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Bio
Now that musicians can easily record at home and distribute their work online, I'm hoping to contribute another piece of the puzzle by creating an offline space where they can merge their tribes, expand their fanbases and network with touring musicians from other states. As a contributing writer for Acoustic Guitar magazine, I get to hear a lot of new music that I might otherwise overlook. In the past few years, the CDs I've been assigned to review have introduced me to a lot of inspired work that somehow stays below the radar. So my goal is to change the radar and tune into new music that gets missed by commercial radio. In May of 2007, I formed a new music marketing and event planning business that merges my experience as an advertising copywriter with my experience as a music journalist. I specialize in Web site content, one sheets, press releases, and helping you communicate what makes your work unique. I also organize, book, and promote CD release shows. So if you're a musician, manager, or indie label who would like help with publicity and promotional work, let's collaborate: (415) 706 3800. The Athens of the Prairie But the winters were hell. So, after a vacation in the Bay Area showed me that there were actually places in the country that were sunny and 60 degrees in January, I started packing. I came west for the weather and stayed for the music. That's because in 1991, my friend James Lee Harris, Jr., introduced me to the Owl and Monkey Cafe, whose Thursday night open mic was a gathering place for folks who weren't just making their own music, they were also listening to the music made by their friends, going to see each other's shows and helping each other record demos and get gigs. That supportive community became a breeding ground for talent like I'd never seen before - Box Set, Noe Venable, and many others came out of that scene, which eventually migrated to Les Wisner's much-loved Bazaar Cafe. Why am I hosting house concert parties? I was inspired by the inclusiveness of the Owl and Monkey's open mic, and its regulars (especially Box Set and Pat Nugent). Plus, hearing music performed in a living room without a stage and without a microphone – that's when something fun and spontaneous can happen. In a room where there is no separation between the performers and the listeners, the audience can hear the musicians, and the musicians can hear the audience when they pipe up and sing harmony. So it feels less like a formal performance, and more like a party, like a group of peers enjoying each other's company.
The days of handstands and giant swings At our high school, the next best thing to being a hoopster was being a gymnast. That's because our coach, John Hinds, was one of the most successful high school gymnastic coaches in the country. He guided Columbus North to something like 13 out 16 State Championships. He was a local legend, in a way. I think he even served on the Olympic Committee for a while. Mr. Hinds was the one who convinced me to take the sport seriously enough to train year 'round. By the time I was 14, I had traveled across the country to compete in the AAU National Junior Olympics in Santa Clara, CA, where I won a silver medal in the All Around. Then, when I was in high school, I won the State All-Around Championship my junior year and the State Still Rings Championship my senior. My scores qualified me for All-American status. Summing up those ten years in a few paragraphs feels strange to me now. It's like looking at a 4th grade picture of yourself in a sweater you wore every week and wondering whatever happened to it. Even though it seems like a past life now, I remember what a big deal it was to me at the time. In fact, I chose my college based on the strength of their gymnastics team. Back in the early 80s, Iowa State had placed in the top 5 in the NCAA Championships for a few years in a row. So I went to Iowa State as a walk-on, but eventually earned a full athletic scholarship my junior year. Unfortunately, that year began and ended in injury. While warming up on floor exercise at a meet in Chicago, I landed on my head and broke the spinous process of the C2 vertebrae. Had to wear a neck brace for a few months. After recovering from that injury, I competed again for a few months, then broke my leg in practice while dismounting from the parallel bars. After that, I decided to take the summer off and decide what to do. It was my first vacation from the sport in 10 years, and it was liberating to have so much time outside the gym. I decided to spend my last year of college doing other things, such as writing the "Words" column from the Iowa State Daily. Making the flip to verbal gymnastics Back in 1986, before Jane was famous, I had the great pleasure of having her as my creative writing professor. Good times. One of my stories was about a man who had an intense fear of corduroy. I think Jane was both freaked out and amused by it. In general, I remember that class as feeling more like a talk show than a writing class at times. I laughed a lot more in that room than I ever did in say, my Economics Class. The other professor who made me realize my love for language was Faye Whitaker. Her enthusiasm for John Donne and George Herbert was contagious. She was the kind of professor that could make metaphysical poetry seem vibrant and interesting, even to a 19-year old small town midwestern kid who'd never had appreciation for anything literary before. She brought those works alive for me and basically inspired me to be a writer. Even if what I learned in her classes doesn't inform what I do for a living, it does inform my life and my songwriting. So thank you, Faye. 
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