Thinking back to my early music influences, it's no wonder my musical style has such a wide range. Like so many people, I can remember the impact the Beatles had, but also recall Neil Young, Steppenwolf, Elton John (and Bernie Taupin), Jethro Tull, and James Taylor. That "first wave" continued as my tastes expanded into the Eagles, Dan Fogelburg, the Marshall Tucker Band, and Tom Petty. Lesser influences throughout all this time include Aerosmith; Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young; Muddy Waters; John Hiatt; Lynnrd Skynnrd; Bob Dylan; and (of course) the Grateful Dead. For a glimpse of what I'm into these days, check out the "What I'm listening to this week" section. The first instrument I had success with was the harmonica. 　　 　　After I discovered the power of music for self-expression and release, I picked up the acoustic guitar - around the age of seventeen. Later, I moved to the mandolin. My harp playing moves around in style from Dylan/Neil Young to really wailin' the blues, while my guitar playing mainly continues in the folk/acoustic vein of my early lessons. And I see my mandolin style to be a bit out of the ordinary - not in the bluegrass realm at all. It's more of a lead/fill approach, echoing and embellishing both the melody and lyric of my tunes. While I've dabbled with the electric guitar and bass, I really don't feel accomplished enough with them to use in a performance or recording setting. If you're trying to pigeonhole my current style, the "Americana" label is the closest I can offer. That's mainly because that name ranges from traditional folk styles to rockabilly! My tunes cover most all of that territory. While you may not care about the names of the groups I've been in, I'll list most of them here so you can see the variety of styles and combinations I've been involved in: Elastic Gallus - acoustic folk (they didn't know what "Americana" was back then!). Crosswind - FM Rock/Top 40 band, also with some blues and original material. Abreeze - acoustic rock duo/trio, including Dylan, Eagles, CSN&Y, Dan Fogelburg, and Allman Brothers. also a good number of originals. Flannel Biscuits - quartet offering bluegrass, rock covers (with bluegrass instrumentation!), and a moderate amount of original material. Random Notes - acoustic rock, current Americana, originals. 　　 　　And after quite a bit of home recording, I've just come out of the recording studio with a self-titled CD of all-original material! Many of the original blues guys knew this long before I came around, but I've discovered it too: If I'm feeling down or stressed out, I can pick up my guitar and all is well. My songwriting efforts started shortly after I got the basics of playing down, and playing and writing together have always helped me keep on an even keel. All of my songs relate to events in my life; I enjoy writing and playing that way. I can't imagine writing something outside of my life experiences; I know it would sound contrived and artificial. So it is my hope that my songs (from the heart!) will also strike a chord in the hearts of others. Enjoy!