:: personal musical history

:: Although I do compose, I judge my real musical strengths to be my skill and experience as a sideman/ accompanist. I was born into a musical family and from the beginning I was exposed to a wide variety of Western music. My early classical training on cello began at age 7. In junior high school I took up jazz bass, and then progressed to playing rock music. For the last 22 years the electric bass has been my primary instrument. As bassist for the speed metal band Bitter End, I was heavily involved in the Seattle music scene during its breakout period (1986-1992). In 1994 I began graduate study in philosophy in Memphis, TN, where I continued to perform and record. 2000 was the year I returned to Seattle, and in March of the following year I was brought into the Geoff Tate Band.