About Me
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I am probably the luckiest guy I know, with a great family, great friends, and... well, that's really it for the real reason that I feel so lucky. But on top of that, I am thankful to live in a country that has been spared the direct ravages of war (those those indirect costs are not born lightly), I am thankful to have job that provides for my family, and I am thankful that music has been an integral part my life...........Focusing on the music side of things, I began my music "career" rather abruptly when, towards the end of 3rd Grade, our teacher put up pictures of various instruments and then played a little mono cassette player, letting us hear how each instrument sounded. All was well and good until she played the sound of a double bass. I was immediately hooked, and said out loud, "I want to play that!" I will never forget that day. :^] Whle playing upright, and later tuba, throughout grade school, middle school and high school, I really developed a love for classical music and jazz. I bought a bass guitar somewhere in this time period, but never really played it that much............Then came college, and rock-n-roll! I am also honored to say that I attended THE Ohio State University, where I earned two degrees. I also formed my first real band and made some friends for life. That band was initially called Big Deal, but after we saw a band with that name on Star Search, we decided to change our name to Gingley JoH (which is a story in and of itself). We played out a lot, and ended up gigging over a multiple state area, often playing as far away from Ohio as Maryland. Gingley JoH played both original music and covers, and we covered a wide range of music, but it all tended to rock out a bit when we played it. I switched to upright every now and then, which always drew unique comments from bar patrons............Now, some hears later, I am back in my home town of Fremont, Ohio. Gingley JoH still stays in touch and plays a few shows a year, but we are rather spread out, so that's about all we can do. So, I agreed to start a band with some friends here in Fremont. After some personnel changes (we're all still friends, BTW!), I am back playing with the first drummer I ever played with, way back in Jr. High, and that's pretty cool. We're called Pumpin' Ethyl, and we play out about once per month, which suits my schedule as a provider and parent quite well. :^)Early in 2006, I was provided an opportunity to become a freelance gear reviewer for Guitar World's Bass Guitar Magazine. I have to admit that this offer initially struck me as way over the top on the 'too good to be true' scale, and I flat out didn't believe it at first. But, it turned out to be a bona fide opportunity, and I have been writing gear reviews for Bass Guitar ever since! Did I mention that I am the luckiest guy I know? Seriously, God has really blessed me (especially with regard to my family and friends), and I am quite humbled by it all.But although this page is mostly about my music side of life, I have to say that being a husband to Bonnie and father to Travis and Veronica is absolutely the finest joy in my life. I am blessed three times over (nay, three thousand times over!), and I love my family so very much............That's me in a nutshell!
