1.You grew up in Detroit MI, how did you get started playing music? I got started trying to make a drum out of an oatmeal cannister. Then I saw a neighbor kid’s electric guitar and knew I had to have one, even before I heard it. I had to wait several years, but in the meantime, my mom brought home a used acoustic, which I beat into splinters eventually. My first electric came to me from K-Mart: a Tiesco Del Ray. 2. I know you have been in many bands through the years from 80’s punk band ANGRY RED PLANET to the rowdy bluegrass folk of THE SALT MINERS. Do you only play solo now? I love having a band, but I generally play solo these days. I think the point get’s made a little clearer that way. 3. How would you describe your music now? Raw folk, played by a guy who heard it when he was a kid, and also played by a guy who did a stint in punk rock. 4. How old were you when you caught the music bug? Been horsing around on the guitar since I was about 13. You’d think I’d be better by now, but them’s the breaks. 5. Other than playing music what do you do to pay the bills? I am a slacker/handyman/hammer jockey. Me and people who are bosses don’t get along very well, so I make my way with music and side jobs, and the patience and generosity of my wife. Where all have you performed? What do you like in a venue? I have played dives, clubhouses, street corners, festivals, farmer’s markets, you name it. My least favorite places to play are listening rooms, where everybody is too quiet. I prefer my venues to be booze friendly. There’s no one more honest or earnest then a drunk. 7. What do you generally write your songs about? Most of my topics are fairly personal, and have been for some time. I like to write labor songs, too, even though you risk turning a few people off by getting overtly political. But fuck, I’ve got nothing to lose by putting it out there, so I do. 8. Is there a certain way you write your songs? No set pattern, some times it starts with words, sometimes the music comes first. I do have a habit of starting songs and not finishing them for three or four years. 9. How has your music changed over the years as your influences have grown? Well, it has definitely settled down in the delivery. I like a lot of stuff; I like the Clash. but I also like Gordon Lightfoot. I don’t rage on the electric like I used to, but I never forgot how good it felt to do it, and I still fire it up from time-to-time. But I appreciate the telling of a good story now more then ever, and the acoustic approach helps to facilitate that. 10. When everything gets tough as a musician, how do you keep it going? The biggest challenge has been to soldier on when it all seems hopeless, and I am wired for that sort of a cycle, I’m afraid. But then I just get up the next day, and knock out a simple tune, and the inspiration and gratification returns. 11. Where do you hope to see your music reach? My ultimate goal is to simply make a connection with the listener on a gut-level. I would love to say that I would like to see more income from it, but the business end of music has always been lost on me. If one or two folks come up and say they liked a song I just did, well, I’ll fly high off of that feeling for a while. 12. How can listeners find your tunes? They can find me on Facebook and Reverbnation. Some of my other bands, like the Salt Miners, The Budget Sinners, and Angry Red Planet ( the punk band from Detroit, not the goth girl version or the new metal outfit out of Chicago) can be found easy enough with a little Googling.