Beginnings - Bellevue, Washington
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The youngest of seven children in a musical family, I had an old fashioned upbringing. That didn't stop me from trying to be as modern as possible. But, as a ten year old in 1967, it was tough to be hip. The Beatles, not Tchaikovsky, embodied the ultimate musical expression. High school at Sammamish in the mid-70's was a blast with plenty of music and drama productions to be involved in. More music courses at Bellevue Community College helped enhance my music education. First, I sang lead vocals for a West Seattle band named Rigel which I quit after one gig for economic reasons. One summer was spent in Tacoma as keyboardist for a diverse funk/soul band that called themselves Final Comedown, LTD. Then I was given a unique opportunity.
Kailua-Kona - The Big Island of Hawaii
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For fifteen months I was a skinny haole learning about life as a young adult with very little money. It was a fun job, though; getting to take a cruise once or twice a day (a three hour tour). I worked for a heavyset, white-haired man named Larry Garrett whose laissez-faire business practices lost him the concession on the tour boat that my uncle owned. I was fortunate to keep my job at the cost of my home where Larry and his friends lived. (was nepotism at fault or just the scapegoat?)
Alaska
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I used to party for a living. Playing keyboards in bands was a long-time dream for me. I just didn't imagine doing it in a sub-zero climate. The summers were amazing. I married a postal worker and settled in Anchorage after a few years on the Kenai Peninsula.
It was important to me to record most of the bands I was in and over the years my live recording techniques improved. I now have over 200 hours of tapes where each instrument had its own mic/channel. Out of that, there was enough to make one or two decent albums that sounded OK.
Later on, after our sons were born, my role in the family became 'Mr. Mom'. Leading a dual life; taking care of babies by day, and entertaining folks in the evening with loud music, I soon looked forward to my swing shift job where I could relax and have some peace and quiet. Not that my boys were misbehaved, there just seemed to be much more order in dealing with boisterous, drunken bar goers and lazy musicians. Still, I cherished my daytime at home even though I would get to bed around 3am and have to get up around 7am.
The Twin Harbors - Grayland, Washington
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After spending eight weeks in Portland attending heavy equipment training school and a few months learning that I didn't want to be an operator of huge machines that could get me killed, I took a side trip to the edge of the continent and found myself back into playing music in a band. During this time I also learned to operate the Macintosh and PC computers and spent many hours working with Photoshop and Performer(MOTU) sequencing music. I was fortunate to have my own house for nearly all of the two years I spent there. My boys got to come visit me in the summer and we had lots of fun going to the beach. I later returned to Alaska to deal with the demise of my first marriage, at which point I began searching for new companionship via the Internet.
Salem, Oregon
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This is where I now live happily ever after with my wife Deborah. I finally have a career that has some measure of stability. I currently provide web and database programming and support for the online department of the nearby community college. Deborah and I recently bought a house in West Salem on the hill where we spend our evenings studying or making music. Our dreams have come true.
