Mortal Music

My musical life started at the beginning. As a tot I enjoyed the pots ‘n’ pans drum set, piano banging and guitar splang! My mother sang; my sisters too. My dad had an old snare which I used to bang on (much to the family’s displeasure.)

At age six I got my first guitar and my Aunt Jo got me going with simple chords. I’d spend a lot of time at a chair in a corner staring a large chart of chords taped to the wall. In grade school there was the concert band — with me on trombone — and piano lessons. In high school, more trombone, jazz band, All State band, music camp. Of course, guitar too, playing in the local K of C and at school dances.

At Berklee, I focused on guitar, harmony and ear training. It was there that I really began to develop my listening skills. My interest in recording stemmed from my joy of listening and my curiosity about how sounds are made.

Throughout it all, and after twenty years in the business, I remain as captivated by singing and playing and the joy of making sound as I did as a kid.

I can almost always find some aspect of a project that gets me personally involved and keeps me completely engaged. It all becomes personal and clients get my best: from the technical point of view — figuring out how to capture or create a specific sound or mood; as a producer — understanding and directing the flow of musical structures; and as a musician — creating a relaxed session which fosters good performances.