland definitely have a vibe that is more vintage. I have many Sarah drums that fit different sounds from a 7 x 14 brass that is great for very deep tunings and very rock oriented snare sounds, a vintage Slingerland for that vintage warmth. On a and F 3 x 14 piccolo brass for a bright hip-hop snare, an aluminum Tama 6 x 14 for an all-around sound with great tuning range and sounds very warm for a metal snare, and a go to of mine is the Ludwig 5 x 14 Supraphonic.

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

A: Levon Helm, Steve Jordan, The Wood Brothers, Foy Vance, Radiohead, Jamie Cullum, Bill Withers, James Gadson, Steve Gadd, Paul Simon, John Mayer, D’Angelo, John Bonham, the Beatles, Clyde Stubblefield, Matt Corby, Tower Of Power, David Garibaldi, Jimi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell, Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Grohl, and so many more.

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

A: People send me songs and then I send multi drum tracks out to them typically with EQ and very little else. Sometimes they let me do a little bit more of the creative side of the drum editing like compression/saturation/effects.