Like most parents, my mom and dad thought that piano lessons would be an enriching experience for me as a kid. They had high hopes, but I had no desire and even less discipline and this winning combination led me rapidly to the zenith of my piano career: a four-note, four-measure piece entitled "Men from Mars".

After leaving "Men from Mars" in the dust, I found myself in Mexico, in the beautiful state of Michoacan. I was somehow inspired to purchase a guitar and I miraculously acted on this inspiration and bought one for about 60,000 pesos. You must think I had quite a lot of faith in myself to drop 60 grand on my first guitar....oh yeah...60,000 pesos was about the equivalent of 20 U.S. dollars. With my guitar in hand, I begged some of the locals to teach me and I learned lots of "corridos", traditional Mexican ballads.

Armed with my newfound knowledge, I headed back to the States. I became an elementary school teacher in Los Angeles (a job I love), and I kept the music thing happening on the side. I played with some cheesy cover bands, collaborated with other musicians, and eventually wound up solo.

So now, it's just me and my guitar. You may wonder what sorts of material I draw from when I write, or, you may not. In any event, some of my songs come from the endless crazy happenings in my classroom, like "Rootbeer Barrel Eyes" and "Evil Knievel". Others come from one of the greatest catalysts of creativity, the proverbial painful break-up: see "Idiot Savant" or "Witness". Yet others stem from spiritual quandaries and questions: "See Jane Sink" and "Six Million Dollar Christian". When I am all out of ideas, I see what I can pirate from my friends. My high school buddy, Jeret Ochi, wrote "Coffee and a Cigarette".

There you have it! Thanks again for dropping in! You can listen to some songs, find out where I'm playing, or order a CD for only $5, the equivalent of just 40 pesos nowadays.

And be sure to click here to check out my just-released, brand new album, "Film Noir"!