Perhaps ironically, I didn't start out playing music on the bass, but on the trombone. i began musical study in elementary school playing trombone, and continued to perform throughout high school in various classical and jazz bands. It was during high school that i began playing bass guitar in an attempt to explore other styles of music, as well as to avoid the tyrannical, oppressive thumb of my music instructor. Also during this time, I started getting into punk music, listening to the likes of The Vandals, Black Flag, The Descendents, Dead Kennedys, Sub-Humans, Minor Threat, and so on, and I realized that sticking with the trombone was not going to help me in playing punk music. My first bass was a Hohner, a bass soon to become so hated for it's lack of playability and tone that a couple of years later, i took a blow torch to it, and renamed it "the Shit Bass" (this bass has since been lost, though probably not entirely by accident).

After toiling around in several insignificant, uninspired bands throughout high school, one of which i performed in during my graduation ceremony, and realizing that playing in a rock band was what i wanted to do with my life, I began looking for a band to join. The result of this was me joining the band Here We Burn. Throughout the next 8 years, I wrote songs, played gigs, constructed a website, made flyers, promoted, hired and fired bandmembers...basically, did all the things that a band with any sense of ambition and purpose is supposed to do and had to do to succeed. Ultimately, the band disintegrated- too many disagreements and clashes on what direction the band wanted the music to go.

Again, I was back to auditioning with bands. I listened to a lot of tapes...some bands were not what I was looking for, others just plain sucked. Thankfully, Ted responded to an ad I had placed on the internet, and thus saved both my musical career, and my sanity. I was the last to join SIFT, in November of 1999, which I suppose makes me the new guy to this day.

When writing songs and basslines, i tend to draw upon events and emotions, as well as the groove and feel of the music, rather than bands for inspiration, though if threatened with a rubber hose, I will say that Paul D'Amour, Simon Gallup, Billy Gould, Les Claypool, Eric Avery., Johnny Avila, and Tod A. have influenced my playing the most.

G&L L2000 4 string bass

Ibanez Soundgear 800

Hohner Jass bass copy

Ampeg B-5R head

two Carvin cabinets

ART Nightbass 2000 effects processor