I am a songwriter & guitarist working out of my home studio in beautiful Boulder Creek, California. My arrangements use a mix of voice, acoustic and electric guitars, bass and drums, along with the occasional mandolin, bouzouki, or keyboard part. As far as describing my music, I can't do any better than Dave Alvin (one of my musical heroes):

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“There are two types of folk music: quiet folk music and loud folk music. I play both.”

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I like sad stories and a sadder melody, the sound of a Martin acoustic, a Stratocaster through a Deluxe Reverb amplifier, a mandolin, fiddle or lap steel, and a noisy rhythm section. I don't consciously choose what I write about in my songs, but follow wherever the words want to go.

 

I started listening to music in earnest in the mid-70s - mostly rock (it wasn't called "classic" rock back then!). I didn't have a clue how to write a song, however, until I heard the song "Powderfinger" by Neil Young. The first time I heard it on the radio, I pulled the car over to make sure I didn't miss the DJ saying who it was. Neil Young's albums were the first I listened to that had songs which I felt like I should have written. A short period of plagiarizing ensued, but I soon learned how to find the songs on my own. Not long after hearing Neil Young, I started listening to Bob Dylan, and my songs got longer and stranger. The final missing piece was Richard Thompson - he was and is an incredible guitar player who chooses to focus on songs (mostly). And through Richard Thompson, I discovered the traditional music of the British Isles - the ballads through Martin Carthy, Dick Gaughan and Cathal McConnell, and all of the incredible dance music on fiddles, pipes, flutes, whistles, concertinas and occasionally even the guitar. Following all of that back to American country and folk music led me to where I am today. Wherever that is…

 

From the description above, and from the color of my beard, you might guess that I'm not new to making music - and you would be correct. After all, I'm the original owner of a couple of "vintage" guitars. Anyway, starting in my early teens, I wanted to both play the guitar and write songs. And by the time I was in my twenties, I was doing both. The biggest obstacle for me, however, was that I was terrified of performing. The solution to this problem was the advent of relatively inexpensive recording systems - first, the 4 track cassette recorder, and then later, the PC-based digital audio workstation. After lots and lots of practice, improving technology, and digital distribution, I've arrived at a place where I can release music to the public.

 

In the meantime, I got over my fears of performing, and I've had the pleasure of playing with several different local bands over the years. Despite the late nights, sore fingers, hearing loss and having some of my microphone and guitar cables covered in stale beer (and worse, I expect!), I'm very happy that I stumbled into music all those years ago. And I hope you will enjoy the music you've stumbled onto here, as well.