The vocals are what immediately draw people in and sell the song.

For a young band about to make a record, make sure you get the vocals right.

What's nice about being a producer is you get to roll the dice more often, and you get to be involved with lots of different kinds of music.

Some artists want a producer to be a kind of svengali - someone who actually creates a sound for them.

It's really exciting working with a new band when you feel like you hit something that's great, and you helped them bring something out.

I had previously been in the band the Modern Lovers with Jonathan Richman.

I've become increasingly confidant in following intuitions ahead of thoughts as I produce more records.