behind the music… 

I just thought it would be really funny to title this section that way, considering an actual “bio” consists of information that there’s no way in hell I’m divulging to you people! 

1986 – Depending who you ask, the name of my first band was either CARGO, or OVERLOAD. I just started playing guitar (and it showed). Unfortunately,  I was the only one in the room that could vocally carry a note, so automatically, I became the singer by process of elimination. We played 5 shows: 3 dances in the basement of a church, 1 town festival, and 1 Catholic School carnival. Video tape from the dances actually exists, that I have, and I will gladly show it to those worthy. WARNING: IT’S BAAAAD!!! 

Set list included such crowd pleasers as: Summer of 69 (yea, it JUST came out), Livin on a prayer (those notes were easy back then), Peace Sells, But Who’s Buying(Megadeath), Wasted Years (Iron Maiden), Crazy Train(Ozzy), and other classic hits among metal heads everywhere.  

1991 – EXIT 4 – “homework” in my college Ensemble class meant meeting the professor out at an open mic night. That turned into me, joining this band. Problem: I was no where near 21, and they were close to 30, if not way over…(they never told me!) I think we played every Wednesday for a couple months as the house band at the once, South Jersey landmark – Weez’s Café! It’s not there anymore, don’t even try it. I see you going for your search button! 
Set list included: Midnight Special (CCR), Bertha (Greatful Dead), Hold On Loosely (38 Special), God pt.2 (U2), Spirit Of Radio (Rush), and All the Lynyrd Skynyrd your ears could handle! YEEEEEEE   HAAAAAAWWWW!!!! 

1993 – ALMIGHTY SHUHORN – (bass) – A job in radio leads to a connection with a local original band looking for a bass player. One of the defining moments of my life. We sucked, but the experience was priceless! I toured up and down the East coast in a van. Got to open up for the likes of: Hootie and The Blowfish (right around the time they got signed), Robert Hazzard, and The Goo Goo Dolls.

 Fall 1993 – Taking what I’d learned from the last experience, I decided to apply it to my own original material. I put together a 3 piece band of some friends who thought they were far beyond their actual talent, and things didn’t go so well, obviously, or I would be sitting in my leather couch, sipping tea, which my man-servant fetched for me, reciting all this to someone else while THEY did the typing, for my upcoming “Behind The Music” special on VH1. 

Spring 1994…. Lessons  learned: 1) don’t work with friends, 2) originals  don’t pay the bills, & 3) don’t play with electrical appliances while in the tub! Once lesson #2 started to sink in, I answered an add in the paper seeking a rhythm guitarist to play covers.  

BAD RONALD was the name… and, yes… we were bad… as in “not good”... We did have some shining moments. We played some really cool material. Nicest bunch of guys I’ve come across, to date. Set list included: Firewoman (The Cult), New Age Girl (Dead Eye Dick), One Way, Or Another (Blondie – yea, I was Blondie!), and a bunch of unheard of music called “grunge”. 

1995 – DIGGIN’ UP THE SKIPPER – my first attempt at fronting a working cover band. Good band, great guys, bad name… NEXT! 

1996 – In the early months, I had been thrown into a band called NUVO that a management company had hoped would take off. It didn’t, so I did…  and took the drummer and guitar player with me!

 1996 to 2004 – SPEED – a long journey of ups, downs, and life lessons.  

During my time in Speed, I hosted a plethora of open mic nights, all-star jams, and free-for-all’s. The more I did these nights, the more comfortable I felt, so I decided to persue it full-time. Besides… you know what they say:  

“If you want something done right…   YOU’VE GOT TO DO IT YOURSELF!!!”