From about the age of seven I started to hear some pretty amazing music that was, well, music to my ears. I don't remember being as captivated by music until about that time. Everything before that is kind of a blur. As I paid more attention to the sounds of rock and roll, it became more and more personal to me and evident that I was to choose this new power as a lifelong camaraderie. It has led me all of my life and been a fantastic outlet for my thoughts, feelings, disappointments as well as triumphs.
When I was about nine I started to play the viola (a slightly larger version of the violin), after which I picked up the guitar. I started to learn my favorite songs and quickly began to write my own. Entering my teenage years I started to take my guitar and song-writing more seriously and began playing in bands, seeking a career as a musician. Of course, as for most people, this was a dream. But since other people had done it, I thought I could too, though Corvallis Oregon (where I grew up) was not quite the place to accomplish this.
I left for LA when I was nineteen and after finding a job, I soon began making friends in the music scene. I started playing in bands as well as recording demos and showcasing. This was never really successful for various reasons, but I did manage to keep pluggin' away. After a while of being in and out of many bands I decided to form my own. We started out as "Little Dickens" and later change to "The Dickenz". To make a long story short, we played the clubs for a while but never really got anywhere.
So after a few years of playing to a dead scene we decided to move to Athens, Greece. One of the band members was from there so off we went. Once we arrived and got situated we soon found that the club scene was rockin'! Soon we were playing quite a lot to a growing following. We were actually making a modest living. It wasn't glamorous, but it was a memorable time.
Greece was great fun, as well as a learning experience, but after a while I felt that I was losing control of the band's further progress. We had no manager or financial backing, and we were in a place where I didn't speak the language. After three years we had gotten about as far as it was going to get, so I returned to LA to re-start with a new approach.
Having the internet and its newly acquired resources gave me fresh ambition and opportunity to pursue my music without the shortcomings of what only seems like cooperation - whether it be art or business. Upon arrival I immediately started recording my new CD Future Days, while searching for new ways to promote my music.
As times have changed, the "music" industry people are searching less and less for talented new artists and bands. The result of big business with new technology is the promotion of mediocrity. The record industry has abandoned the true artist and caused the deterioration of music in American culture, especially rock. Thanks to the internet, there is hope and reason to carry on!!
Rock and roll has been, and continues to be, a great release for energy, whether it be frustration, anger, revelation or love (or lust!). Like all music, it is an expression of life. It is sacred to the hearts and souls of all people who love and listen to it. It is one of the most powerful human forces that has ever evolved. Rock RULES!!
