Boys and Girls Club of Carson

I recently did a "mentoring" session on performance for the Boys and Girls Club of Carson. The kids were great... talented, enthusiastic, and open. Here is a picture of me on stage at the performance event. Apparently there was some concern that I would forget my name (see photo).

The Allee Willis Museum of Kitsch

I was just invited to a really fun "art" exhibit by my friends Michael Mishaw and Melanie Taylor... both excellent singers/artists, and appreciaters of pop culture. Anybody who loves Americana history and objects of Kitsch will love seeing this collection. Allee is a world class songwriter who has collected some amazing pieces through her personal travels. To find out more, go to www.AWMoK.com. Have fun...

String Quartet session with Singer/Songwriter Robbie Brooks

My friend Robbie Brooks asked me to co-write a song with her called "Second Chances." Her husband (Keb' Mo') and I have been in the studio tracking it and thought it would be nice to add strings... so I wrote a String Quartet arrangement and called one of my favorite violinists, Calabria McChesney, to put a quartet together for us. Here we all are after a great session. Pictured left to right are me, Robbie Brooks, Terry Glenny (violin), Keb' Mo', Kirstin Fife (viola), Calabria McChesney (violin), Tina Guo (cello). There is NOTHING in the world like live strings!

Performing at the Hollywood Music Awards with Artist/Songwriter Robbyn Kirmsse

Robbyn just sent me these live concert photos from our performance at the Hollywood Music Awards. It was a vibey band and fun show with my fellow musicians Keb' Mo' (mandolin), Larry Antonino (bass), Robbyn Kirmsse (songwriter/vocalist), Tony Shogren (cajon), and me (guitar).

Line 6

I want to give a shout out to my friends at Line 6. I have been using their pedals for years, starting with the original POD... which by the way, I still use! My current favorite is the ToneCore Echo Park Delay. It is easy to use, versatile, light weight, and sounds wonderful. The tap tempo is a great feature that really works well for live performance. Thanks for continuing to make great sounding pedals!!!

Guest Artist clinics in Tucson with Beth Horn

I have been working in Tucson Arizona with my friend Beth Horn and some pretty amazing kids. We have been doing music workshops, performing (Flute and Guitar) for the students and talking with them about living the life of an artist. I would like to thank Beth, and Orange Grove Middle School, for continuing to invite me back to their school as well as their neighboring local elementary and high schools. The Tuscon school system really supports their students in their artistic endeavors and are lucky to have teachers like Ms. Horn!

In the studio with Terry Wollman and Percussionist/Composer Jorge Bermudez

Recorded yesterday with my good friend Jorge Bermudez on his latest song Cha Cha Cha. You can hear his music on shows like Dexter, Desperate Housewives, The Shield, and CSI Miami. We had a great time making Latin music and catching up. Here is a picture of my dog Ollie trying on Jorge's hat while I was busy working on guitar overdubs.

Las Vegas performance at the Liberace Museum with Melanie Taylor

I was invited to perform with my super-talented friend Melanie Taylor (www.melanietaylormusic.com) in Las Vegas at the Liberace Museum. There is a new show in Vegas at VS (www.vsrockcabaret.com) featuring talent from the biggest shows on the strip. Melanie Taylor and Keely Vasquez both performed in the show and are featured vocalists/dancers in Barry Manilow's band . This is a cool venue where you can hear some amazing talent "step out" and shine on their own music. Melanie asked me to do 2 arrangements and play acoustic guitar for her. Here is a picture of us working it out with the band at soundcheck. The other picture is with Chris Gray, the trumpet player from Barry Manilow's band, and Liberace. He seemed nice but didn't say much...

Sambagura Concert with Katia Moraes

Just performed with one of my favorite Los Angeles bands... "Sambaguru" with Kevin Ricard (percussion), Katia Moraes (voice), Tony Shogren (drums), Bill Brendle (piano/accordian), and filling in for Hussain Jiffry... Rene Camacho (bass). WOW! This is samba at it's best. We had a blast and the audience was great. Thanks for a fun time!

Sweat Pilates with Kenna Ramsey

I just took a Pilates class this morning with Kenna Ramsey at the new location she and Moe Daniels recently opened in Los Angeles. WOW... what a workout!!! It is located in Culver City (Los Angeles) and I recommend to anyone who wants to get their sweat and stretch on to check it out. This is a great workout for people of all levels, sizes, genders, and ages. Just bring a great attitude and willingness to work... and you won't regret it. www.sweatpilates.com

Mercy House "Living With Heart Gala" May 16, 2009

I had the honor last night of being asked to do a Solo Guitar performance for a great organization in Orange County California called "Mercy House." Here I am with the producer of the event, Kim Washington. One of their corporate sponsers, "Western Digital," stated beautifully that their intention is to create a space "where everyone will have a home to live in, food on the table, and love in their heart." These folks are doing some great work. Please take a moment to check them out. 

"The Question" - JT Horenstein's new Indie Rock Ballet at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre

I just saw a wonderful performance of a new Rock Ballet written and choreographed by JT Horenstein.  I produced and arranged his debut album "All Dressed Up"... yes, he's also a singer!  We cut tracks live with myself on Guitar, Wally Minko/Piano, Tom Brechtlein/Drums, Luis Conte/Percussion, and Abe Laboriel/Bass. You can find it on iTunes or cdbaby.

Scrubs recording session with composer Jan Stevens, Dean Parks, and myself.

We just completed recording the music score for the final episode of Scrubs. Here I am with my good friends Dean Parks (Guitar) and Jan Stevens (Composer/Multi-Instrumentalist) after our final session. We thought it would be great to take a picture of our last cue together. Thanks Jan... it's been GREAT!

MusicStar - Swiss Idol music director Greg Manning Wachter

This is my good friend Greg Manning Wachter who is currently back in Switzerland music directing the Swiss version of American Idol. I had the opportunity to work on a few charts for the new season. Best of luck to Gregory, the band and all of this season's contestants!!!

Celebrating the inauguration of President Obama.

With friends, Al Jenkins and Melanie Taylor, as we celebrate the first day of our new president... at Motherland Music.

Scrubs - I'm No Superman

Just finished recording an acoustic version of the theme song "I'm No Superman" for the final episode of Scrubs. The banjo is a featured instrument in this arrangement so I borrowed composer Jan Steven's fancy banjo to get the best performance possible. Also, played Ukelele on another Scrubs cue with Jonathan Grossman producing a track... great fun!

New Years Performance at Disney Hall

Happy new year everyone. I had the pleasure of performing last night with Brandon Fields (Sax) and Ron Pedley (Piano). It was our second year doing this event and everyone had a great evening. Wishing everyone a wonderful 2009... go after your dreams.