Music. Me. Why.

I can’t remember a moment when music wasn’t a part of my life. I was either going to be named after Robert Plant or Eric Clapton according to my Mother. She chose Clapton. My Mom, a teenager, with a true love for rock’n’roll always had it playing. I always joked that I was tired of Led Zeppelin I before I was born since she listened to it all the time. Her older brother was a musician. I have his old guitar which is the first guitar I ever remember hearing. My Dad played guitar and sang. He had more interest in that than being a father. You can figure out how that played out. 

Being in the south you were always surrounded by all kinds of music. Country, Blues, Rock, Rhythm’n’blues…. everything. That constant, eclectic backdrop of music became part of me. I was the band nerd that could learn almost any instrument. Sax, Tuba, French Horn, Mellophone, Oboe, Bassoon…. There just wasn’t much I couldn’t learn. I loved all kinds of music and with the wide breadth of instruments I could play there wasn’t much that didn’t seem possible. Around 15 I started taking up the guitar. The mid 80s was a great time to be inspired to learn guitar. Faith No More and Sisters Of Mercy really got me motivated to learn.

I never wanted to be Jimmie Page or Jimi Hendrix. I had no desire to be a lead guitar type, All of my years of being in Concert, Symphonic and Jazz band made me appreciate being a part of a combo or a group. I just wanted to be a part of rhythm section. The pocket. The core of the song.

Many years passed after high school and being in the Drum and Bugle Corps in the USAF before I ventured into being in a band and play in front of people. Once I had it could never stop. Music, for me, is literal therapy. I can’t not play music. It heals me. It keeps me level. It is my sanity. Being a part of an ensemble has always been the most elevated level of existence and creativity for me. With musicians, when you “click”, there’s an unspoken language that manifests creativity and harmony. Without it there’s no direction or purpose. I’m very fortunate to have stumbled across a band of weirdos that can work around my abilities and limitations to create art that is truly us. It has been, and continues to be, a wonderful journey. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished and I love this album!