I am a school teacher and administrator, web designer and programmer, guitarist for hire, and a vocalist and guitarist for local country and rock cover bands in southern New Jersey. I also play guitar and sing for Mister Monkey Pants, a dance/rock/party group who get together for special occasions. Feel free to browse the site; there is information on my professional life, music, equipment, recommendations, guitar lessons and more.
MUSICALLY,
I started playing guitar when I was about 7 years old. I’m not a serious practicer; I’m just an experienced hack. Luckily, the noise I make seems to be enjoyable by most. I spent most of my time playing in original rock bands in the ’80s and ’90s, with a short interruption in the late ’80s to play guitar for the late Robert Hazard (RCA/BMG), best known for the song “Escalator Of Life” and his song “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, made famous by Cyndi Lauper. I have also worked with well-known producers Steve Goldstein (Steve Perry) and Bill Klatt (Days Of The New). Others I have worked with include Bryant, Sight Unseen, Permanent Damage, Drastic Measures, Citizen Kane, Merritt Gant (Faith Or Fear / OverKill), Baby Heather and various studio recordings. Now, I spend my musical time on country, funk, rock, and disco cover bands in the southern New Jersey and Philadelphia areas.
Personal Gear Recommendations
There are few things left that I enthusiastically recommend. By recommend, I mean I urge you to try yourself because I like it – not because I get compensated. Currently, my favorite pedals come from Robert Keeley and Chad Matthews at CMatMods.com. I have yet to find an over-the-counter guitar that does the trick for me, so I build my own. I do happen to own some amazing guitars by King Bee Guitars that I enjoy, and they’re worth looking into if you want a classic-inspired axe. As for amps, I have a Metropoulos ’69 Plexi head that was built by Dan Spitz of Anthrax (high gain beast!), and still own a few custom builds from the now-defunct company, Electrosonic Amplifiers. I also own a variety of production amplifiers, and it really depends on my mood for the day as to what I use at a show. But everything I use is tube; I haven’t found anything solid-state or modeling that does the trick.
DESIGN-WISE,
I have been involved in Internet technologies since 1996. In that time, I have been part of over 4 million dollars in web site design and development, and have worked with many of the area’s top companies and firms. My specializations are in graphic design, GUI and layout, Flash, PHP, multimedia, ColdFusion, and AV production. I have also managed projects, directed production, and consulted for marketing, and have been a leader in developing public relations concepts, marketing strategies, and web site positioning.
After working for the area’s top web firms, I began to see how only tier-1 clients got the best web sites. After a lot of soul-searching, I decided it would be an invaluable service to offer these features and designs to mid-sized businesses and other musicians at a lower rate. I decided to revisit my desire to become a teacher for primary income and supplement it with independently-designed web sites for those who would otherwise not be able to afford them. I partnered with Black Diamond Services, a full-service programming and hosting company in southern New Jersey and now offer the same site designs and applications used by the “big guys” to everyday businesses. If you want me to build something for you or your company, contact me for rates.
