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Q: Where did
you grow up?
A: I grew up in a
very small rural town in south Louisiana - Cajun Country!
Q: What made
you realize that music was your path?
A: When I was 14,
my brother brought home and played a copy of Kate Bush's album
"The Dreaming" and the recording deeply resonated in me for
quite some time. It wasn't until several years later (when I was
exposed to 12" remixes) and bought a copy of Janet Jackson's
"What Have You Done For Me Lately?" that it began to become
apparent to me that I could or would begin a career as a music
artist. One of the mixes was an Acapella version. Through the
thick vocal delay effects I heard something that I quickly figured
out was the playback from her headphones (while she was recording the
vocals) bleeding into the mix. I also noticed that her performance
was identical to the musical mixes. I realized then that incredible
manipulation was possible through multi-track recording and mixing.
Up until that point, I thought all music was recorded live or at the
very least, not in complete isolation as I was hearing. At that
moment, the hairs stood on the back of my neck and I KNEW this was
what I was going to do down in my bones - I virtually saw a recording
studio as a canvas.
Q: How would
you describe the music that you typically create?
A: I started out
my career releasing solo piano compositions (similar to the very
early music that was released by the Windham Hill record label). It
has been described as "new age" and as contemporary
instrumentals. I describe it as a hybrid of classical and jazz. It
contains the technique and strong theory elements of classical music
yet has the improvisational and "feeling" elements of jazz.
The songs are like classical compositions, but they are instead
contemporary / original and less rigid in structure and in how they
are performed. My other music (what I started out making and which is
also my current main focus) is entirely studio multi-tracked and
contains my vocals. I'm like a one-man band. I do not set out to make
music in any specific genre, but it tends to result in AAA/Adult
Contemporary/Pop that is occasionally danceable.
Q: Who are your
biggest musical influences?
A: My absolute
biggest influence is Kate Bush, but I'm also very much inspired by
artists who pioneered their music with the Fairlight CMI in the early
80s. Those artists include: Thomas Dolby, Peter Gabriel, Lindsey
Buckingham (and his work with Fleetwood Mac), Prince, and the Pet
Shop Boys. I also am quite inspired by Laurie Anderson, Madonna and
Bjork. Regarding my piano music, there is only one influence - Liz
Story. Her music and style of playing is the entire reason I made and
continue to make music in this genre. I heard a recording she made in
1985 off of the original Windham Hill's Winter's Solstice CD of
"Greensleeves" and I was enchanted from that point.
Q: What makes
your music unique?
A: I rarely
perform live. (Occasionally, I've performed solo piano concerts
because of the easy logistics involved). Not that I can't or don't
want to perform, but it would be a serious investment of my energy
(i.e. hiring a band, teaching players my music, securing a rehearsal
space, finding a venue that would be open to my music, promoting the
events, etc.) So instead, I rather focus on simply making recordings
of music since performing isn't something I MUST or have to do in
order to feel satisfied or accomplished. I produce my studio
recordings from the idea of never having the task of needing to bring
them to life in a live situation or performance - so this allows for
experimentation. I experiment quite frequently and profusely
and approach things differently because of that aspect. I like things
very off-center and not conventional. I like to think the work I
create is alchemy - creating something that can't really exist in the
real world - or in the least, difficult to emulate.
Q: Has there
been one particular moment in your musical career that you're most
proud of?
A: Yes, very
recently I've started producing music videos to accompany my
recordings (in lieu of me performing live). I'm extremely proud of
these works (particularly, the clip I created for "Dream Of The
Dead") and feel that the visuals complement and complete the
music as I tend to write songs from a visual standpoint.
Q: What's next
for you?
A: I intend to
continue making many music videos to promote my music and will
continue making new music as time permits.
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