Why did you choose to study at Malmö Academy of Music?

I was attracted by the openness of the Master’s in jazz/improvisation. There is a lot more room for personal development and intrigue at Malmö Academy of Music. I was given the opportunity to immerse myself in what I wanted to study.

What did you study before you started at Malmö Academy of Music?

I studied guitar and recording and production at Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA. 

What do you work with today?

I am a guitarist primarily involved in free improvisation and jazz. What I work on depends on the particular project of the time. I am also a live sound technician as well as a mixing and mastering engineer.  I teach privately as well. Sometimes I do all of these things at once. 

How does a normal day at work look like for you?

There are no "normal" days.  Each day is different. The only really consistent routine I have is taking care of my five-year-old daughter. Other than that, I try to practice, send emails to book gigs, send emails to set up sessions, go over the schedule and riders at the venue I do live sound at. Maybe there is a gig that night on guitar or there is a touring band I am doing sound for.  Or I find myself with a few days with nothing planned so I can catch up on a chunk of mixing and mastering work. Eventually I find time to work on my own material. Every month is different and I'm basically trying to put out enough signals to get more work. Freelancing can be scary, but it can be done.

Do you have any advice for recent graduates?

The music industry is going through immense change and will hopefully recover from the pandemic, but I wouldn't count on it caring about new and independent artists any time soon. We all need to ban together and create our own scenes and spaces for our art outside of institutions and not rely so much on state funding to get our art across. DIY (do it yourself) is the way to go.  Play anywhere that will have you, make records, make art, and put it all out there. Say something, anything as long as it's YOU and not a copy of something else. Don't make commercialized commodities.  Support each other: if one friend releases a record, buy it, and go to gigs. Enjoy life. Most importantly, stand up for human rights and make sure all are welcome in our society. 

Read more about the Master’s programme in Jazz/Improvisation