I started playing guitar at an early age.  Actually much earlier than I originally thought.  My
sister dug up some old pictures of me when I was just starting out, to prove a point.  You gotta
love the footie pajamas.  Anyway......  I would play for a while, learn some new things then forget about guitar for months at a time.  This went on through all my teenage years and into my early

twenties.  After many years of doing this and a few children later, my youngest son, Brent, decided he wanted to learn to play guitar.  He asked me to show him how to play 'Stairway to Heaven'.  In a very short time he had it mastered.  He continued to play, mainly heavy metal, and started getting very good....... Too damn good.  He was getting better than me.  So I bought an electric guitar and started practicing.

I wanted to concentrate on blues but playing some of the blues leads and licks seemed empty without other instruments providing accompaniment.  Being a bit of a computer nerd, I used my computer’s sound card to help fill in some of the gaps in sound.  I started entering simple drum and bass lines using a midi keyboard.  Through the years I gradually upgraded my equipment and got much better at playing the other instruments in to the sequencer but I always had problems with the drum tracks.  I pretty much suck at playing the drums.  Fortunately, Brent and my oldest son, Jared, are both excellent drummers.  So Jared helped me with some of the drum tracks.  It has been a long haul but I finally developed a professional sound.

My sisters and friends were the ones that encouraged me to play in public.  So one day, my wife Patti and I went to listen to the Tom Larsen Band with a group of friends.  When Tom finished playing I asked him if I could play a couple songs in between his sets.  To my surprise, he said yes but instead of playing two or three songs, he let me play for nearly an hour.  I was extremely nervous but it went very well.  Shortly after that, Patti and I were out having a couple drinks when we came across Steve Slack, owner of Slacker’s Irish Pub.  Patti and Steve were old friends from her work.  I asked him if I could audition one night at his bar.  He took a chance on me and I’ve been playing at clubs ever since. 

Another group of guys that helped me along the way were Paul Ruggerio and his band The Blue Cats.  Paul invited me to play at their open mike shows.  This was a tremendous help, building my  confidence and getting over the stage-fright thing.  Paul has always been very supportive and a good friend. 

Of course, there are many other people that helped me in one way or another but most especially my wife, Patti.  She understands that music is a part of me and it is something I have to do.  She is my biggest fan and the best public relations person anyone could ever dream of.  She is there to hear me play when ever possible and she has always supported me 100%.  I truly would not be able to do it without her. 

My main influences are Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gary Moore, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy and a relatively new guitarist named Popa Chubby.  In my opinion, these are the reining guitar gods of blues. I know there are a lot of great guitarists and I know other people would choose different guitarists as their blues gods but I seem to connect with their styles.

Everyone has a favorite song or a favorite artist that they like to listen to and that's fine.  However, I like to concentrate on the great songs that have slipped through the cracks.....  Believe me, there are a lot of them out there.  Songs from well known artists that just don't get played, songs from local artists, obscure artists and of course the proverbial 'B' side.  These are the songs that break away from the corporate music mold and broaden an individual's musical horizon.  Please don't misunderstand me, I do enjoy playing the popular songs that we all know and love.  I just prefer to dance to the beat of a different drummer every now and then. The world is missing out on a lot of great music.  I want to bring some of it back to you.

Dub