Hello, I've mostly completed tracking a new Options record, and it looks like I'll be finishing it this month. Additionally, I've assembled an awesome new lineup to play these songs live with. 

Option$ 2015.

A first round of main guitar and overdubs have been tracked for my forthcoming Options record. I'm supposed to lay down second guitar tracks next week, and getting my guitar fixed this weekend to make that happen. I have intentionally not written many additional guitar parts for this record, because I've found that spontaneity usually helps the melodic underpinnings flourish, rather than pre-writing additional guitar parts and "learning" them to repeat back on the record.

Matt and I finally started tracking vocals for Coaster's record last night after a couple false starts. Everything is sounding great and we're roughly 1/4 of the way there. Feels good to finally be committing these parts to a record. We don't have any shows coming up as of now, just focusing on finishing this record.

Next week, I'm going to be mixing New Color's first full length. It's been tracked for a few months, so I'm really looking forward to tying up its' loose ends.

Lifted Bells is playing next week in Chicago and St Louis.

Drums and bass for my new Options record are finished tracking, as of today. Coaster also has completed instrumental tracking for our new LP and will be starting vocals ASAP. My hands hurt from playing bass all day, but it's cool. Probably just means I should play bass more, right?

Finished tracking for Ratboys' LP, Great Deceivers' EP, and completing a couple more projects this week. It's all coming together, and now I have a nice heap of projects to mix! Imelda Marcos' LP and the Normal Years' EP both have been released, and pertinent links are located in the "recording" section of this site.

I've begun tracking my 4th solo full length with Matt Kissinger (Coaster) assisting me in engineering. Additionally, I'll be playing an Options show on my birthday with Great Deceivers, Nature's Neighbor, the New Diet, and Mitar. Holy shit. Yes.

For every moment when the time and effort spent feels debilitating and futile, the moments of unfettered energy and pure love give me a renewed perspective on why I make music in the first place. "Art is hard." I'm glad that I know so many people who focus with diligence on the creative process and treat music as an art form, as more than just a way to pass the time. Here are a few albums some of my friends have released this year. you should absolutely take a listen to them, especially if my music means anything to you.

About a Million - Home Sessions

Beso - Passive Indulgence

Mitar - Sayonara Sadness

You Me & the People - Mishiranuhito

Nnamdi Ogbonnaya - Feckin Weirdo

Arsenal - Christmas in Jail


Shelf Life - True Blue

Best Witches - Wishes

A new Lifted Bells song is out now via Alternative Press. We're playing FEST in Gainesville, FL on 11/1.

Nervous Passenger's new EP that I recorded and mixed is out now!

Bathing Resorts is a band I play guitar in with Michael Byrnes (Coaster) and Brendan Smyth (Nervous Passenger). We have been a band since the summer of 2013, but finally recorded and put out our first release this summer. I tracked the entire thing to 1/4" tape at the Owlery, and mixed it as well.

At the end of July, I released a split with a band called Brownie Mountain. They are awesome. I recorded the instrumentals to these songs on 1/4" tape, vocals through a cool and weird preamp into my computer, and Adam Beck from Brownie Mountain mixed them.

Upon moving into a new apartment and having internet at home for the first time in 3 months, I realized there's a bunch of things I neglected to post! I'll be trickling 'em in during the next few days. I did a song for Downwrite on my 4 track tape recorder, and I think it came out pretty neat. Check it out below.

Y'know, not having internet at home has made me really, really productive. So productive, in fact, that I've been neglecting to post some cool updates, so here's what's up!

Nervous Passenger just released the first single from their new EP, Way Too Weird, which I recorded and mixed some months ago. Really proud of how it turned out!


Drums and bass have been tracked for Coaster's debut LP. Matt and I are going to get kickin' on guitars ASAP. We're all very stoked on these songs and can't wait to share them with the world.

Still working ardently on the next Options record... breaking some rules I set for myself, but that's how the world works, right? Trying to lay low, take it slow, and hope it comes out juuuuust right. Playin' some acoustic shows again and trying out new tunes. Seeing what sticks and what bounces back. Check out the "live" page for shows, I'm really gonna try and keep it up to date. But that's the thing about not having internet in my apartment...

The Flowershop just uploaded a couple of my tunes from last week's show! Hear a new song called System, a song from Tacit in Tact, and some tunes from other excellent bands.

Mike Walker's new You Me & the People album 見知らぬ人 (pronounced Mishiranuhito) is out now on Bandcamp! I engineered and played on a few tracks on the record, and I think it certainly is Mike's strongest effort to date. Stream or download after the jump:

My roommate (and one of my best friends in the cosmos) Matt Kissinger (of Coaster notoriety) just released his first solo album. Check it out, because it seriously rips! I recorded it to 1/4" reel to reel tape as well, which was super fun. Have a download and pass it on if you dig it!

Winter Classic's new EP, Lessons, is out now! I recorded and mixed this EP, and I'm really stoked on how it turned out. Stream or download for free on their Bandcamp page, or have a listen below.

Check out this badass tune my homies in DRGN KING recorded with me at the Owlery while they were on tour from Philly back in February!

This June, I'm touring playing some Options tunes solo and playing drums with my friend Anthony's incredible band, About a Million. You can check out the dates here!

I've resumed work on the next Options full length, and it's finally starting to come together. Hoping to track it this July... we shall see.

It's still a ways away, but I'll be drumming with Lifted Bells and the City on Film at this year's FEST! I've never played FEST before, but I'm really psyched about the lineup.

Matt Kissinger from Coaster has a new solo EP coming out in the next week under the name Beso. I played drums on a couple tracks, as well as recorded & mixed it. Keep an eye out!

I had the pleasure of recording a great band from New Jersey called Pinegrove last week. They tracked a brand new song as well as a bunch of guitars for their upcoming LP, which I'll be mixing.

Rat Hammer's full length that I recorded most of during the Deep Freeze in January will finally be seeing the light of day soon. Check out their Bandcamp page to hear a couple jams from it.

Coaster's new EP, Tattoos, will be out this Saturday and we're playing at Township to celebrate with some of our favorite bands in Chicago. We'll also be embarking on a tour this month, more details to come!

Coaster has released the title track from our upcoming EP, Tattoos! It'll be out 4/12 and you can grab a copy on our bandcamp or at our release show (also on the 12th) at Township. Very very very excited about this. We'll also be touring next month too - more details to come.

The first of a few videos from Nervous Passenger's video session is up! I recorded and mixed this and am super happy with how it turned out. Coaster will be playing a show with them this Thursday, so check out the "live" page for the details.

I have a new solo album out now called Tacit in Tact. You can stream it and download it for free or otherwise at Bandcamp.

Wow, it's been a minute since I posted anything. It's been a heck of a busy year so far! I've been recording tons of bands at The Owlery, which has been great. Coaster's EP is being mixed now by Jonah Kort, and we're hoping for a spring release. Been working on a thing or two for Options as well, one of which I'll be recording sometime at the end of this month or in early March. Speaking of March, 3/5 will be my first show playing drums with Nnamdi Ogbonnaya's solo-project-band! Lots of cool stuff coming up - keep yer eyes peeled, yallllll!