Music

I've been playing music for practically my whole life. I was surrounded with it while growing up, as relatives would visit for holidays and before long there would be full-on jam sessions. While cleaning the house and cooking, my mom would blast Beatles albums, and before long I knew all the words and how each song went. At 6 years old I started taking piano lessons, although I tried to tinker around on the piano prior to that. After about 8 years of classical training, I moved on to jazz and improv lessons from my cousin. Throughout middle and high school I played various instruments, such as saxophone, drums, upright bass, some singing and even the tuba. During this time I was also hearing alot of heavy classic rock compliments of my sister. I recall owning cassette tapes of Molly Hatchet, Queen, Black Sabbath, Zeppelin and various others.

I joined my first band at 15 years old, playing keyboards with a bunch of dudes that knew a couple of Lynard Skynard songs. Not surprisingly, that band never made it past a failed audition for a high school Battle of the Bands. Soon after, I met Eric Ransavage, who opened my mind to a number of musical avenues. First off, he introduced me to Led Zeppelin, whom I knew but not to that level. Eric would play Jimmy Page's guitar solos more smoothly than Page himself. It was just a matter of time before I was turned onto the guitar, starting with the bass. Eric and I would write and record songs, with him on guitars and bass, and myself doing the vocals, keyboards and drums.

At 17 I finally got a guitar and played it non-stop. I had already played bass, so the guitar didn't seem too tough. I didn't use any books except one to figure out my first chord. From there on I learned playing by ear. I would just put my fingers on strings until it sounded good. To this day, guitarists will sometimes comment on the unusual chords I'll play. When I lived in Florida, I did most of my practicing on guitar. I would play for hours every day. I improved my skills greatly due to being so strict, and when I moved back up to NJ I showed my friend Chad everything I had learned. He noticed the change in my playing, and eventually that led to us forming a band. But that was not for years to come...

During my time in North Carolina, I got tan, went to the beach everyday, bought a cool car, bought a cooler motorcycle, crashed the motorcycle, and wrote and recorded about two albums worth of music. Not in that order. After attending the audio engineering school in Florida, the most I got for my money was the ability to make good recordings. I learned various tricks of the trade to mixing down and mastering. I learned how GOOD recordings should sound. So I took to my 4-track recorder, guitar and drum machine. I'm not sure I still have these recordings, and if I do they're useless without an analog 4-track recorder (it's been a long time since I've owned one). Not to mention I may not even want to hear these songs again! Anyway, it was all in good practice. I still use the skills learned back then today in my current recordings.

In '97 I moved to the middle of Pennsylvania, about a hundred yards from the campus of Penn State, although I was not a student. I was, however, enjoying the benefits of living at a huge University. Between sneaking into computer labs to learn web design and drinking half priced Long Island Ice Teas at the local bar, I played guitar in a band that consisted mostly of residents within the house I lived. We would practice almost daily in the basement and eventually started playing out around town. The best thing about this band was it was my introduction to playing reggae. The kid that started the band was a major reggae fan, listening to alot of Bob Marley's earliest recordings. During this time I was also introduced to Phish from a friend. I finally understood what they were all about after attending one of their shows in Philly. Amazing, to say the least.

The sogoodbunny year

I say "year" because, unfortunately, that is all it lasted. But, it was a huge learning process for me. After living in central PA for a few years, I relocated, once again, to NJ, this time to Clinton, about 20 minutes away from where I grew up. The main reason was to start a band with Chad, who had been playing the bass after hearing my guitar skills improve and the new songs I was writing. With Chad on bass, our friend Jack on drums, and myself on guitar and vocals, we practiced, played a few parties, started playing clubs and became a pretty big deal in that area of NJ. The highlight was when we played the legendary Wetlands in NYC, and not only did we pack the place, we ended up stealing all the fans of the two bands playing upstairs. Even most the members of those bands took time to hear some of our songs.

The band only lasted for about a year, but like I said it was a huge learning experience for me. To learn more and hear the music we made, take a look at our MySpace Page.

According to Wendy

After sogoobunny dissolved, I finally moved to New York. I would practice guitar and record some material, but nothing serious. NYC proved to be a tough place to find musicians I could easily jam with. I encountered many "rock star" attitudes which completely turned me off. I figured I would just prepare for a solo act, and then I met Steve. After talking a few times about music, he arranged a jam session. Steve played the bass, his friend Fred was on drums, and I was on the guitar. Within an hour we knew we had something and started the band According to Wendy.

The Jynx

Almost 3 years into the life of According to Wendy, Fred up and disappeared, and Steve and I decided to make the changes we had always wanted to but couldn't do to percussive limitations. We immediately began improving and molding our sound with the help of our new drummer, The Kochman. Within just about a month, we began recording our debut EP, which is due out sometime this summer. To learn more about the band and band members, and to hear some rough mixes of songs for the upcoming EP, please visit our website at TheJynxMusic.com.