my story

I never really knew how escapist the act of writing music is for me — the sounds, the mood, the lyrics. Everything about this new record feels pretty good and honest which is great. It’s nice to stand by everything here at this point in my life. For years, I played in a band with some of my best friends, but that experience, while incredibly rewarding, wasn’t without its challenges. I experienced a great deal of stage fright and personal anxiety over the momentum of the band and its success. It took it’s toll on me and I found myself longing to hide. But over time, I came to realize how important telling my story was to me. “Sky Boxer” is a decent enough analogy for life. I am a dreamer — always reaching for the stars. While I’ve never really engaged in the sport of boxing, as an artist, one is always fighting to survive. I have spent a great deal of time, learning how to play instruments and mix instruments together. For years, I didn’t do enough homework about what kinds of music other people were making, probably because I was too immersed in my own sounds at the time. But eventually, I started being a real student of the art form, particularly because I was asked to compose music for others. I learned how to make music in so many different styles. Overtime, it became harder to figure out what kind of music was “me”. And so, contrary to my high octane impatient personality, I had to wait. I had to clear the air. I had in many ways, lost my north star. When I was a little kid, I remember getting tested — “what direction does the sun set?” It was a simple enough question, but in my young experience at the time, I thought, “ err, well, it depends on where you are in the world?” That innocent enough mistake seems to have followed me around in life. Obviously, I now know that the sun sets in the West, but (and forgive me) in keeping with the sun and the north star analogy, I didn’t know what anyone would want to hear me say or sing or create— I had lost my life’s sense direction . There is so much information — so many, many songs out there. And with new technologies and experience dabbling in so many different styles of music, I could write anything. It was as if I had the tools for everything, but no purpose. Steve Martin had a fun bit in his film “The Jerk” about finding his purpose. So I was forced to think and reflect on what I was doing wrong. I had to sit and breathe and look at everyone else’s stars. They say you get wiser over time, but I wasn’t feeling wiser. I was feeling smaller and less convinced I mattered much. But then one day, I decided I would let the music guide me a bit. I’d let the beat, the sound, the chord progression, the energy become the makings of new north star. One song. No expectations. No anxiety about its worth or its intentions. Just one feel good song. And so, I wrote a song to inspire me because I wasn’t feeling inspired. I felt like that children’s book — like i was “nothing much at all". And I needed help. I needed a coach or a mentor or a friend. But as many of you artists out there know, there are so few people that can truly understand or relate to an artist’s “alone-ness". The song would have to be the coach… and so it was— “RUN…cause life hasn’t just begun.” The quasi-rockstar singer in the song is one part of my whole. He is the one telling me how to feel, how to act. As albums go, it reminded me of Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey”. Run is the “Call To Adventure.” Once you agree to take on the journey in your life, your are set to succeed. You are set to change. You are growing. I think Bill Murray (in What About Bob) would call it “ Baby Steps.” From RUN, I sort of just kept exploring. I have much more to say (shocking no one) but this is just a website, so let the music guide you. The music truly is the north star and hopefully, I will continue boxing my way through the sky to follow it. Enjoy!