Wander Years available now at:Learn
Who are you? I‘m a songwriter, guitar playin’ traveler who make mistakes and learns from them eventually.
Brag-Reel: I’ve got a lot of pride for my new album and feel very comfortable bragging about it. *brag brag* listen to it *brag brag*. I’ve been a professional musician since I was 23, playing guitar for a few Broadway productions including Duncan Shiek’s “Spring Awakening,” Green Day’s “American Idiot” and “Lysistrata Jones.” I’m a graduate from Berklee College of Music and I’ll beat anyone at Connect 4.
Where are you from? I was born in Maryland, raised in the strip-mall nation of Northern Virginia and now I’m wandering the streets of Brooklyn, NY. Mostly at night.
Do you plan on staying in NYC forever? Nope. San Fransisco then Kauai. When the time is right.
When, and why, did you start playing guitar and writing music? It’s all a product of a family vacation to New Orleans when I was young. I remember being really inspired by all the buskers on the street. I got a little classical guitar that I learned some Foo Fighters songs on. I spent many years pretending to be Dave Grohl and Billy Joe Armstrong in my living room.
What was the first tune you learned on the guitar? Probably something boring like Mary Had A Little Lamb. The first song I learned on my own, with my own ears, was Blues Traveler’s “Run Around.” I was really proud of that moment, and might add it to the brag-reel.
How do you handle mistakes during a performance? The first rule is to pretend it never happened. Second rule, after the song is over crack an unapologetic joke about being an “un-perfectionist.” If I make another mistake I’ll just say that I’m drunk.
Where there any past bands you were involved with? 6 Piece Chicken McNothin’ – we had a hit called “The Cow Song.” We tried out for the 9th grade talent show, thought we were a shoe-in because everyone laughed at the song… turns out they were making fun of us. 6 Piece morphed into Blue Jay Walking. We were a little better. We even won a few battle of the bands. Tri-State, my college band, another amazing experience. Dirty Nasty and the Hard 80s, the Spring Awakening touring band might as well be a band. I’m so in love with everyone I’ve had the opportunity of playing with.
Influences? Musical and in General MUSIC: I was a major fan of Boyz II Men growing up – like, fan club and all. Then got schooled when “The Color and the Shape” by Foo Fighters came out. Lately I’ve been dissecting albums by Jonsi, Bon Iver, Ben Folds, Bjork, Beck – they make honest and creative music. GENERAL: Pixar, Dave Chappelle, Dave Eggers, Jonathan Safran Foer, Chris Rock, LEGOS, everyone in “The Friends” section of the website. The list really is endless.
