Session Vocalist, songwriter

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

A: My solo album with Scott Kinsey - Adjustments. Available on Spotify. It’s got my songs and it was my first step outside of my former sound.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: A live Weather Report big band record where I sang one song on the Köln Philharmonic stage… we are producing a studio perfect live recording now of this. Also, I’m making a song with Mohini Dey (bass), it’s pretty cool! And I have a group of friends we call FYSTS, and we are releasing videos we made at East West Studios in Hollywood.

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

A: Tim Lefebvre - Bass. Scott Kinsey - keyboards and producer. Mohini Dey (are you on here?) -bass Junior Braghuina - bass Hadrien Feraud - bass (are you on here?)

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I can work with whatever you’ve got or prefer. I personally use digital because it’s sounding amazing nowadays. I’m keeping up on the latest plugin updates.

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

A: I promise to ensure to the best of my ability we achieve music we both like. I strive to create things that are timeless whenever that is a possibility.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The entire art of singing creatively and professionally.

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

A: Yes.

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

A: That my job is simple, fast, and easy. No. I spend 20 hours maybe, to perfect a vocal song. Maybe there’s writing I’m doing, tracking multiple parts, making ideas that become definitive for your song. Plus there’s my editing and mixing, which is a week or so, at least. So, it’s more than anybody even thinks. Not to mention, it takes a lot of time in one’s life to become a ME.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: …”so let me hear it”

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

A: Make your tracks for me first. If you need help making pro tracks I can recommend people on this site! Start with a keyboard player producer. It always turns out best. Prepare to spend, when it comes to then getting great players. You need to pay me, and also them. So keep a budget.

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

A: My 4 piece recording setup and a battery. Plus a great producer.

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

A: Singer through and through. Started at age 3 when my mom put me onstage. Pretended to pee in my hat and got kicked out. I immediately went back and got in again. Spent the rest of my life singing. I was performing in Broadway shows for 8 years, choirs for 5, rock/blues career for a decade after that, and jazz fusion records for the last 4 years. I have made a living since 18!

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: The unique voice known as Mer Sal- one foot in the 20th century vintage R&B/Rock/Pop vibes mentally, mixed with a gritty used up jazz funk chest voice and breathy beautiful head voice… Dynamic voice- multiple sounds in one!

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

A: It was Jeff Beck. His tracks have so much room. Paul McCartney is my equal favorite. I appreciate a great songwriter. And his rock voices/song characters he goes into… he invented them!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Plugins are everything… they can make your great mic even greater. A little tuning (not over tuning) is okay.

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

A: It’s all varied at this time of my career. I’ve done a lot of pop, blues, R&B, classical, cinematic, jazz fusion, jazz, rock, heavy rock, folk… The last three projects have been one jazz fusion and one track with one of rock’s most beloved metal drummers.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I can sound like anything. I can seriously be a bird. Or Whitney Houston. I can mimic anything. I can bring absolutely any sound or idea into a song I’m singing.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I sing it like I mean it. I bring beauty.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: No project is the same. But my favorite one was one where a producer made the tracks and hired me to write and sing whatever I felt. So I wrote all my parts and worked a few weeks on adding and perfecting parts digitally and sent all of the stems back to him. He was pleased and I had the time to make it better than it would’ve been.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Lauten LT-386 (new), Bock/Soundeluxe, MOTU interface, Digital Performer and able to work on other DAWS. Latest WAVES plugins. Various voice plugins…

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

A: Inspired by working closely a few years with Scott Kinsey (Producer and engineer for such music projects as Oceans 11/David Holmes films, Tribal Tech, Scott Henderson, ARC trio, Human Element, Tim Hagans, Mike Miller, Zawinul/Faces and Places…. I consider him special…

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

A: Songwrite and Engineer, Produce my Vocals