What kind of music creative are you?
I am a musician, singer/songwriter, and a producer.
What inspired you to start creating music?
My dad was a very good pianist and my main musical influence. He'd play jazz and Big Band music in the house like Henry Mancini, Herb Alpert, and Sergio Mendes.
I started playing drums in the 3rd grade, then trombone in 6th, then switched to piano in high school where I started writing music. I went down to L.A. in college and got encouraging feedback from music publishers, but decided I didn't want to write for the market, so I just kept writing songs that meant something to me.
What is your studio setup?
Having worked on a Mac for years, I was drawn to Logic Pro, using an Alesis V49 MIDI keyboard, and a USB mic (I'm new to the world of DAWs as of January 2022). I've got an acoustic and electric guitar and ukulele that I'm a beginner at.
"I've written a children's album, a special CD for hospice, music for life coaching, songs about dementia, personal growth and transformation."
Do you play any musical instruments?
I bang on the piano and that's what I write most songs on. I've written a few songs on guitar and ukelele just using a few chords.
What type of projects are you currently working on?
It's never been intentional, but I mostly write songs with universal, life-affirming messages, so the lyrics and message usually come first. The genres are all over the place but I did grow up in the 70's so that has influenced by musical tastes a lot (e.g. soft rock).
I've written a children's album, a special CD for hospice, music for life coaching, songs about dementia, personal growth and transformation. I'm doing a Write-a-Song-a-Week Challenge this year as I'm learning to use Logic Pro.
I've taken some online classes on songwriting and producing this year and one of the assignments was to write a song for an artist. I chose a 25-year-old singer from Belgium (she was on The Voice in Belgium) who likes Sinatra, so I wrote a song in that style you can listen to here. That's where I came across all the great tracks from We Sound Human.
I'm writing a musical this year -- the script, the lyrics and the music. I see it as a Disney animated movie. That's been lots of fun and a totally new genre for me.
What is your creation process?
I usually start with a subject or song title and then sit down at the piano and work on a hook or chorus. For the first time, just last month, I started a song from a simple beat. Usually a strong emotion inspires me to sit down and write, although this year's Write-a-Song-a-Week Challenge has encouraged me to write about most anything.
What project are you the proudest of?
In 2012, I founded World Singing Day which is a global singing celebration to bring people together in their communities around the world by simply singing together on the 3rd Saturday in October each year.
Ever since I starting writing songs as a teenager, music has always been a way for me to connect with that wiser, more joyful part of myself. It's where I feel most in tune with myself. In a way, World Singing Day is an extension of that connection that we all have with the wiser, more joyful part of ourselves, and with each other.
I thought, what do we, as human beings, all share that not only brings us together, but does so in a fun and joyful way. What human activity could we do together that most everyone can do that would elicit joy and human connection? Music is the international language and singing is something we can all do together.
So, in 2011 I came up with the idea of World Singing Day (WSD). I looked at an international calendar and didn't see much happening around the third week in October so I chose the third Saturday in October for WSD. It's the autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere so the weather in many places would be more likely to be pleasant for outdoor events.
WSD is not a performance or competition but rather a community-building event. It's participatory and active and works best when people stand and sing.
WSD is an annual global singing celebration where people sing together in their communities. Ideally it looks like community members gathering in the center of town for an hour or two singing popular songs that most people are familiar with and that are easy to sing to, no matter your singing ability or experience. People sing along to recorded or live music, and lyrics may be projected on a wall or screen, read from people's phones or from lyric sheets. It also looks like students singing at school, seniors singing together at senior centers, and choirs and bands leading the public in sing-alongs.
If you're interested in participating in World Singing Day, visit www.WorldSingingDay.org
Why do you choose We Sound Human libraries?
I'm relatively new to using a DAW and now a whole new world has opened up. I was fortunate to come across We Sound Human libraries and now that new world has expanded even more. The Big Band Horns library and the Gypsy Cafe library makes working with a DAW so much easier and expands the possibilities of my songwriting and developing skill as a producer. These libraries really do sound human!
Where can people hear your music?
You can sample my music here on Spotify.
"In 2012, I founded World Singing Day which is a global singing celebration to bring people together in their communities around the world by simply singing together on the 3rd Saturday in October each year."
Explore the sounds of Big Bad Horns Vol. 1!
Born out of the wild, raw power, and elegant fury of molten metal, Big Bad Horns emerges with the raw and rockin sounds of modern and classic horn band legends. This massive collection of samples, big band loops, and sounds is a tribute to groups like Harry Connick Jr, Maroon 5, Tower of Power, Count Basie Big Band, Chicago, Mark Anthony, Glen Miller Orchestra, Blood Sweat and Tears, Ohio Players, and a host of others.
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Discover The Sounds Of Big Band.
- Includes: 13 GB (15 kits) big band music samples.
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- Drums: Grooves, multitrack, loops & one-shots.
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- Formats: All music DAWs, loop & editing software.
- Price: $129
Explore the sounds of Gypsy Cafe!
Travel back to the old country where the soft glow of flickering candlelight lit your way to the band of gypsies serenading the moon at the gypsy cafe. Enjoy this vast collection of old time romanticism in the modern age.
Traditional sounds of the mandolin, gypsy jazz guitar, accordion, wine glasses together with modern instruments like electric guitar, bass and drums gives you that old world vibe your tracks crave. The entire library is hand-crafted and has been painstakingly woven together from a mixture of Gipsy Jazz, Parisian, and Italian music to create the perfect combination of old meets new.
Explore your bohemian side and discover the hidden world of the gypsies.
- Includes: 5.2 GB (9 kits) gypsy jazz music samples.
- Styles: Gypsy Jazz, Parisian, and Italian sounds.
- Instruments: Mandolin, accordion, guitar & more.
- Drums: Grooves, multitrack, loops & one-shots.
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- Crafted for: Composers, producers, musicians.
- Formats: All music DAWs, loop & editing software.
- Price: $69