News
February 2012
Congratulations to Gordon Goodwin for winning a Grammy for his arrangement of Rhapsody In Blue (Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band)!!!
October 2011
Grammy News:
I just found out that one of my solos was selected for the first round of the 2012 Grammy nominations. “Everlasting,” off the new album by Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band was accepted into category #30 for Improvised Jazz Solo!
Dr. Drew’s Lifechangers:
I’ve recently been involved with producing the music for a new daytime talk show on the CW network starring Dr. Drew called Dr. Drew’s Lifechangers. It airs every weekday at 3 and 3:30pm in most markets - check it out if you have a chance!
Japan Benefit Album:
I was delighted to participate in the album Shine On! Songs Volume 1. All proceeds from sale of the album benefit the Tyler Foundation (www.tylershineon.org) and their work with children in Japan, especially in the earthquake / tsunami-stricken region. The album features new woks by Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band and many other artists and can be purchased at: http://www.shineonsongs.org/products-page/ or on iTunes.
June 2011
New Releases:
“Crazy, Stupid, Love” opens in theaters July 29th. The score was composed by the brilliant young composer Chris Beck. I had the honor of performing on it along with two of my heroes, studio guitar legends George Doering and Dean Parks.
The new album from Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band was released on April 12th and debuted at Number 1 on the iTunes Jazz Charts! We’ve been busy supporting the new record and the audience reaction has been great!
January 2011
Grammy News:
I just found out that the Poncho Sanchez record I played on, Psychedelic Blues, has been nominated for a Grammy!
October 2010
Session News:
I recently played classical guitar on the debut album by the incredible young opera singer Jackie Evancho, from “America’s Got Talent.” The tracks were recorded live at Capitol with a 50-piece orchestra, a real thrill for me. The album, “O Holy Night,” will be released November 16.
I got a chance to play some flamenco guitar on the upcoming motion picture “Little Fockers,” starring Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Owen Wilson, Barbra Streisand, and Blythe Danner. The release date is December 22.
LA Phil:
I had the opportunity to perform with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, along with featured guest was legendary flutist James Galway. A million thanks to my friend and guitar guru Paul Viapiano for the referral.
July 2010
I’m honored to be performing with The Miles Evans Band (son of legendary arranger Gil Evans) at Catalina’s on July 15th. This incredible band features Darryl Jones from The Rolling Stones, as well as Bob Sheppard, Doug Webb, Mitch Forman and Bernie Dresel. We will also be recording very, very soon!
June 2010
Grammy News:
I just found out that a record I did for a very cool Latin Rock band “La 5ª Estación” band won a 2010 Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album and a 2009 Latin Grammy for Best Pop Album by a Duo or Group - I should really pay a little better attention...
Neighbors From Hell on TBS:
I have been recording Electric Guitar, Steel String, Nylon String, Bass, Mandolin, Banjo, and Dobro for a new series on TBS called Neighbors From Hell. It’s a very cool animated show in the style of South Park and the music is “bluegrass meets metal.” The series premier is June 7th - check your local listings!
May 2010
Sex In The City 2:
A few months ago, I did a session for a scene from the new movie Sex In The City 2. It looks like it will finally be released on May 27th!
New Releases:
I recently recorded the first track from the new Marc Anthony record Iconos, which will be released May 25th.
Chayanne’s new album No Hay Imposibles was recently released. I played on the first single, which actually features a guitar solo!
April 2010
I’m very honored to be playing with the one and only Eric Marienthal at the 2010 Bob Kames Foundation Jazz Festival in Milwaukee, WI. We’re playing on April 17th at 7pm, and special guest Brian Culbertson will be joining us on a few songs.
Mogami Endorsement:
Thanks to my pal Randy Fuchs at Artist Relations, I’ve secured an endorsement with Mogami Cables. Mogami makes what are, in my opinion, the best sounding cables in the world and I recently rewired my whole studio and guitar rig with their cables!
New Tracks:
February 2010
Session News:
Going into the studio next week to start work on the new Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band record. Really looking forward to it! Should be released later this year.
American Idol Promo:
Fox is currently airing a promo I played on for season nine of American Idol. You can watch it here.
PRS Guitars:
After nearly 15 years of playing my PRS Custom 24 guitar, I’m honored to be recognized as one of their Artists. You can view their Arist page here. I’m listed under “Producers and Session Players.”
November 2009
It’s been a busy couple of months since my last news update. This summer I moved to Burbank, CA and began a major overhaul on my studio with the help of a great engineer, Mike Aarvold. The walls and ceilings have been treated with custom bass traps and diffusers from WaveGuide Acoustic Solutions. The results are astounding. It’s really a pleasure to work in there and most importantly I know that the tracks I record there will sound great anywhere. Eventually I hope to post some video showing the studio and detailing my guitar rig.
