So I was asked this morning by my friend Eve of the cover band Evolution if I could do a gig next Friday June 21. Hell yes! Now I have THREE gigs this month WHEW!! Glad I stocked up on new strings. I wanted summer shows, I got 'em!! My Titanium Tour Bus is going to get quite a workout. So will my fingers :) » Continue Reading
Well, my life went from zero to 100mph in a week. Get your score cards ready. My wish for doing summer gigs has come true and there's three of them coming up very soon: (All are cover band fill-ins) EVOLUTION at Five Dimes Brewery (Red Bank, NJ) 7-11pm ROCK HARD at Bardi's (Pequannock, NJ) 9-12am EVOLUTION at Tony's Pizza (Sparta, NJ) 8-11pm A few other cover bands reached out to me, and if sched... » Continue Reading
My last blog was 15 days ago? I am seriously slacking! But when you have nothing new to report, you don't say anything. Now I do! I did a Q&A last Wed with DJ Metal Mistress on The Metal Meltdown. Unlike shows in the past, this was not a typical interview session where I hawked new music or whatever. Though I did mention the June 28 gig with Rock Hard, this was all about shredding guitar live on t... » Continue Reading
For once, I have no news to report. Isn't that something? Feels good actually. Gets exhausting trying to promote myself and whatnot. I am still writing new demos, but obviously not in any rush to record. Not for a long while. I'm still burned out from the newest album that hardly got any love. That was pretty soul-crushing. It happens. But fear not, I will return with something in maybe 3-5 years.... » Continue Reading
Ah good ol' Motley Crue...they know how to stir up drama and controversy, right? They released a new song and people are divided but mostly saying "nay" to it. Of course, one thing I hear is "It's HEAVY!" But that doesn't mean it's good. As Roger Glover of Deep Purple once said, "Heavy isn't about volume, it's about attitude." You can have a ballad be heavy because of its sentiment (as long as it'... » Continue Reading
Caline Devilfish Chorus Delay Pedal Demo (youtube.com) Yep, I had to get another pedal. Why? To make a short story long... I redid my Behemoth board on Monday and faced a crisis: nine pedals but eight plugs with the daisy chain?! GASP! I thought to myself "Self, find a pedal with both chorus and delay on it." I did!! Caline makes a pedal called Devilfish and it's a dual chorus/analog del » Continue Reading
Caline Eagle Eye Boost Pedal Demo (youtube.com) The first clip is for the Caline Eagle Eye Boost pedal, which I received on Friday. Very simple layout, solidly built, and has a cool Mode feature where you can dial in any of six different tone settings depending on the room you're playing. Very smart! Caline Green Mamba OD pedal demo ( » Continue Reading
2024 VOTE – International Singer-Songwriters Association (issasongwriters.com) The above link is for you to click on and vote for my latest album ACT NATURAL, which is up for Male Album of the Year. As well as "Walk Through Lightning" for Male Single of the Year. Yes they made sure my music identified as male! Two years ago, the album MOOD SWINGS was nominated, but didn't make it all the way. That... » Continue Reading
THIS JUST IN: ROCK HARD will be performing once again at Bardi's Grill (Pequannock, NJ) on Friday June 28th, start time 9:30pm! We played there on March 8 and the place was packed!! The band rocked out too (yes we rocked hard). Added two songs to that show's set list from White Zombie and Jimi Hendrix. Who knows what we'll do for this gig but rest assured, your eyes might widen and your neck will ... » Continue Reading
This past Friday, another gig with Rock Hard entered the books and wow what a show!! BIG crowd (forgot what that looked like), great vibes, awesome choice of songs... Yet I still write my own songs, don't worry. Cover bands are definitely a trap. Easy money, always a crowd, free food (some places anyway), and you really feel like people like you. But do they really? They cheer for the songs, which... » Continue Reading
Last Saturday I sat in with the cover band Supernova but this was definitely a first for me. I played at a bowling alley. You read that right. And the best part? It sounded GREAT!! I am not kidding. Because the ceiling is curved, it's like a bandshell, so the sound bounces back really big. I barely turned my amp up past 4, and it was still really loud. Which is good! We did two long sets instead o... » Continue Reading
So, the big news...Slayer are playing some festivals this year. And Slayer fans are not happy. This is not a shock. But before I go off, let me impart something I heard back in 2020 at the NAMM show. A friend of mine who works at Dean Guitars (keeping his name out for privacy reasons) told me back then, "Nah, Slayer aren't done. They are doing festivals here and there but no big tours anymore." A... » Continue Reading