I cut my musical teeth under the blazing sun of New Mexico's high desert, playing lead guitar in original rock'n'roll bands throughout the 1980s and early 90s. I joined The Illegal Aliens at the age of fifteen and continued my musical apprenticeship in bands such as Sundog, F.O.R., and A Murder Of Crows. Albuquerque at that time offered little reward for the aspiring musician, but it did foster hard-edged determination, strength of purpose, an outlaw sense of community, and an appreciation for sweaty bodies writhing in dance-induced ecstasy. My guitar sound is shaped by my desert days: sharp, clear, and dry like the sage-scented air. Lawless like the Old West.
I spent some time as a journeyman, living in places as far-flung as Detroit, MI... Athens, GA... Lexington, KY... and performing in some legendary places (Austin, TX... CBGBs in NYC) as well as countless forgettable dives. After my wanderings I settled in Portland, Oregon, a city rich with musical opportunities. There I played guitar in a string of projects led by Lewi Longmire, and handled bass guitar chores for Kentucky Snakehandlers, for whom I recorded and produced two cds. Reacquainting myself with the rigors and rewards of home-recording, I updated my technology from the four-track reel-to-reel tape recorders I had used back in the 1980s to some modest digital gear, although if you listen closely you'll still hear a schoolbus or two rolling by...
In 2005 I moved to Nova Scotia expecting to surrender to solitude and an early retirement from the stage. I have found instead a rich and rocking community of musicians, songwriters, performers and listeners with whom to share my ongoing musical adventures. In 2006 I recorded BRICKYARD ROAD, a rootsy assemblage of spare parts and previously unfinished tunes that served as an introduction to my new audience. In 2008 I released MEMORY WELL, featuring twelve new songs graced by contributions from several talented local friends. I am currently singing and playing guitar with TITANIC PROPORTIONS, an eclectic and adventurous blues-rock band that takes the muscle and sinew of rock, soul, and blues, adds a dash of jazz spice, and stirs it all up in an improvisational sauce that keeps things interesting at the very least...rock history gumbo!
I can also be found performing solo-acoustic throughout the Annapolis Valley, paring down my originals and obscure covers to find the bare bones of the song, the raw truth in the words and the stinging of flesh on wood and steel. My music is a painting of life's long road, worn-out dusty boots and the characters that wear them. To paraphrase Neil Young, traveling in the middle of the road is a bore... the ditch is a rougher ride but you see more interesting people there. Where I come from, a ditch is called an arroyo, but what Neil said still applies...