My Musical Journey
My mother was a wonderful pianist who signed me up for piano lessons at the age of 10. I tried but was more interested in playing sports. When Rock and Roll and the Beatles took off, I fancied myself as playing guitar is a famous band. At the age of 12, I bought a Martin D-28 guitar. I learned to play songs by painstakingly listening to 45 rpm records. I became good enough to earn a few dollars playing gigs while in college.
​
That D-28 sat in my closet for years and years after I got my first job as a nuclear engineer and started a family.
Church Music and Gigging
Many years later, I was getting my hair cut by a friend who plays in a local band. I let it be known that I had a guitar in my closet, very much feeling abandoned. He threatened to set my hair on fire unless I started playing guitar again.
Being fond of having hair, I complied.
​
Next thing I know I am playing guitar and singing at two Masses a weekend at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Mendocino. Which is where I reside today. In addition to church music, I took voice lessons and learned to perform every well-known song from 1950s onward. I took to the stage at local open mic events and then started performing regularly at the local venues. This lasted until covid shut it all down.
Songwriting
After Covid, I went back to performing at local gigs, but I no longer found it satisfying. The noise level was distractingly high, and people weren't actively listening. My goal then became to perform original songs to audiences who were there to listen and learn the back stories to the songs. I am realizing that goal.
