- What are your rates?
Vernacular quotes rates on a project-specific basis. Please call.

- Why Kennebunk?
I was lucky enough to meet – and later marry – Ellen Dooley, the woman of my dreams, and she happens to be a Mainer! We lived in New York and enjoyed it to its fullest. However, we reached a point where we needed to find an alternative to the city life, and Maine beckoned us. We bought a house in Kennebunk in 1997 and rented it out for a few years before moving into it in July 2001.

We chose Kennebunk because of its proximity to Portland, Portsmouth, N.H., and Boston, which allows Vernacular to capture business in those areas, as well as New York, which is less than five hours by car/truck.

- How did the name Vernacular Music come about?
I had thought of Vernacular as the name of my company but ruled it out because I thought it was too corny. Instead, I was using Phantom Power Productions until I discovered that a record label on Staten Island was already using the name. When I shared this news with my buddy Dennis Diken (of Smithereens fame), he suggested Vernacular. This time I went with it, and I’m thrilled with the decision – and grateful to Dennis for his contribution. Incidentally, among his many talents and virtues, Dennis gets paid to come up with logos and product names. His own production company, which he shares with Dave Amels, is Nunn-Bet-R.

- How did you get into recording?
As a musician in the ’70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, I was always interested in the recording aspect of music making. I built a home studio in the mid-‘80s and did a fair share of recording there and in commercial facilities around New York. I had the bug.

Then, I put aside my dreams of being a rock star to pursue a career as a music journalist at Billboard. Not long into my 11-year tenure at the magazine, I was offered the position of Pro Audio Editor, which I gladly took, even though it meant increasing an already heavy workload that included Reviews Editor and a contributor to the news section.

As Pro Audio Editor, I dove headfirst into a world in which I’d previously dabbled as an enthusiast. The rest is history (in the making).

- If Vernacular is a music company, why are there no music clips available on this site?
As a recording professional, I pride myself on the sound quality of the music I produce, engineer, mix, and master. Although the data compression and streaming technologies necessary to post music on the Web have improved in recent months, they still pale in comparison to uncompressed, studio-caliber sound. Until a system comes along that can deliver the same quality over the web that I hear in the control room, I’ll refrain from posting music on my site.

- Who created your logo?
Key Wilde, who was Vernacular’s first production client (Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke, "Naugahyde Nights" EP, Pork & Being Records, 1996). In addition to being a brilliant songwriter and performer, Key is a gifted visual artist.

- Who designed your web site?
Shaun Wolf Wortis, who's also a musician. His site is here.