Nature is one of the finest teachers available for most any subject. This 'runner of the woods'
became a student of music and its associated trades at an early age.
The birdsongs of his native northwoods were the first scores to be mastered.
Long distance ramblings with a flute across his back were ordinary and frequent
field trips of his own enlistment. At age 11, father and son would be off in the
evenings in the surrounding countryside, wippin' up the beer-barrel polka, and
many other high steppin' polka tunes, a drum kit being the instrument of choice for
these gigs, as Pa was on the concertina (Mad Man Matis). Rock n' roll took over
at 12 with a Ludwig Power Factory drum kit and a four piece band called
'Atlantis'. A steady schedule of two to three gigs a week was consistent for many
years to come. This is where his first tunes were penned. Diving deep into the
world of drums and percussion, the finest marching band drum section in the
Midwest came into being. Many of the scores and numbers were written by the
young rythmist, a few of them taking awards. Early twenties found him interested
in the strings and things. Since then, bluegrass has been his mainstay. A move to
Colorado and joining forces with the Telluride Bluegrass Festival was the prime
classroom for an interest in the strings. Telluride, Aspen, Vail, Steamboat Springs,
Crested Butte, and the many mountain towns in between were his workshop and
audience. Mountain Madness ,
Acoustic Rooster, No Strings Attached, Smokin' Grass, and Western Tradition
were just some of the bands through the years that did the minstrels
work. During a twenty year association with the Telluride Bluegrass
Fest, he has shared the stage with many nobles in the industry, ie Sam
Bush, John Cowan, The New Grass Revival, Emmy Lou Harris, Leon Russell,
The Subdudes, John McEuen, and Thunder Foot (Alaska Jim).
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