Growing up in a family with seemingly no musical interests or inclinations never had an impact on my love of music. After a childhood of listening to favorites such as Kiss (Ace Frehley’s solo record was my first record purchase), Styx, Beatles, Rush & Barry Manilow (?!?), I was bit by the guitar bug at age 13 after witnessing Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock performance on PBS late one night (I know, Hendrix, it’s a cliché but it’s true! He was the coolest thing I had ever seen!). After several years of lessons from an incredible teacher who kept my passion for music growing by teaching me theory while guiding me towards jazz fusion players that have remained important touchstones for me to this day, such as John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny, Mike Stern & Pat Martino.
After graduating high school, I attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA for three semesters (that was all we could afford! I would’ve stayed longer if I could’ve!). Amazing experience, wouldn’t trade it for the world. Although Nashville has A LOT of musicians (guitar players in particular, it seems), to be engulfed in the atmosphere of Berklee among so many supremely talented musicians is both extremely inspiring & humbling. Probably the most important things I learned there were how to really LISTEN to music & that there’s always someone somewhere who can do that lick or technique you’re stressing over better than you, so get over it! It’s the sum of all the parts that count anyway; nobody does “you” better than “you”!
I’ve been playing in bands locally around Nashville since junior high school. Typically rock, funk, and r&b style groups/artists, with an occasional country gig thrown in, such as Spoonbenders, Channel C, Deep Jive Squad & Casino Thieves. Most were very good but never graduated out of regional obscurity (you score extra points if you remember any of these bands or have been to a gig!). More recently, I’ve done some road gigging with Christian rock band Mouthpiece as well as a short festival tour in the UK & Denmark with Electric Church (led by TobyMac bassist Todde “toddiefunk” Lawton), sharing the stage with Salvador & Nate Salley. Recent recording projects include playing guitar on Devin Williams’ worship CD “Pour It Out” and a cameo on guitarist Biff Kittii’s CD “1/2 Step From In” on the song “Staring Into The Sea”. I also continue to play most weeks in the worship band for Cornerstone Church in Madison, TN (check it out!).
Immediate plans for the future are first and foremost the assemblage of a new trio in order to play the new songs I’ve been writing & singing the last couple of years. This will hopefully coincide with the construction of my first solo recording; something that God has placed in my heart to complete but in all honesty I’ve been avoiding by busying myself with other peoples projects. I still want the opportunities to play with other artists to become available but I want to commit to this project as a priority. A very good friend of mine has been waiting a good while to hear me play “uninhibited”; that’s what I hope this project will be – the “Whole Deal”! I hope to keep everyone who’s interested abreast of these developments via this website. God Bless & may Christ awaken the passion for music in you all!
Growing up in a family with seemingly no musical interests or inclinations never had an impact on my love of music. After a childhood of listening to favorites such as Kiss (Ace Frehley’s solo record was my first record purchase), Styx, Beatles, Rush & Barry Manilow (?!?), I was bit by the guitar bug at age 13 after witnessing Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock performance on PBS late one night (I know, Hendrix, it’s a cliché but it’s true! He was the coolest thing I had ever seen!). After several years of lessons from an incredible teacher who kept my passion for music growing by teaching me theory while guiding me towards jazz fusion players that have remained important touchstones for me to this day, such as John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny, Mike Stern & Pat Martino.
After graduating high school, I attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA for three semesters (that was all we could afford! I would’ve stayed longer if I could’ve!). Amazing experience, wouldn’t trade it for the world. Although Nashville has A LOT of musicians (guitar players in particular, it seems), to be engulfed in the atmosphere of Berklee among so many supremely talented musicians is both extremely inspiring & humbling. Probably the most important things I learned there were how to really LISTEN to music & that there’s always someone somewhere who can do that lick or technique you’re stressing over better than you, so get over it! It’s the sum of all the parts that count anyway; nobody does “you” better than “you”!
I’ve been playing in bands locally around Nashville since junior high school. Typically rock, funk, and r&b style groups/artists, with an occasional country gig thrown in, such as Spoonbenders, Channel C, Deep Jive Squad & Casino Thieves. Most were very good but never graduated out of regional obscurity (you score extra points if you remember any of these bands or have been to a gig!). More recently, I’ve done some road gigging with Christian rock band Mouthpiece as well as a short festival tour in the UK & Denmark with Electric Church (led by TobyMac bassist Todde “toddiefunk” Lawton), sharing the stage with Salvador & Nate Salley. Recent recording projects include playing guitar on Devin Williams’ worship CD “Pour It Out” and a cameo on guitarist Biff Kittii’s CD “1/2 Step From In” on the song “Staring Into The Sea”. I also continue to play most weeks in the worship band for Cornerstone Church in Madison, TN (check it out!).
Immediate plans for the future are first and foremost the assemblage of a new trio in order to play the new songs I’ve been writing & singing the last couple of years. This will hopefully coincide with the construction of my first solo recording; something that God has placed in my heart to complete but in all honesty I’ve been avoiding by busying myself with other peoples projects. I still want the opportunities to play with other artists to become available but I want to commit to this project as a priority. A very good friend of mine has been waiting a good while to hear me play “uninhibited”; that’s what I hope this project will be – the “Whole Deal”! I hope to keep everyone who’s interested abreast of these developments via this website. God Bless & may Christ awaken the passion for music in you all!