3.5+ billion streams and counting

I started playing drums at an early age, drumming in band after band until I got curious about how all the records I loved were created.

That curiosity led me from playing music to attending a recording college which lasted a whole 6 weeks until I decided I was bored and just wanted to be in on the action. I bothered every studio in town for an internship and eventually landed one at Gravity Studios at age 19.

Before I knew it, the demos I was making for bands were getting them record deals and then the labels and bands were asking me to make their records.  I then found myself spending my days at Butch Vig's legendary Smart Studios, working on records that would go on to earn Grammy nominations and platinum certifications.

After many years of making records for bands from all over the world, I stepped away from production to join a band called This Is Me Smiling, one of my all-time favorite bands. I had just produced their album and was in love with music and people. We toured everywhere and had record labels knocking down our door with offers. After some time I ultimately realized the studio was where I belonged so I went back to production. Right after my switch, Sony Records purchased the record I produced for them and was planning to hire me to produce their follow up album. 

Suddenly a shake-up happened at the Sony and sadly most of the new bands, including TIMS were dropped. That was a crushing moment for all of us but a far too familiar story for most in this business. To this day it's easily one of my favorite things I've ever made.

Luckily mixing and producing carried on. Since then I’ve had the fortune to work with great artists like Motion City Soundtrack, Beach Bunny, Panic at the Disco and many more. I’m still based in Chicago and have the same love of making music.

My productions and mixes have found their way to over 3.5 billion streams worldwide, I’ve co-produced and mixed a #1 Billboard song, I received 2 Grammy nominations (one being for “Best Song of the Year”), and Rolling Stone ranked Fall Out Boy’s “Take This To Your Grave” #5 on their list of Top 100 Pop Punk record, right next to the Ramones and the Descendents.

These are all great honors but ultimately the only thing that actually matters to me is doing whatever it takes to get the artist's vision to come through the speakers and into the listener’s ears. My goal has always stayed the same: make records that feel genuine.

One summer day as an early teenager I was playing drums with one of my bands in a friends basement. I had long hair that kept falling in front of my eyes. For some reason there happened to be a guitar strap lying around with a bunch of rosebuds on it and a friend of mine gave it to me to use as a headband to keep my hair out of my eyes.

I put it on and immediately another friend pointed at me and said “Rosebud!” From then on that became my nickname (unfortunately no, this was never a Citizen Kane reference).

Fast-forward a few years when I started my first studio in 1998. The Internet was extremely young and I certainly had no idea how to use it but I knew we needed an email address for my new studio that was of course going to be named Rosebud Recordings. I asked my friend if he could get me rosebud @aol.com. The next day I saw him and he said that was taken but don’t worry, I got you rosecrud @aol.com

That has remained my email and username for virtually everything in my life to this day. 

I offer both mixing, production (and the occasional coaching services), often working with artists through their entire creative process from pre-production to final master.  Whether you need someone to help develop your songs from demos or you're coming in with finished tracks that need expert mixing, I bring the same attention to detail and passion for great records to every project.

MIXING
I primarily focus most of my time on mixing, whether it’s a one off single or an entire album. I love mixing all styles of music. My goal with any mix is to ensure the artist's story is told through a sonic journey that’s captivating and ultimately represents the feeling and original intent of the song. 

PRODUCTION
As a producer, I help shape your songs from the ground up—whether that's helping choose what songs to work on, refining arrangements, guiding performances, or finding the sonic identity that matches the feel of your song.

I’ve produced and mixed many records for unsigned, independent artists that went on to be purchased and released “as-is” on prominent labels such as Sony, Epitaph, Wind-Up Records, AWAL, Fueled By Ramen and more. I love helping artists find their sound and turning it into a path forward.

COACHING
I have been asked repeatably over the years if I would consider offering coaching. A few years ago I tried it out and really loved it. It’s so hard to navigate a career in this new ecosystem.

I have started to offer this service based on what my schedule allows. I’ve enjoyed many coaching sessions helping people with anything from career advice, to building up your own production/mixing services, the ins and out of the music business, to actual techniques and everything in between.

Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you are interested in this service. I offer these sessions over zoom.