I've been extremely fortunate to be surrounded by very talented, creative people, without whom I would never have been able to be involved with music at all.

I've been in a small number of bands thus far in my life, and I can't foresee a time that I won't be recording music, at least on some level.

It started with my good friend Bob Burns.  Bob is his own band and after recording several albums on his own, he invited me to write a song with him. That song was "Paradise World" and it appeared on his 1993 ZOO STORY album, "CHINA."  From there we formed a band called the DIVORCE GUN and we occasionally manage to record DG songs to this day. The self-titled DG album came out in February 1995 and the second, "Schmorgus Bored," was completed in 2006 but remains unreleased. I should also mention that our first foray into "music" was a very short-lived punk band called THE UPHOLSTERED URINALS back when were both in college. 

Bob and I also formed an acoustic KISS tribute band called ACOUS-KISS.  Guitarist Steve Trabilsy and a bassist named Colin rounded out that endeavor.  We rehearsed a lot but never performed live.

While writing more Divorce Gun songs in the later 1990's, I approached my then-friend, guitarist Chris Carlson about helping out and maybe even joining the band. Instead Chris and I became a brand new band and added our mutual friend Jason Axtolis on bass. We were referred to drummer Will Garrison and he completed our line-up. We were called CRASH PALACE, but after our first 2 live shows we found there already was a band with that name so we became SERPENT CROWN.  SC played out often, recorded a full-length album, "IN HARM'S WAY" and were working on a live CD, "LIVE BEFORE DEAD" when we broke-up live, on stage in May, 2002.  Jason and I tried to keep it going for another year, but we were never able to recreate what we had.

After that I, very briefly, joined an 80's cover band called FICTITIOUS, but the demise of SC was too fresh a memory and I wound up parting ways with them a few months into it, never having played outside of the rehearsal basement.

In 2007, I was asked to help bring a fictional heavy metal band to life from the pages of the HACK/SLASH comic book.  H/S creator Tim Seeley came up with a villainous band that sold their souls to the devil for fame. H/S heroes Cassie Hack and Vlad were sent to Hell to battle the band. Tim decided to make real songs for the fake band and he asked Crank! to help him out. Crank! in turn asked me and with the help of other musicians Mike Norton, Nick Grobe and Brian Day, ACID WASHED was born.  AW recorded 2 songs from the band's fictional playlist "Acid Washed and "Kitty Massage" as well as an original Christmas song "X-Mas Washed."

In the fall of 2009 I convinced my friend Amber Benson to sing a Christmas duet w/ me, and we flipped the gender roles of the classic "Baby It's Cold Outside."  I recruited Chicago band Daemon Familiar to record it with us (Brent Willems on Bass & Wendi Freeman on drums). DF frontman Pablo Mena worked up the arrangement and I can't remember the name of the guitarist from the Old Town School of Folk who filled in at the last second. Sorry, guy!  Amber completed her part in Los Angeles and a truly original interpretation was born.

Here are links to some of the songs I've actually put online...

DIVORCE GUN
Oyster Patch
(for Amber B.)
Sunny Day
(for Ann H.)
With Kelly
("Tomorrow" by KISS; for Kelly L.)
I Love Mistletoe
(Joan Jett's "I Love Rock and Roll")
Kringle
("Strutter" by KISS)
Christmas Eve (Bang Yer Sled)
(Quiet Riot's "Metal Health")

ACID WASHED
Kitty Massage

AMBER/DAEMON FAMILIAR
Baby It's Cold Outside