Born in the U.S.A., but raised and lived most of my life in Canada. I am now back in The States. I left Toronto for Los Angeles, moved to Las Vegas, and now after a three year stint in Las Vegas, have returned to LA as of June 2008.
MUSIC BIO
Music has been the fabric and education of my life, from my earliest memories becoming infatuated with popular songs on the radio to the present day. I began like most people in high school bands (in Halifax, Nova Scotia, my real hometown!), then my first pro band in Halifax toured all over Eastern Canada. I moved to England for a period to try to break into the Metal scene there, but I was still a tad too young and inexperienced at that time. From there it was off to Toronto where I formed a band called HARLOTT that set the table for the Rock and Metal scene in Toronto. HARLOTT was the first image based Rock band in Toronto, and was the biggest and best of the Toronto scene. From that time I have continued writing, recording and playing in bands in Toronto, Los Angeles and recently in Las Vegas with my killer band THE DARK STARS. My return to Los Angeles heralds the beginning of the biggest Rock 'n Roll journey of my life. I am not able to disclose many details at this point, but I will tell you that it is BIG and you will all hear about it very soon...
THE GUITARS
Guitars, guitars, guitars! I love my guitars! I have lightened the collection considerably over the years, and now have a core that are each there for a real reason. These are the guitars that I rely on for writing, performing and recording. My oldest guitar is my Fender Strat, it has been with me through thick and thin practically from the time that I began playing. Although not my flashiest guitar, in many ways it is still my coolest guitar... My Les Paul Custom is heavily modified, and features mother of pearl star inlays on the fretboard that I designed and had my guitar guy in Toronto execute. The BC Rich Bich Supreme is a full on custom build to my specs. It has a flame maple top that photos will simply never do justice to. The 1965 Hofner is a very sentimental guitar for me, and required a huge restoration to bring it back from the edge. It is now a sweet sounding acoustic that I use for writing. The acrylic BC Rich Bich? Sounds like ass, but sure looks cool...
DJ
I have DJed at many clubs. Here are some of the cool clubs I have spun at:
Beauty Bar(LV)
Sin City Saloon(LV)
The Red Room Saloon(LV)
Revolution Lounge at The Mirage(LV)
The Emergency Room(LV)
The Ice House Lounge(LV)
The Bovine Sex Club(Toronto)
I play Rock, Punk, Metal and Glam, and focus as much as possible on playing songs that are not too overplayed, but are still well known and/or awesome tunes.
RANDOM BITS & PIECES
Other interests? Fast cars... Corvettes in particular. I have a 1979 C3 in my garage... black on black... of course! I am a member of the Las Vegas Corvettes Association, we do allot of awesome events, both on and off track here in the Southwest.
Aside from being a guitar player and songwriter, I have always had business interests related to popular culture lifestyle. I have an extensive background in the fashion industry, and also as a schooled designer- interior, fashion, graphics etc. I love the night and nightlife... I don't mind the day, but I avoid the sun! Ten years of being a hardcore Goth left a permanent mark on me in that respect! I grew up in the East, but relocated to the Southwest several years ago, and there is no turning back... I love the raw and expansive landscapes of the American Southwest.
FAVORITE QUOTES: 'One can never be too rich or too thin...' - Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson 1896 - 1986
'Rock 'n Roll starts from the neck down' - Keith Richards
MOVIES: In reality there are too many to list, but here are a few; 2001: A Space Odyssey, Apocalypse Now, Babette's Feast, Barry Lyndon, Blue Velvet, Brazil, Dead Man, Down By Law, Eraserhead, Farewell My Concubine, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Inland Empire, Interview With the Vampire, Jean de Florette/Manon des Sources, Lost Highway, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, Mulholland Dr., Nadja, Nightmare Before Christmas, Pulp Fiction, Raise the Red Lantern, Underworld, The Warriors, Wild At Heart, Withnail & I, plus many, many more...
TV: Not too interested in TV these days, but in the past I have been highly entertained by Twin Peaks and Pee Wee's Playhouse...
BOOKS: A(very) brief list; Cosmos(Carl Sagan), Desert Solitaire(Edward Abbey), Fucked By Rock(Mark Manning), Interview With the Vampire(Anne Rice), No Irish No Blacks No Dogs(Johnny Rotten), Please Kill Me(Legs McNeil), The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich(William Shirer), Shackleton(Roland Huntford), The Shipping News(E. Annie Proulx)
Cheers all and Rock on!