Welcome!

Perhaps it was growing up as the 12th child in a family of 13 that induced me to take a slightly unconventional path in life.  I think being surrounded by so many brothers and sisters may have influenced me to become a quiet observer of others. When I was a child, adults would often ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up; a doctor; a lawyer; a fireman; a teacher; an engineer?  And I always thought to myself, "None of those quite feel like me."  No offense to any of those fine professions, but I always had an urge to do something a little unexpected. When I gravitated toward art as a child, my father, who was an avid book collector, began buying me used art books. I probably had a library of 30 or 40 volumes by the time I started high school. I took a year off after high school, not sure exactly what "being an artist" meant in the late 20th century. Getting a Fine Art degree was widely considered to be professional and financial suicide. At the same time I had always been told "do what you love and the money will follow."  I didn't find that to be exactly true, but I found my background in the arts allowed me to eke out a living working in libraries 

and museums, and, most recently, teaching foundation 

art and design, and running a college book store.

For the past 15 years or so I've been a member of the band Whiplash Classic Rock.  We played bars, bowling alleys, and festivals all over the east side of Detroit, and once or twice on the west side, 

my old stomping grounds. 

In 2015 we won a slot to be an opening act for the WCSX GM Riverfront Concert Series.  We opened for Kansas in front of a crowd of 2,500 folks on the Detroit River front (some say it was 3,000 plus, but we didn't have time to count). That was definitely a high point for the band.  In 2019 we decided to call it quits after more than ten years of rock and roll.  The late nights, hauling and setting up a ton of equipment eventually became more work than fun,   As it turned out, our timing was good as all the live venues stopped booking bands due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  

In early 2023 {Post Covid?} we decided to get the band back together for a short reunion tour, and we played another dozen shows in that time.  We've once again decided to take a break from the grind of weekly practice and late night gigs.  Who knows?  There might be a reunion show  down the road somewhere, but for the near future I'll be concentrating on the solo acoustic songbook.    

I refer to my current situation as "gainfully unemployed."  I'm essentially retired, but that means gardening, making music, baking, and taking care of our home built in 1901. We recently finished a complete remodel of our kitchen.  And, even though we contracted the main work, it kept me very busy. Gina and I are also the primary care givers to my 100 year old father-in-law, Gino, a WWII veteran and former POW. 

****Thank you for your service!****

 I'm very grateful that my lovely wife Gina puts up with me and supports all my creative habits.   As I find the time, I will post more videos and artwork. During the summer of 2020 I began performing Pandemic Porch Concerts for friends and neighbors in the midst of the Covid-19 lockdown.  

We will be doing it again in 2025.  

Look for dates and times in the events calendar.