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Playing
music is my passion.
It's also what I do with most of
my time, and how I earn most of my living. Since the age
of 20 I have been a full time musician, playing styles that
include rock, country, bluegrass, jam, newage and experimental
electronic music, and even a little jazz.
I
began playing music around the age of 12. I played my
dad's old coronet in 6th grade band, and then moved on to take
piano lessons for a short time. My grandfather was
constant performer, playing bass with country and variety bands
as well as a long stint with Ron Luzener and the Polka
Pals. He inspired me to play the bass and guitar, and
stringed instruments became my love at about the age of
13. Like most teenagers in the early '80s I learned all
the hair metal songs, and formed a group with some high school
buddies of mine called Devine Right. We all had a love for
fairly sophisticated rock, especially Rush,
and learned many complicated songs with arrangements that were
really over our heads at the time, but we played them
anyway. Those guys, Lewis Dickinson, Eric Frith, and Mark
Billings,
along with Tom
Yoder, my guitar teacher at the time, helped me grow me more
as a musician than any of us thought possible.
 I
studied music theory for a couple of years at the University of
South Carolina, then moved on to Media Arts where I studied the
technical aspects of audio recording, animation, photography,
film and video. I didn't play in bands a lot during those
years. I put together a few projects for the occasional
gig, but nothing that lasted. This was a time when
my tastes in music changed and expanded rapidly. I
discovered the mind expanding sounds of Led Zeppelin and the
Grateful Dead, as well as classical music. Once I started
seeing the Dead live though, it all changed for me. Music
became a full time experiment, with no boundaries or rules, ands
also became the center of both my professional and social life.
Fresh out of
college, I stayed in Columbia, SC, and played loose, jam style
rock with Craig
Wright and the Nightcrawlers for several years, and then joined the Grateful Dead
tribute band Spoonful. I played with the
"Spoons" for over ten years, and made some of the best
music and had some of the best times of my life. Those
guys and the music of the Grateful Dead will forever be a part of my life. I
hope to get some examples of Spoonful's music on this page
soon.
As a
result of being the only one in the band with a little bit of
technical experience, I became the sound engineer for my bands
and also for several other groups over the years. I worked
part time at the local rock club mixing for bands, and
eventually got into the studio with producer Greg
Davis. Greg and the other guys at the Jam
Room studio in Columbia, South Carolina gave me the opportunity
to sit in on sessions, and eventually become a regular session
player as well engineer and eventually producer. I
eventually created my own recording studio where I wrote and
recorded music for commercials, small films, and of course my
own groups as well as other bands.
For
four years I played with The Ultraviolets, an original modern
rock group led by songwriter Brent
Lundy. We recorded a CD
with Hootie and the Blowfish producer
Dick
Hodgin. Those were some tumultuous times, and a
strange group of guys, but we made some great music and had a
lot of fun and adventure when we actually getting along.
Brent's songs are a real treat to play or listen to, and I
learned a lot about the art of arranging and recording during
those years.
In 2000 I left South
Carolina and moved to Atlanta, GA. I never settled into
big city life, but had the chance to play with Brian
Ashley Jones as an upright bass player for two years.
Brian put up with me while I figured my way around not having
frets. It was about this time that I began to listen to
more acoustic music, old country, and bluegrass. The time
was ripe to get out of the city...
 Now
I am Hailey, Idaho, a small town just outside of the ski resort
of Sun
Valley. In the last six years I've made good friends
here, joined with amazing musicians and formed several great
bands. I continue to record, mostly my own acoustic music
in a simple studio these days. Though I had played around
on one for some years I finally got serious about the
mandolin. It has become my favourite instrument, and the
focus of my studies these days. I also learned to play the
five string banjo in the last few years. I have begun to
write more music as well, and released my first solo CD. I
have been preparing material for another CD to be recorded
soon. Who knows where it goes from here, but this is a
great place to be. I make small town music for small town
people and have a great time doing it.
.
 Nobody Wants
You (2007)
This CD is a mix of
songs I love by other artists, some tradition instrumentals and
one tune I wrote. It took me close to year to record and
mix it, mostly by myself at home.
Preview
the CD
...
I am
currently lucky enough to perform with some of the finest
musicians this area has to offer. These are some of the
acts I work with:
 I
play guitar and mandolin with the Kim Stocking Band. The
KSB is one of the Wood River Valley's favourite acts for country
that rocks, and rock with a little bit of twang. We play
as a five piece electric band as well as an acoustic trio.
- Visit the Kim Stocking Band website:
Public
Radio is a 3 piece string band that plays a mix of bluegrass,
folk songs, old country and even a few new rock tunes, all with
our own acoustic twist. I play mandolin, banjo and guitar
with this group. PR is especially visible in the
summertime, when we play most every public festival and family
event up and down the Valley.
Visit the Public Radio website:
.
Bruce
Innes has been performing and writing songs for more than forty
years. He has had number one hits around the world,
recorded with and and written songs for major artists. I
learned to sing Bruce's hit song "One Tin Soldier"
when I was at summer camp as a kid, and now I am lucky enough to
play guitar and mandolin for him on a regular basis.
Visit Bruce Innes' website:
.
I can also be found
performing on bass with the band Straight Up, a blend of new and
old rock and roll.
I also play guitar
and mandolin with Peter Boice in an acoustic duo. Peter
writes some amazing songs, and together we perform his material,
songs by other great singer/songwriters such as Peter Rowan,
instrumental folk tunes, and even a little classical
music. Look for our Bach mandolin duet!
.
 If
you are a musician like me then your "toys" are very
special to you. I have collected some nice instruments
over the years and have some of them listed here.
Click
here to visit my gallery of instruments
.
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