When I was extremely young (5’s and 6’s), the 1st music I remember being exposed to was R&B and House music. I LOVED this music and to this say I STILL do. But for many years of my childhood, I was dead set on this being the only music I would accept. Then one day, my life COMPLETELY changed…FOREVER!!! 

It was 1991 and I happened to be sitting in front of the TV bored and flipping through channels as kids sometimes do until I landed on MTV. There was a video on that I would normally ignore. But for some reason, on this particular day something inside of me wouldn’t let me change the channel. I was drawn in. Glued; as if by some otherworldly source. The video was “Twice As Hard” by The Black Crowes! Sitting there, I was mesmerized by the sounds I was hearing and performance I was seeing. On that day in 1991, my life COMPLETELY changed. And little did I know that, that was the moment that would shape my existence in this life all the way into my adulthood. I still can’t tell you exactly why I was hit so hard by this music on that particular day except to call it some sort of divine intervention. But it hit me so deeply inside that from that moment on, I became a true love of all things rock music. A whole new world opened up to me. I started to listen closely to all of the instruments and how they worked together to form the most beautiful pieces of art. I was hooked! I wanted more and more and more. I researched and discovered so many different forms of rock. There was Grunge.  There was Punk. There was Classic Rock…Industrial! And me being the music lover that I have been since I was a kid; I couldn’t just like the music. I became a true, honest to God, loyal fan of the bands that touched me the most. I read the fanzines. Got the Tee Shirts. Analyzed the lyrics and the music. As the years went by, because of my love of rock, I branched out into the love of Funk, Soul, Acid Jazz and Drum N’ Bass. I was in love! A love that is SO strong it cannot be touched by any other type of love that there is. A love so strong that it shaped the type of musical artist and human being I would become in my adulthood. 

I always think back to that moment when I saw that Black Crowes video and how that moment changed my life and shaped my existence in this life. Music is so powerful! And today I stand as my own artist. Bringing all of the influences that have touched my soul into my OWN music. And hoping that I can touch others with my art, the way that these bands of yore touched me. These bands include but are not limited to: The Black Crowes, Nirvana, The Cure, Jamiroquai, Alice In Chains, The Brand New Heavies, Roy Ayers, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, Nine In Nails, Ministry, Jenna G, Hole, Bikini Kill…and so many more! 

I have been in the process of paying homage to some of my favourites with tattoos on my body. I haven’t gotten them all yet but so far, so good. The tattoos will last forever on the outside just as my love of music will live forever inside of me. 

As a purist, I sometimes struggle with the state of music and the music business in this day and age. Things have changed so much since I was a child and started in the entertainment business that I am already finding myself relating to Grandparents of yore saying the phrase, “In My Day…..”. I consider myself a true artist. Which means that I make music from my heart and soul without concern for what is a popular in the mainstream at the moment. I do not remake music that is being made over and over and over again to fit a specific mainstream formula. I do not make music simply because it’s the “cool” music to make at that time. I make music that inspires. I am not going to become a hip hop, dub step, or electro pop artist just to get my song played on dancefloors (Let me just state that even the purity of the aforementioned genres has been compromised by the mainstream). I am a true believer in letting your soul show through your music. I believe in vulnerability and freedom through artistic expression. And therefore, I know that if I sold out my soul to make a buck, that I would be found out immediately because I am too genuine of a soul to commit fraudulence the way most of our society does today. With this said, I sometimes have a hard time staying in this business because (while I think great opportunities for self promotion have come leaps and bounds from where I started) like all things in society: When it was initially meant for good, our overly decadent society mutates it and over saturates it until it becomes a mockery of itself. And when there is nothing left, it moves onto the next thing to destroy the purity of. I come from the Grunge/Punk Rock/Riot Grrrl mentality. And for those of you who now think Grunge is cool because it become the “cool thing” to like again, let me explain what the movement TRULY was…It’s was about Anarchy. A rejection of societies rules! It was about questioning the what you think you know about society. And most of all, it was about community. Bands supported other bands. Not to build a better marketing strategy but because they were genuine fans of one another. And music was a form of art. It was made because the soul made it so. Not because it was “cool”. The Riot Grrrl movement was about female unity. Respecting and supporting and encouraging other females. Very unlike today’s “Bad Girls Club” society where females are being pinned violently against one another. These mentalities are ones that I have held onto since I was a child, up until today. So it’s not surprising that I would have trouble wanting to keep up with a society where technology has enabled any and everyone to be a “Musician”. It’s so easy now that everyone can do it and everyone does. And just because you CAN do a thing, doesn’t mean you SHOULD! Talent has become a common trait. And people with the pure artistic talent that I still hold dear have become an endangered species. 
With all that said, the days of discovering great new music has become quite a task.  With so much oversaturation, artists who truly DO have great music sometimes will succumb to the fact that nobody will ever hear it. Reason being: in today’s music business, PR Companies and “Record Labels” want you to do all the work FOR them 1st and then MAYBE they will take you on AFTER that. Artist Development does not exist anymore when it comes to big companies. The definition of DIY has changed drastically. There is only so much an artist can do for themselves to get their music heard. But when it comes down to it, financial abundance coupled with the right resources (connections) is the best chance any artist has of even getting their music out to even their local community. It can be frustrating to deal with. 
I read 4 articles today that, not only cosigned on my disillusionment of the industry, but spelled it out so eloquently that I was almost spooked by how accurate they were.  
The 1st- A harsh reality into the shape of our society. A Muppets cover of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” Many of you who know me, know my genuine love for Nirvana. So much so that I don;t feel I need to reiterate. That is a post for another time.  So to watch them become the next Bon Jovi (everyone sings along to “Smells LIke Teen Spirit” instead of “Living On A Prayer” at the end of the night at your local frat bar or wedding) is just heartbreaking and discouraging for me. Not to mention the plethora of wanna be’s jumping on the Nirvana bandwagon and doing cover after cover of their songs without any concern nor knowledge of what the band even stood for. Don’t get me wrong. They deserve their appreciation. But is it too much to ask to keep the purity of it? 

http://www.spin.com/articles/muppets-teen-spirit-will-easily-top-these-5-nirvana-covers

The 2nd decribes the harsh realities of how hard it is to get your music heard by…well…ANYONE. And explains how and why certain people ARE able to because of financial means. 

http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/what-i-would-do-with-a-pile-of-money-to-spend-on-an-artist.html

The 3rd describes how radio is becoming more and more obsolete. Especially when it comes to discovering and breaking new music. And gives a peep into why we only hear the same 3 new songs over and over while the rest of the songs radio plays are songs that were hits 20 years ago. 

http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/dont-go-over-the-self-promotion-cliff-crush-your-local-radio.html

The 4th was the hardest for me. So hard that I had to add my own commentary to the end of it.(Scroll down to see it) It’s a conglomerate of theories of the harsh reality that many great songs out there will never be heard. 

http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/do-great-songs-really-ever-go-unheard.html

It’s all enough for someone like me to wish they had a Time Machine to go back in time and choose a career that wouldn’t break my heart constantly. We still do it because we love it so much. But we all need to live. And choosing a more fruitful career wouldn’t have forced me to watch the destruction of our society through the eyes of the pure artist.