I was raised a child of radical political parents.

I remember going to anti war demonstrations and getting scared witless!

I got a guitar on my 13th Birthday and never played it, then I heard a song on my Dad's car radio; it was Hendrix playing the Star - Spangled Banner at Woodstock. "Yow!  What the ^&(%^@#$%^& is that?"

Love at first feedback.

We moved from New York to California and my new next door buddy (Donny) had an electric guitar. I wanted one so bad it hurt. I finally got a cheap Les Paul copy, and a little Vibro Champ amp, when my folks were not home I cranked that thing so loud I scared myself. I had no lessons and within one year I could play faster than my buddies, (with absolutely no clue about what notes I was playing!)

When college came around I went to Humboldt State University, studied Violin and Voice.  Humboldt is the "greenest place in the world" in every possible sense. Drove down with my buddies to see a concert - The Dead and the Who at the Oakland Coliseum. I was called Shroom by all my buddies after that (Wonder Why). 

One year later I was playing "China Cat Sunflower" at HSU's Lumberjack Days.  Flash forward much later, I'm rushing down Haight Street in San Francisco trying to beat my guitar student to his lesson. Played many clubs in SF with my band "Mental Floss" and released EP "The Balanced Personality".  Got good reviews in BAM magazine, built a recording studio that was underneath Haight St (!)  Carlos Santana was the first person to see it. He is a total inspiration and friend.  Met a drummer named Jaime Kahn, son of John Kahn' (Garcia Band, "Old and in the Way")

On my 30th birthday,  thanks to a great female patron, I got to celebrate by playing with John Kahn (bass) Jaime Kahn(Drums) Merle Saunders ( Jerry's Keyboard player) and Ron Stalling (also played with Jerry on Sax), at the Roosevelt Bar on Market Street.  Jerry was supposed to drop in but didn't make it. Man we smoked on "Shout" and other R&B Classics!  I made it to many Dead shows, Santa Barbara (Wall of Sound era) by Sailboat totally “seeing things", (If you catch my drift).. like Jerry's rapid fire notes turning into red rose buds as they spiral out of his guitar like love bullets...

(Fav tunes to play?  US Blues, Sugaree, Friend of the Devil. Deal, heck, all of them! 

And I made it because I was invited to join Grateful Groove!