A little over a year ago I decided I wanted to put together something more than just my solo performances.  In large part it was because I wanted to play in a wider variety of venues, bring more energy to the stage, rock out more and provide more depth and texture to the music I was making.  Aside from that there is some magic that happens when you pull together good musicians who all love to make music and make it the best it can be.  It’s that chill down your spine you get when voices ring in perfect harmony; when everybody is playing to the beat of the same drummer, not a different one;  when everyone is locked into the groove of the song; when the dynamics of the song ebb and flow; when you can’t help but move with the rhythm of the guitars and the beat of the drums; when the leads soar and cry and sing; when the mix off all the instruments together allow each and every one of them their own space in the sonic spectrum; when at the end of the song the musicians look at each other and say, “wow”.  It’s pure magic. Continue reading →

Wow, it has been some time since I posted anything, and in fact it has been a while since I have done any performances save for attending Dean Brownells fabulous jam at Carson Lanes Eleventh Frame Winners Lounge a few Sundays ago.  I’ve actually been quite busy taking care of my personal life and working – no music doesn’t fully support me, I’m a software engineer by trade – music is my passion and performance is my way of sharing it with the world and I get to make a little money doing it.

I did have an awesome BBQ and Music Fest at the end of July which was a complete blast.  Thanks so much for all my musician friends who came and participated in the music and merriment making.  It was so cool.  My long time Bay Area musician friends, Mike, Russ (www.stillevolvingmusic.com) , Neal and Matt came from far away places to attend, and several local musicians were also part of the festivities.  Thanks to Kyle on drums, his wife Cherie on Cello, (that was awesome!) guitar and vocals, Tony on guitar and vocals, Dave on guitar and vocals, and Maggie on bass and vocals – who rarely left her bass all night preferring to play basically non-stop.  I’m sure I must be forgetting someone, there were so many musicians in attendance! You all were great and everybody loved it including myself!

Aside from the great music that day, there was plenty of unexpected excitement as a very wet and wild storm hit us.  We were all set up and playing on the deck in the back of the house when dark clouds started ominously approaching – and with it a strong gust front threatening to rip the tent shelters away.  I made the executive decision to bail indoors and just in time as the wind howled even stronger and the rain came down in buckets.  The front driveway literally turned into a river and someone arriving texted me and asked me to send a boat for them to get to the front door – lol!   At one point the double doors from the kitchen to the deck burst open from the wind and the rain came pelting down uninvited into the house.  Maggie went out to rescue some food from the BBQ and came back looking like a drenched cat – we got her into some of dry clothes while hers were drying, got the door secured and the flood mopped up and we were back at it.  It was a riot!!

It also happened to be my birthday that day.  That wasn’t the point of the party so I didn’t tell anybody, but a few people knew it.  When I took a break from playing the host and played a few songs, Chelan – my friend Russ’s daughter – drew a little sketch of me playing  and then gave it to me as a birthday present.  What a great present!  Chelan is a very talented artist – she is 16 or so and I was blown away by her artwork hanging in her room when I was visiting.  Here’s her sketch from that day… thanks Chelan!!

Thanks to everyone who attended – you all made it a great party. Such great memories… more to be made next year!

To all my friends, fans, and patrons who showed up for me at Doppelgangers – thanks, you’ve been awesome and are the main reason I had so much fun playing there. Unfortunately I regret to inform you that I will be indefinitely absent Wednesday nights at Doppelgangers. Thank you to all who came in specifically to support my performances at Doppelgangers and your unsolicited positive feedback – that means a lot to me. Thanks too for those who have started to follow me and were showing up just to watch my show on Wednesday nights, I’m sorry that your plans will have to be changed now. I know – I don’t get it either – well I do, but let’s not go there.

All I really want to say is thanks a bunch and I hope to see you when I entertain elsewhere – you’re the best.

Namaste

Okay, I have been remiss about posting lately. Lot’s going on that has distracted me from this, but I’ll try to catch up.

Sharkey’s was a great gig. Why? Partly because so many of my friends showed up and showed their support, but also other folks stopped to listen. It was a party It was so much fun I played from 9 to midnight, at which point people started to fade, including myself. Thank you all of my friends for making that gig a special one. And the manager of it all, Brian, liked it a bunch too – partially because I brought in a little crowd that night, but also because he appreciated my music and the performance in general. He extended an open invitation to call him any time I wanted to play there so I hope to rebook there sometime in the near future.

This week is chock full of music gigs – last night I performed for a private party in Incline Village, tonight is Doppelgangers Wednesday, and on Friday I open for Tracorum at Jethro’s Sports Bar at 8:30pm – bring it on!! Continue reading →

Now every Wednesday night from 6pm to 8pm I’ll be performing at Doppelganger’s!! Come on down and enjoy some great food, drinks, conversation with friends/family and listen to some easy listening acoustic guitar colored with my unique vocal style covering a mix of favorite songs and artists from the 70′s, 80′s, 90′s and 2000′s. Come check it out!

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This was a cool gig – I performed a little over an hour and Maggie came up and sang harmony on a few songs with me. Then Whitney, Gia, Scott and Fred set the house on fire. These guys are all consummate musicians – all phenomenal and their mix of styles blended together nicely to form cohesive and intriguing sets. You get a little bit of everything with this band and they put on an excellent show. I was impressed by all of them – from Scott’s precise guitar playing, Gia’s great bass groove, Fred’s solid back beat and accents, to Whitney’s surprisingly huge voice coming from such a petite frame. I feel compelled to toot these guys’ horn for them. If you get a chance go and see them, you won’t be disappointed. Their next show in this area is May 13th at Plan:B in Carson City. Check them out!

Thanks to our friends, family, neighbors and fans for showing up for the Doppelgangers event last Friday, we had a great time and Maggie once again sat in for several songs on vocals – the harmonies are sounding awesome and getting better all the time – thanks Maggie!

We are currently working on a performance demo CD to represent our upcoming duet performances. We hope to be playing and multiple venues in the Carson Valley this summer. These songs will also be posted on this site once the final mix is complete – stay tuned!

Wow – a big thank you for all that showed up for this gig at the Taildragger Cafe – you all made this a real special event for me personally and it seemed like everyone was having a great time listening and socializing.  I certainly had a great time performing and seeing everybody that showed up.  With most all seats occupied I’d say it was a resounding success for the Taildragger too.  Meg, the owner, says she wants me back again so look for that at some point in the future!

Also a big thanks to Maggie for her sweet harmonies on several songs in both sets and all her support in relentlessly promoting this gig – you are awesome.