Session News:
I recently worked on a whole series of commercials for PBS. I played electric guitar, steel string, nylon string, mandolin, and dobro. They should be airing soon. Here is a short video excerpt featuring some nylon string guitar playing.
I’m honored to be a featured guest on the new album by Poncho Sanchez - “Psychedelic Blues.” Poncho has scarcely used guitar in his 30-year career and was looking to add a guitarist to the lineup for his upcoming
Willie Bobo (pre-Santana funk/latin/jazz) tribute record. A fellow Phat Band member Francisco Torres got me an audition and I guess I did my homework right because Poncho immediately asked me to start playing some gigs around town with him and ultimately record the new album. What a great thrill it was to record an entire record in the course of just a few days, everyone playing live in the same room together, no punching in. Here is a excerpt from the title track. The record is now available on Concord records. Here is a link to a press release where Poncho talks a little bit about the audition process.
I played a whole bunch of funk guitar on a trailer for a new Chris Rock movie called “Good Hair.” Here is a link to the trailer. The music is mixed pretty low, but it’s a funny trailer nonetheless....
Gigs and more:
This summer I performed with Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band at the Hollywood Bowl. What a dream come true to play at such an iconic venue where I’ve witnessed so many great performances.
I’ve been playing a few shows with the well-known Broadway singer Lea Salonga. The band contains some of the finest musicians from the east and west coasts and the guitar book is a challenging and rewarding thrill to pull off, sight unseen. Special thanks to the amazing LA guitarist Paul Viapiano for the recommendation and guidance.
A few months ago I had the pleasure of accompanying Carol Kaye for a European documentary about the LA session scene. Carol is a legendary studio musician who played on countless classic albums, TV shows and movies - a veritable soundtrack of American pop culture. Check out her fascinating website for credits, history and a inside look into LA’s “wrecking crew.”
Production:
I’ve recently caught a few of my tracks on TV and radio - Jimmy Kimmel Live!, MTV cribs and FOX have been using them for skits, promos and underscoring.
February 2009
I recently played some banjo, mandolin, guitar, and sound effects on a crazy animated film by Rob Zombie called “El Superbeasto.” Not sure if it will be playing in theaters, but if you’re at all familiar with Rob Zombie you can guess the general plot. It’s Out!
Also, I am honored to be appearing with the legendary Latin artist Poncho Sanchez this Friday February 27th at Vitello’s in Studio City. There are sets at 7:30 and 9:30. Come out and watch this Gringo try to hang!
December 2008
This year has been incredible - In January I went to Japan with Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band. The “Phat Band” comprises 18 of LA’s finest session players doing some of the most fun and challenging music I’ve experienced. Some of the musicians in the band include Eric Marienthal, Wayne Bergeron, Andy Martin, and Bernie Dressel (Brian Setzer's long-time drummer). Their previous guitarists include two of my heroes, studio greats Carl Verheyen and Grant Geissman, so no pressure, right? We played at the Tokyo Blue Note for six nights doing two sets a night. It was an unbelievable experience. The people there were so nice and really enjoyed the music. Upon returning to LA, to my utter amazement, I was asked to join the band! Over the past year we have done performances and clinics all over the country and even went back to Japan for a second time. To be able to play with a band of this caliber has been a career highlight for me, literally a dream come true! And it gets better - I got to record the new record, which was produced by the legendary guitarist Lee Ritenour! Lee plays on a couple of songs along with special guests Chick Corea, Dave Grusin, Patti Austin and Nathan East. Also, it was just announced that the record was nominated for three Grammys!!!
Somehow I also found time to go on tour with American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. I don’t usually like to be out of town for long periods of time but this was a special case - we were opening for Ne-Yo and Alicia Keys! Doing the tour afforded me the opportunity to play stadiums all over the U.S. like Madison Square Garden and perform for festival crowds of 30,000+ in Europe. Other highlights include Regis & Kelly and performing in the middle of Times Square.
I’ve also had the chance to work on some other really great recording projects this year. In addition to the usual commercial stuff there are some creative highlights. The electronica duo Bitter:Sweet has a new album called “Drama.” Regrettably I wasn’t able to do their annual summer tour but I did play on the album. My friend Ian Hopkinson’s record should be out early next year. He let me get away with a ton of gratuitous shredding and the guitar plays a real prominent role throughout the record. I also produced a record for Ventura singer-songwriter Delany Gibson. It was a great learning experience; I co-wrote a few of the songs and of course played tons of guitar, banjo, mandolin, etc...
That’s it for now, here’s looking forward to 2009!!!