1. How old were you when you knew your life was going to be art? I started writing poetry as a sort of emotional release an an early teen, but it wasn’t until age 19 or so that I didn’t want to really do anything else but music and writing.

 

2. When did you start for real? I had several starts actually… my first real band Casino happened when I was around 21. Mostly covers, a few originals. After I met a guy named Dan Westerbeck in the Quad Cities, I started co-writing original music on a regular basis.

 

3. Were you single minded in this pursuit or did you train/educate for a "real" job?  It was hard to be single minded. I had to pay the rent, lol. I did construction for many years, became a surgical tech as well. Only since 2011 was I ever able to pursue it full-time. I blossomed after that.

 

4. School - Did it help, hinder, or immaterial? all education matters no matter what it is in. My horizons were broadened by schooling of all types. 

 

5. Who supported your decisions? My family just sort of accepted it. My mom and dad now deceased could never understand why anyone would want to choose such a lifestyle when the factory down the road is hiring. My first wife did not support anything artistic musical. I am remarried now. Tracey, my wife totally supports my music and is my muse. She is active as well in Austin Samba School, and other creative outlets.

 

6. Do you have family?  And where are they? One daughter from my first marriage, who resides in Austin, and a daughter and son from my marriage to Tracey, living in Amsterdam and here.  

 

7. What gigs stand out to you, looking back? Old Cornfest gigs with Argument Clinic at Artley Snuff’s house. Someone, a Hickoid who shall not be named, brought a backpack full of mushrooms, 300 people ate them, and Artley was never allowed to have another Cornfest party after that. I also dig The Bitter End in NYC.

 

8. Who did you like performing with? Gregg Kirk, Mark Epstein, MJ Torrance, all over the yrs...

 

9. What do you see as your best work? Big Duets From Austin, Texas, Vol 1, and “Lesson Two”, the last Figurados cd.

 

10. Has your outlook on fame changed since you've achieved it? I come away feeling like the Grammys are a private party for giant mega-labels. I have no idea what crazy fame is like, and am not sure I want people camping outside my house, lol…I love my privacy. 

 

11. Has notoriety changed you? No, always stay true to your dreams, vision. I have and have proudly never conformed in many ways on many issues since I was a young adult.

 

12. Do you feel satisfied with yourself? Yes and no. Yes, in that I have come a long ways on roads I never envisioned traveling on. No, in that one should never rest on their laurels. I’m just getting warmed up, I’m a late bloomer.

 

13. How do you want to be remembered? as a competent lyricist, melody  and hook writer. As a songwriter, you want to be conscious and hopeful of the fact that you might be making art that will be appreciated long after you're resting in the bone orchard.

 

14. What are you currently working on? Big Duets 2 release for 2017, on vinyl,  putting the Duets music into play form for a Zach Scott Theater-type stage, writing new music and playing out sporadically with a new lineup.

 

15. Is it as easy as it looks? Never, ha~!… it took me 18 months to make, write, record Big Duets Vol 1. 

 

16. Is it fun? My life blood, I am at my best when I am writing new music, with new faces.

 

18. What would you say to wannabee performers? do as much as you can at home, out of the studio, and save money. know your market, and that cd sales have evaporated. 

 

19. Do you have pets? What kind? Two dogs, 3 blue Russian cats, and 6 chickens

 

20. What's more important - Talent or hard work? Hard work. Some pretty no-talent hacks make it with hard work, and some mega-talented people never get discovered.

 

21. Xtra. What is your take on MP3 downloads? Yes, they are convenient for mailing fellow artists a demo, but selling something that is a fraction in quality of  what the real deal is all about seems blasphemous. I’m also a vinyl guy.