Digital Rodeo

Born and raised in small town Kansas. Started piano at age 7. Got the music bug at age 9 after 1st piano recital. I played well, people clapped, I was hooked. At 13, I picked up the guitar and taught myself how to play. I was a fat kid and not real good lookin’, so I thought it would help me get the chicks, and it worked (eventually). Played some shows in high school. When we would finish playing, young girls would scream = best feeling ever. Went to Berklee College of Music at 17. Got kicked out my 1st year, but that’s another story. Went back home, sold drugs, used drugs, got drunk and played guitar. By the grace of God, didn’t get thrown in jail. Couple years later, got a call from my old roommate from Berklee. He lived in Chicago and needed a guitar player for an album he was workin’ on. I was rotting away in the middle of nowhere so I moved to Chicago. We started a southern rock band called Whiskey Kitchen. We played damn near every bar in Chicago over the next 7 years. Got on T.V. a couple times and recorded 3 albums together. We Drank too much and had some of the best times I’ve ever had. (Attended Columbia College somewhere in there) I got diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease and was told I might only have 9 months to live. Reassessed my life and determined there was nothing else I wanted to do. Got serious and wrote and recorded as much music as I could. Treatment for the disease worked, (sucked a little though) and the disease is in remission. My dad got sick, I moved back home to help take care of him. He died a slow horrible death that he didn’t deserve. He was a great dad and I miss him. By the time I came back to Chicago, the band moved on, got married, had kids, etc. I moved to Nashville a couple years ago and started from scratch. Got in a head on crash a few months ago at 60 mph. Flipped a few times, car on fire. Only broke my finger. Once again, I thought about my life so far, and if there was any other way I’d rather lived my life. Other than a few small regrets, I can’t imagine doing it differently. I might make it in the music business and I may not, but I’m either too stubborn or too stupid to quit. Maybe both.