Throughout my childhood I tormented my parents, siblings, friends, neighbors,
teachers, and classmates by incessantly banging, pounding, and tapping on
those magic surfaces that would produce the loudest, most obnoxious tones.
Finally sealing my fate, I assume in a moment of demonic possession,
my parents gave me a drum kit. My life went from wanting to pilot the next
SATURN 5 to the moon, to worship of the likes of Keith Moon.
Yes, there would be conflict... At the tender age of 9, I received death threats from the sixth grade music teacher. He "permanently banned" me from the school marching band room for the minor offense of taking all the band's dozen drums and cymbals, re-arranging and re-tuning them into one huge rock kit...
Now I was on my own. To practice, I rigged a medieval vinyl disc player to a 400 watt P.A. system, insuring that satisfying ear-bleeding concert-like level. I would emulate the styles of Keith Moon, John Bonham, Bill Bruford, Carl Palmer, Steward Copeland, and Terry Bozzio for hours daily and would rehearse sometimes until I broke all my sticks! This was cause for countless interruptions by music hating neighbors, angry police, and murderous parents! What's a boy to do?
In my teen years, the desire to perform jelled. My first real band was
called the "Red Devils" appropriate I think, but I could also be found with such
oddities as " Ma-Sane", "Cold Sweat", "Provincetown Band", and "Race Point".
We rehearsed daily in basements, garages, a refrigerator trailer,
community centers, parish halls, and who could forget the unheated summer
cottage during the New England winter? We played at New England area clubs,
schools, colleges, and arenas. Many of the early gigs we piled into the sound
crew's van because we were not old enough to
drive.
Feeling the time was right for the grand pilgrimage to Hollywood, I
left Amherst for Los Angeles. Once there, I'd find myself making a living
in photography and starting a family. It was my daily charge
for quality of all photographics being outputted to such companies as Capitol
Records, EMI, Warner Bros., Paramount, Disney and Universal.
Also during this time, I did graphics work for many of L.A.'s major
ad
agencies and product photography for industry. I was but a
wide-eyed nano-cog within the ubiquitous Hollywood image machine...
My passion is to continue to create, whether it be
"film", music, and/or video... A few notable milestones
It is also worth noting, it has been my continuous pleasure to webmaster and co-sponsor
a promotional web presence for local musicians
pro bono
to the artists. Now in its 10th year! These pages average well over 4000+ hits a month and lists
some 112+ local artists and their websites! You can give them a look & listen at
Homegrown.
I am presently a grandfather of 2, father of four, married over 26 years to the same wonderful woman that gave birth them all. I have evolved into a humble 'Jack of All Trades' working and enjoying my life while residing in coastal New England on a small 18th century farm...
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