Showed an interest in drumming when I was 6. Not to my parents, but to my 15-year-old neighbor. He had a fantastic teal and white oyster-wrap kit. His parents were the ones who told my parents that I could drum. Finally got a mismatched kit when I was 8. Got my first electric guitar at 11. So I've been "active" almost 30 years.

My mom, my sister, and I went to a Hall & Oates concert in late spring of 1985 in Orlando, FL. They were on tour supporting their Big Bam Boom album, and the opening act was General Public. I remember two things: 1) my sister and I wore matching NEON blue Hall & Oates t-shirts. 2) Noticing my lighter, the guy behind me wanted to use it to light a...um...er..."cigarette". Even though I was 11, I wasn't stupid. But still...at a Hall & Oates concert?!?!

6-pc. fusion-style Pearl Session Custom (discontinued) in Marine Blue Fade: 10x8, 12x9, 14x12, 16x14, 18x22 kick, 5x14 snare. Saluda Cymbals: 16" Mist-X medium-thin crash, 14" Earthworks heavy hi-hats, 8" Mist-X splash, 18" Diamond medium-thin crash, 21" Black Mist heavy dry ride, 18" Wuhan Chinese, 18" Diamond medium crash. A 2003 sunburst Fender Standard Strat. Pro Mark 747 Japanese oak sticks w/ nylon tip. MXL V-63M condenser studio mic. Samson 7KIT drum mics. Vic Firth stereo isolation headphones. Previous equipment included a Peavey T-15 with an amp built into the case and a teal Fender HM Strat (remember those? Think "Greg Howe".)

I was influenced by a lotta stuff. In the 70's, it was AOR rock and pop. Car rides with my mom included liberal doses of Carol King, Barry Manilow, Bee Gees, Steve Miller, Jimmy Buffett, Belamy Brothers, James Taylor, Hall & Oates, and the rare AOR-friendly Led Zeppelin. Discovered post-prog Rush and Genesis when I got to watch MTV starting in 1982. Really enjoyed the rockin' stuff the most: Saga, KISS, Quiet Riot, Bon Jovi, Chris Deburgh. Then in 1987, a friend let me listen to two albums that changed my life. Sex Pistols' "Never Mind The Bollocks" and Metallica's "Master of Puppets". I learned every riff on Puppets in a couple of months. It was all downhill from there, according to my mom.

Been in bands since I was 14, both in South Carolina and California. Lead guitar in Point Blank (thrash metal), drums in Dog Tooth Violet (alt rock, college rock), rhythm guitar in Broken Stick People (heavy grunge), lead guitar in Eristic Illusion (experimental post-rock), drums and bass in Astral Kitchen (classic rock revival).

Recorded my first full-length album, Diabolic Design (AK Records, 2006) with Astral Kitchen. Helped mix, co-wrote a couple of songs, designed the album cover. Currently playing drums in SF Bay area Geek Pop giants, Junkyard Academy. Stay tuned...

Mozart. Probably because he was such a rock star (as far as 18th-century Austrian composers were concerned), and he was unconventional in his arrangements. "Too many notes", etc. Rush. Top 5 fave bands. Neil is still a monster. But more than that, I'd like to just hang out and talk shop. Or burger joints. Neil's blog is very entertaining. Metallica. But I wouldn't ask to play their stuff. I'd want to play the stuff that makes THEM want to play music. Probably Mercyful Fate and Diamondhead and Venom. I'd want to hear what they like now, too. I'm sure they'd lose it if they heard another fan want to play "Four Horseman" with them.

Spring of 2003, Astral Kitchen played at the Last Day Saloon in Santa Rosa, CA. There was only the staff and a table of four patrons. Oh, and the house mixer guy kept falling asleep.

I hate this question. But not in a bigoted or chauvanistic way. That would be discriminatory. I vehemently dislike this question. Yes, that's it.

First off, I would do my best NOT to get stuck on a desert island. Second, if I did, the last thing I would be concerned with is my music collection. Third, I actually enjoyed that Tom Hanks movie, but it's like the Octo-mom...interesting to look at from a distance, but it's the last thing you wanna be involved with. Besides, I don't like volleyball.