EARLY DAYS…
I am a musician with a unique set of circumstances. I have a condition called synesthesia (a neurological condition that enables me to see sound as three-dimensional colors and shapes, as I hear it). I credit synesthesia as the main reason I’m able to write complete music without any formal musical training. I just paint moving, three-dimensional musical pictures, with the color palette that the sounds provide. I don’t question where it comes from or how it works, I just use what my brain is making available to me.
Synesthesia led me in the direction of dark electronic music (think- Industrial, Goth, EBM, Darkwave, etc.). My mind was immediately seduced by the mental image pictures that these styles of music created. It was like nothing my mind had ever experienced before, and I knew that I had to create my own brand of this music!
I grew up in Detroit, Michigan- which is still my favorite city! I started writing music and singing in Industrial/Goth bands when I was 16 years old, which eventually lead to the formation of Tungsten Coil.
TUNGSTEN COIL
DAYS…
Tungsten Coil was formed in 1994 and we immediately shook up the Detroit Industrial/Goth music scene. We played several live shows and events, which gained us a solid Detroit fanbase. The following year we made a move to Austin, Texas.
By 1996, we played our first Texas show at the infamous heavy metal club- The Back Room. This show put Tungsten Coil on the Austin, Texas music scene map overnight and launched us into the spotlight. We were immediately offered a featured position on the main stage of the widely popular Blood Fest industrial music and performance art festival.
Tungsten Coil became a staple of the Austin Industrial/Goth scene and regularly headlined at legendary clubs like The Back Room, Atomic, Elysium, The Voodoo Lounge, and Red Eyed Fly. We showcased multiple years at the famous South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival. Tungsten Coil was well-known for our intensity on stage and hypnotically haunting stage lighting displays. Our shows were also well known for encouraging an over-the-top partying atmosphere which always promised for an explosive (sometimes dangerous) live music experience (on and off stage). We gained a strong regional following through a relentless touring schedule over the years.
Tungsten Coil was featured in numerous music compilations, released multiple EPs, and released two full-length albums- Reactive, and Alpha & Omega. The band went through multiple member changes through the years, and I was the only consistent member. Our sound and style evolved over the years from experimental Industrial/Goth to a more polished Industrial/Metal formula. TC continued its musical assault into the late 2000s. Along the way we won multiple awards, including an Austin Music Award for “Best Industrial Band”. Here’s a video of us winning the award- Watch it here! Our final performance was a SXSW showcase at Elysium (Austin, TX) in 2008, where we shared the stage with Goth legend- Peter Murphy of Bauhaus.
Here’s a music video for ‘Prey To Me’, the song was featured on the album- Alpha & Omega. Watch it here!
THESE DAYS…
After I put Tungsten Coil on hiatus, I took an extended break from the entertainment industry and launched a successful career in the financial industry. My path eventually led to an entrepreneurial career move to fund, launch and co-found my own financial management company. After several years of success in the financial industry- I decided to sell the company to my business partner and focused my passion back to my first true love- music!
During the financial industry period, I suffered a tremendous blow to my musical abilities. In 2015, I was inflicted with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss in my right ear. Being a play-by-ear musician and songwriter, when my right ear malfunctioned- my ability to clearly paint musical pictures through synesthesia was severely impaired (and almost lost). Over the next several years, I made multiple unsuccessful attempts to overcome this disability and feared that my songwriting days were over. Those were some devastatingly hard times! But then I picked myself up, dusted myself down, reloaded my creative guns and became became obsessed with finding a solution to overcome my handicap. Failure was not an option!
In 2021, I finally found a path to create music using my one good ear and filled in the gaps of the broken ear by making use of modern computer software tools. These tools help me to visually identify frequencies that I can no longer hear, and I’m now able to visually see the stereo field where sounds reside. I also discovered a device that allows me to independently EQ the left and right sides of my headphones. This device gives me the ability to boost all the lost hearing frequencies in the right ear; to fill in the missing gaps (there’s a lot more to my complicated process, but this is a bio, not a novel).
The right ear is still broken, completely distorted, and plagued with massive tinnitus. However, by amplifying all the frequencies independently, it tricks my brain into thinking that the correct hearing information is being received (even though it isn’t). The end-result is that it allows my synesthesia to kick back in somewhat, and I must depend on my previous songwriting knowledge to fill in the gaps. These amazing tools don’t solve my problems, but they do provide a new path forward to pursue my musical dreams. Now, against all odds, I’m writing the best music of my career. This hearing loss handicap has pushed me to continually prove to myself that I can create art no matter what obstacles get in my way. I have a reignited passion that has opened several other doors to utilize my talents!
Now I’ve branched out into the film industry in several different forms (writing soundtracks, composing scores, acting, producing, directing, writing scripts, and editing).
My new single Darkness Never Lies is featured in the motion picture- Amityville Cult. This film marks my debut as an actor, with my portrayal of the demon- Asmodeus. Darkness Never Lies is now available on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp. Listen Here! My debut as a Director and Editor are spotlighted in my music video for- Darkness Never Lies, which is available on YouTube. This groundbreaking visual art piece won “Best Music Video” at the Austin After Dark Film Festival (Summer 2022)! Watch it here!
In addition, a remix of Darkness Never Lies by Cleopatra Records recording artist- Erik Gustafson of Adoration Destroyed, is now available on Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp. Listen Here! The remix music video is now available on YouTube. Watch it Here!
My latest single- Closer Than Ever Before is now available on most streaming platforms. Listen here! The music video for this song is another collaboration with Erik Gustafson, this time we co-directed together and the end result speaks for itself (it’s cool)! Watch it here!
I’m currently writing a script for my upcoming short film entitled- Sleep, more details to come…
2022 Year End Update:
Life is a tough roller coaster ride with plenty of ups and downs. Just as I started to break into the Voice Actor world, the unthinkable happened… In September of 2022- my remaining “good ear” (the left one) has also become inflicted with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss. Currently, my ability to do anything music or voice actor related (or anything else creative that involves my ears) has been severely compromised. I’m doing everything I can to find a solution to overcome my disabilities, but this is proving to be quite a challenge. I’m not giving up!
More details to come…
CONNECT
STAY UP-TO-DATE!