Bio

This isn't my life biography, but rather one that focuses on creativity. I chose Agent of Creativity, partly because it made me chuckle, but also because it wasn't exclusive. Sure, I could have posted producer•engineer•songwriter•graphic designer•brother•son•friend•globetrotter, etc but then, if you know me at all, then you know that the world fascinates me: jack-of-all-trades, master of some. The list would go on...

While my parents instilled the value of education at an early age, the arts have always had my heart. Choir during elementary was fun, organ lessons took that a step further. The catalyst, however, was the guitar. Listening to my godfather play guitar lit a fire in me, and I pestered my parents first for an acoustic guitar, then an electric guitar. That naturally led me to pester them for a Tascam 464 multitrack recorder and, cue the choir, AAAAAAAAH, the blissful sounds of a doubled guitar! Out the window went my ideas of being a theoretical astrophysicist (sorry, Mr. Hawking), and the only thing in my mind was how to concentrate on making music my life. My parents (love you!) would never let me get away with bailing on college, so after researching and sending in applications, I declined invites to UC Santa Cruz (although, I got a small kick when I saw John Travolta rocking a Banana Slugs tee in Pulp Fiction) and Stanford University and opted for leaving California for the warm sunny weather of Boston and Berklee College of Music!

The first semester was rather eye-opening, quite the change from traditional studies to being asked to create. I loved the experience, living and breathing music, learning so much, having access to THE recording consoles used on the records that I loved (thank you, SSL!) Near the end of my schooling, I went on the annual Berklee Nashville Trip, stopping by to visit record labels and recording studios. That was when I first stepped foot into Emerald Sound Studios, and I naturally broke away from the tour to ask about intern opportunities. More on that later. I graduated from Berklee in 1997 with a Bachelor of Music degree, dual majoring in Composition and Music Production & Engineering.

After briefly (okay, more like not seriously) considering moving to New York or back to California, I decided to pack the bags and head down to Tennessee in January of 1998, with a fellow Berklee alum, drummer Brian Pruitt. I managed to land an internship at Emerald during the Berklee trip, and a rare opportunity (for a rookie barely a week there) to assist  studio manager Milan Bogdan on a casual weekend session he was engineering. The countless hours eagerly working on the SSL's at Berklee paid off on my first session assisting, and I was hired on as a staff engineer about a month later. While there, I befriended Steve Marcantonio, having seen his name on numerous CD's that were on heavy rotation in my truck, among them Matraca Berg's Sunday Morning to Saturday Night and Deana Carter's Did I Shave My Legs For This? He (thankfully) gave me a shot at my first "big" session, as the assistant to the 2nd engineer on, oddly enough, Deana Carter's follow up album. Fast forward through freelancing years, long days and sleepless nights, and I've been fortunate to make great friends, work with talented artists and colleagues, work my way through changing times and technologies and still keep the passion that's fueled my drive. 

Playing guitar fell by the wayside for a few years while working on my career in production, but eventually, the ghosts always come back. Playing shows with Slow Dither and the Max offered a great release and memorable times. Promoting said shows and bands led to a more in-depth approach to graphic design, but also led to a resurgence in songwriting. It's all related, tied by the need to create. The story never ends, the canvas always waits.

RADIO EDIT: Currently working for Desmond Child at Deston Entertainment as Creative Director, as well as overseeing daily studio operations. Yes, I'm still available for freelance music production & engineering and songwriting!