I worked with Aimee in the spring/summer of 2004. She asked me to be the drummer on her album and, frankly, it was an honor to be asked. It was her first album and first time putting a full band to her music. Aimee had a bunch of tunes ready and my job was to put some drums into them. We worked through the summer and recorded in early August with Billy from Easter Islands. For this project, I recorded nine tunes in about five hours.

I always approach a project like this with “a bigger picture” in mind. I wanted the drums to be different...as much as possible as, with most rock/pop-rock songs, there is a structure (intro, verse, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, solo, chorus, outro). For example, if you listen to “Song For Me”, I wanted the drums to be a straight, repetitive beat all the way through because, with many of Aimee’s songs (like “Baby One More Lie” or “Let Go”), she wanted me to come in and out of the song.

My personal favorite tunes on her album are “Taillights” and “Taken”. Aimee is a very talented singer and songwriter and it was a pleasure to work with her. Thanks Aimee. Be sure to check out some of her tunes below, her website and the link to purchase her cd.

Aimee passed away in February 2011. Please click on "tribute" below to read some my thoughts on Aimee and her passing.

Ah, the first time in the studio. Good times. Working with Christopher Kivinen-Newman was a pleasure as we both have similar tastes in music, a lot of which he introduced me to. Chris’ tunes can be described as emotional and thought provoking. I also put a lot of thought into how the drums would be presented in his album. With the trilogy of tunes “Winter”, “Millennium” and “How She Felt”, I wanted the progression of the drums to match the tunes. I tried to hold back on “Winter”, get bigger when needed in “Millennium” and them more aggressive in “How She Felt”. I remember sweating having to play “How She Felt” in the studio because it is almost six minutes long but we nailed it in one take.

Like Aimee’s album, I only had one day or five or six hours to record all the tunes and, with inexperience plus lack of time, my only regret is not getting the sound of my drums the way I wanted on tracks like “Victoria Day” (where I had a 3", metal snare, cranked for the verses) or the end of “How She Felt” where it is difficult to hear some of my softer rolls in the jam section. Chris is a professional and I had a great time with him as well as Lee (forced me to get better) and Chewie (always calm but serious).

Be sure to check out “Piety” where I added a march beat to the tune. I always remember playing that part live got a rise out of the crowd. Thanks to Christopher, Lee (electric guitars), Chewie (bass), Chris Martel (or original bass player) and Mike (sax, flute) for the experience and good times.