My main influences when I was just beginning to play guitar are guys no one has probably ever heard of. In my formative years as a guitar player, I was fortunate to be working at Gibson Guitar in Nashville, TN. Everyday, all day… guitars everywhere you look! It was heaven and of course, every person in the place was a player of some sort. Guys like Chuck Yamek who toured with Tiffany in the 80's, Ric Olsen, guitar player for Berlin, and the list goes on. We'd grab a guitar while sitting at our desks and take a jam break. And of course no one really minded cuz everyone was too busy joining in!

Favorite bands/musical influences? The list is huge, endless really. I was a radio kid, which basically means that I listened to whatever I could tune in on the radio. My family and I didn't always live in the big cities, so I would hear one channel for a little awhile, until it faded out and I was forced to find something else. So what I got was a lot of everything, country, rock, country-fried rock, R&B, jazz, classical, pop. And then I studied Madrigal music and sang in concert choir all through high school. So my list of influences and favorite bands is long and extremely varied. But I have to say that vocally, the ladies of Heart (Ann & Nancy Wilson) and Pat Benatar really molded my approach to vocals because they sang with such conviction and strength combined with control, that really just did it for me.  

- Tell fans about your luv for your particular style of music, as opposed to other styles - how it became your favorite style of rock, etc

Rock music just always seemed to top my list of “favorite song” at any given time. It's tough to say why that is, just something inside I guess, like the way we know whether we're straight or gay. Coming from an athletic background I was always in motion in one way or another. Rock to me embodies that same emotion and allows me to be expressive in a way that feels most comfortable and natural for me.

- Do you play/compose/record only your own original music? Do you do any other work in music - e.g. teaching, recording session work, hired gun, producing, etc? Does your playing appear on recordings of any other artists?

I write or co-write all of my own material. In fact, with the exception of the title track, all of the songs on Cry Mercy are my compositions. In addition to writing and playing I also produced this record and in doing so, found that I have a real passion for producing and I hope to do more in the future. I also teach voice and operate my own home studio. I work with several other aspiring artists to develop their vocal techniques and help guide them safely to their musical goals.

- Is there a particular favorite solo or part you played on a recording, or a certain piece of composed music you wrote, that you feel represents your finest work?

Track #10 on Cry Mercy (you see, I also play piano) and I choose that one because it is so different from my mainstream. I feel that it shows a well- rounded musical education and I'm proud of that.

Any special thoughts on your instrument, and what it's meant to you in your life?

You know that question, “If you were stranded on an island and could only take 1 thing?” I could deal as long as I had a guitar and could sing.

Can you relate any special feelings or experiences about being a glbt player in the mostly straight music world... especially regarding your formative/learning years on your instrument?

I have never really felt like an outsider when it comes to being gay and being an artist. In fact I have sometimes wondered if being gay has helped me be accepted by my mostly male counterparts. Sex between us was never an issue, so it allowed us to work side by side on an equal level. And the wives never worried about how much time I was spending with their men, so all in all I'd have to say that my being gay was very much an afterthought.

As for what it was like in my formative years, it was a little tough only because I wasn't out of the closet, so most of the time I felt like I had to hide myself. But it was actually that uncomfortable position that was a deciding force in my coming out.

- For a glbt player - how does the overall music scene differ today from years ago?

 I experienced the Nashville scene from about 1994-1998 and I noticed how fatal it was to be gay and be in that arena. Artists like K.D. Lang and Shelby Lynne were often targeted and shunned by radio and concert promoters for their openness about their sexuality. Unfortunately it seems that the country music scene finds little virtue in being honest and true to yourself because not much has changed there. But in the rock world, things are very different and some artists are even applauded for being gay and proud. And while there are still strides to be made, I feel we are moving toward a more colorful palette from which to choose our musical heroes.