I have been playing guitar and writing songs since the early '70s. I have played, written and recorded in a wide variety of genres, including Hard Rock, Progressive Rock, Punk, New Wave, Country, Bluegrass, and Folk, but I have always had a Blues band on the side. In the '90s I finally settled on doing what I love best, Blues and Roots oriented music.
I have my own home studio where I have been recording and writing with my band King Cake.
(http://www.kingcakeband.com)
We've just released our third CD "House of Joy".
Latest News
Just released the third King Cake CD "House of Joy"!
Bio
I have been playing guitar and writing songs since the late '60s. I have played, written and recorded in a wide variety of genres, including Hard Rock, Progressive Rock, Punk, New Wave, Country, Bluegrass, and Folk, but I have always had a Blues band on the side. In the '90s I finally settled on doing what I love best, Blues and Roots oriented music.
I've always been fascinated by music of all kinds, and grew up in a very music-rich environment. My aunt and uncle were accomplished classical musicians and my parents were avid folk music fans. The first concert I went to with my parents was Joan Baez and Bob Dylan in '63. On Friday nights my uncle would get out his guitar and the whole family would sing folk songs around the table after supper. We were also avid Beatles fans at our house. On Saturday nights in the summer I would ride my bike up top the top of the hill on our farm and tune in to the Grand Ol' Opry on my 9volt transistor radio.
I was turned on to Blues by my Dad when I played him the album "Are You Experienced?"and said, "Dad, this is what I want to do".
My Dad said, "Well if you want to play like that, you've got to learn the Blues first." Then he took me down to "Barkers" our local discount store and bought me a Muddy Waters album. I've been hooked ever since.
Indigenous music has always held a certain fascination for me because the songs are about everyday life. As a songwriter that's what I do best, tell stories about my own experiences in life in a way that I hope is accessible.
I currently live in rural northeast Connecticut with my wife, daughter, a dog, some cats and a few chickens.
My Band King Cake plays Blues and Roots music with bite and a sense of humor. King Cake was formed in mid 2004 to help me record some original songs. The chemistry was so good that we decided to become an official band. Our repertoire consists of mostly Louisiana style Blues, classic Honky Tonk, Swamp Rock and catchy Originals with the odd Hendrix tune thrown in for good measure.
We've just released our third CD "House of Joy".
Influences
Tony Joe White, John Hiatt,Johnny Cash, Sonny Landreth, Otis Rush, Skip James, Son House, Muddy Waters, Duane Allman, John Coltrane, Lightnin' Hopkins, Jimi Hendrix, Robert Fripp, the Cure, Sleepy LaBeef, Fred Eaglesmith, John Prine