I can be anyone you want me to be. 

It’s my job. I am a chameleon. A session person. 

If a client asks me to jump rope, I ask what string gauge the rope should be. 

If they ask for “20s speakeasy guitar but played by Iron Maiden” (if anyone dared ask) I would serve it up with a wink, nod, and smile. 

The shapeshifter skillset has opened many doors for me in my professional life. I very consciously developed these skills as a young musician. I learned to play this way, not just because I’d become more…

I peaked at sixteen. 

Okay that’s a lie. But looking back, something about being that age was magical. 

Driving solo with the windows down. Blasting mix CDs of sparkling pop songs while the sun set around me. Street lamps glowing like halos over dark suburban streets. Music never felt bigger and I never felt smaller. 

Wouldn’t it be nice if we were older? Then we wouldn’t have to wait so long. 

I was chasing infinity and catching up. I wanted the whole world at once and I almost had it. My friends…

I love being on the road. Even when that road winds treacherously around the side of a mountain....without guardrails. In Dharma Bums, Jack Kerouac had the realization, after nearly summiting Colorado’s Matterhorn Peak,  that “it’s impossible to fall off mountains you fool!” 

Well...I just got back from a week on tour in Western Colorado, and with all respect to the zen wisdom of the King of the Beats, you most certainly CAN fall off mountains. I will never forget looking out the driver’s side window to…

“By not caring, you play better” - Kenny Werner 

A few days ago I was soundchecking on guitar for a regular freelance gig. The band used the extra time to do a quick runthrough of the songs. The drummer counted in the first tune and everything felt great! My tone felt like an extension of my hands. The often awkward pedalboard dance became graceful and musical movement. I heard the other players clearly and slipped into the pocket like a warm bath. 

“I’m killing today” I thought to myself, self-satisfied…

Like nearly all working musicians, Covid-19 completely turned my life upside down. The world slammed the emergency break on my career while going 70 mph on the freeway. I didn’t know who I was without the constant grind of running from recording session to rehearsal to gig. In some ways this car crash of a year was a blessing in disguise. I had been burning out fast. I worked too hard for too long without taking care of my personal wellbeing. I was becoming jaded and lost from years of overworking. The…

The internet-musician-content-industrial-complex is overflowing with information for both amateur and professional musicians alike. Any would-be musician’s musician has a near unlimited supply of YouTube channels, podcasts, and articles to get their fix. What, if anything, does a young professional freelance musician have to add to this cacophony of conflicting content?  

Firstly, this blog is going to be different from the get-rich-quick, “Top 10 Mix Tips,” type shit that is already clogging your feed. I…