Category: What’s New

Audiosyncracy’s Best of 2012

I’m extremely happy to have my new album Necessity included in Audiosyncracy’s Best of 2012!! Thank you Jamey — I truly appreciate the honour!

Blue Chip Picks

Just received two new Blue Chip picks in the mail today… A TD 40 and a TP-1R 40.  Basically, they’re backups for Blue Chips I already have.  Yes, I know, Blue Chip picks are INSANELY expensive ($35 each).  So if you’re a player who likes to fling picks into the audience or you regularly lose picks, Blue Chip picks are not for you (unless you happen to be a rock star with a boatload of disposable income that is!).  I almost never lose picks (still have picks from high school) and I can’t think of the last (or the first) time I flung a pick into an audience, so I can kind of rationalize the price.  Cost aside, Blue Chips are hands down the best I’ve ever used — terrific tone, almost indestructible and they stick to my fingers like no other pick.  Love ’em!

Metalworks

A big thanks to Metalworks for having me back for another semester!  This semester I’m teaching four MIDI classes and one Song Writing Analysis class.  Should be a fun (and busy) next four months!

My 2013 Musical Goals

So here we are approaching the end of 2012 and it’s once again that time of year for resolutions.  Like just about everyone I know, I have the same kinds of resolutions: eat healthier; work out more; be a “better” person.  But seeing as I’m a musician, I thought I would share my musical resolutions, or better yet, goals for 2013.  So here we go…

1. Practice. Not only practice more, but more consistently and with greater focus and intent.  Practice is a hurdle for any working musician, but without it you won’t be working for long.

2. Related to #1, practice all of the things that make me a stronger player.  In particular, I want to work on balancing out picked notes with slurs, so that my playing is more fluid.

3. Singing. When singing harmony with Sixteen Different Minds, I’d like to be able to consistently sing something approaching a known, recognizable interval.  There’s nothing wrong with micro-tonal singing, except when it’s unintended!

4. Memorize 20-30 more Celtic/Irish tunes on the mandolin so I can sit in on a jam session at the Dora Keogh.

Of course, I also have more directed career goals. I’d like to record one or two more records this year. And gig more. And I have some tech goals like working on my own custom synth/sample patches for Logic and Omnisphere. And updating the hardware in my studio… Lots of things to shoot for in 2013 — it’s going to be a great year!

Denis Poole’s (Smooth Jazz Therapy) Review of “Necessity”

Check out the stellar, hot-off-the-press review of Necessity by Denis Poole (Smooth Jazz Therapy)!!!