I started playing guitar when I was about 12. At first I played a lot of heavy metal, hardcore, hard rock, etc. because that's how I felt when I was a teenager. I had many bands, some good, some bad, all loud and obtrusive. I gigged in and around New York City (I'm from Westchester, NY) for many years in my early 20's. Music was fun then, but the prevailing business model (attract a label, get signed, depend on other people's money and help, etc.) was a major hassle and turn-off. I bowed out of that scene in the late 90's and hit the road in Europe and Asia, traveling, teaching, busking, playing in bands, and having fun with music again. I got an acoustic guitar in my 20's, and developed a more gentle, quiet fingerpicking style (though I still get plenty loud when I get a few beers in me), which was partly the result of always practicing in apartments with neighbors sleeping above and below, and partly through a widening of musical interests and tastes. A very partial list of artists I like would very much include Hank Williams Sr., The Beatles, Gillian Welch, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, Frank Zappa, John Prine, The Ramones, Radiohead, though I have also maintained a love of hard rock and other styles and genres of music. Everything you listen to becomes part of you somehow, and I think that is reflected in my music. I approach music with humor and a sense of fun, even though I somehow find myself often taking on sad themes. For example, loneliness and frustration were common themes when I was writing the songs for Beautifully Busted, as I had just broken up with a belligerent, moody b**ch I intended to marry. I like to write about things that are important to me, people and places I love, things I want to remember, things that make me happy, sad, disappointed, hopeful. Though my music is personal, I like to think it touches universal themes and feelings in the listener. Beautifully Busted is my first full-length album of original songs. I produced it in Busan, South Korea (where I currently live). I'm very proud of it. I think it sounds great, and that it abundantly reflects all the hard work that went into writing, performing, and producing it. My friends, family and local fans are already raving about it - even the ones who don't feel obliged to - and I invite you to listen to it too right here. If you don't dig it, I thank you for listening. If you DO like it, I'd be flattered and grateful if you leave a review here for others who drop in. Actually, negative reviews are welcome too. I only ask you explain what you didn't like about it. That would interest me a lot too. Thanks for dropping by. Enjoy!