I started playing in 1992 when my dad bought me an old Mitchell MD 750-S acoustic guitar. I picked the guitar up, then put it down, then picked the guitar up and put it down for a couple of years until I went to college at St. Cloud State University. I started teaching myself how to play using various how-to-play-guitar overnight books. Instantly I started writing songs and fell in love with songwriting. I thought for the longest time that maybe I had a little case of A.D.D because I found myself zoning out a lot, but now I have come to the realization that I'm always thinking about writing a song. It consumes me everyday. Music is my passion and will be the rest of my life no matter what happens with it. Well, it kind of has to, because I tattooed the Chinese symbol for Song on my left inner arm. Looking back before I even picked up a guitar I was always writing my thoughts down. I kept journals. I can still remeber the day when my dad came into my room just getting back from the doctors office to tell me that the doctor had said my mom may not see me graduate from High School. I stayed up a cried all night praying that cancer wouldn't get the best of my mom and I wrote a song called That Day that will forever stay in a notebook because everytime I try sing it I never can make it thru. That was my first song and I didn't write another one until years later.
I graduated from St. Cloud State University in the late 1990's with a degree in Finance and Economics and over 50 songs I had written on yellow legal pads. In May of 1996, I started in the investment business as a Stockbroker and spent the next 7 years of my life building a solid financial planning business, but there was still something missing. I needed to do something creative. My songwriting was put on hold to follow the road I thought I was supposed to trying to make something of myself with one of those so called careers, but I was always side tracked by songwriting. It would come in and out of my life as needed to get me thru the rough patches. It took awhile before I did anything with my music. Instead of starting my own band I started my journey as a singer by answering a Lead Singer wanted ad for a band called Syndicate Avenue. I had to sing Arms wide open by Creed and Loser by 3 Doors Down for my first audition and after 4 call backs they decided to make me a member. We starting writing immediately and learned a bunch of cover songs. We played our first gig at The Red Carpet in St Cloud and it is a moment I will never forget. I had all the support of my good friends. When I walked out on that stage for the first time I felt an overwhelming feeling of calmness like I was meant to be on a stage. I knew right then, that this is what I needed in my life, an outlet to let all my thoughts and feelings out, a way to get things off my chest. There is not a day that goes by, that I am not thankful for the opportunity to make music.
Here I am today, after Murge has parted, going back to my acoustical roots, where I fell in love with songwriting over 12 years ago. I am currently working on an acoustic EP with the theme song being Up, down and Sideways which pretty much sums up my life. I am recording the EP with Dave Anderson with Minor 7 Recording Studios.