About me

Embryonic creativity
I started to develop my unquenchable passion for song crafting at the tender age of 7, when I would sit down at my old man's piano and thump out what I considered to be music. I was literally hitting the keys randomly with my fists whilst standing on the sustain pedal. It must have caused great irritation with my 'audience', but in the midst of all the resonating chaos of heavy gauge steel wires, I could feel the early stages of music cutting through. Some may say it was more like cutting teeth than music, but to me it was a raging beast, pleading to be tamed into something respectable, and I guess that's what inspired me to continue.

Thankfully, over time I learnt to pick out and repeat the good bits and eventually the tunes started coming together, sufficient enough at least to give them a name and initiate my own repertoire.

Tools of the trade
The frustrating part was not being able master an instrument quick enough to get the songs into a presentable format. I had the symphony of angels stirring in my heart, but the enigmatic tools of a fumbling fool in the form of my fingers. It wasn't until the day I was given my first sequencer keyboard - a Yamaha MK100! - that I was able to really show people what was going on up there in my head (I actually spent the whole of Christmas pouring out my soul into that little device, as years of raw, pent up inspiration came flooding out in a deluge of electro pop and sweepy ballads). Even now I tend to rely somewhat on the hugely talented musicians I work with in order to get the job done, but in my defence, you might say that I am only the musical architect and not the skilled workman.

Inspiration & Lyrics
It wasn't until I left school that I started putting words to my songs, and that opened up a whole new dimension and enthusiasm for song writing. I began to write about everyday situations and observations. I am passionate about truth & justice and get stirred easily by world events, and having quite a philosophical mind, I guess this often gets the creative juices flowing. But with all my songs, ultimately I aim to bring some kind of positive message to the listener. Weather it be political, spiritual, philosophical or just good old entertainment, in my mind music should elevate the soul.
I have been known to write the occasional love song too, but only when in the mood!

My philosophy
A real song-smith, needs to be able to touch a person's innermost being to truly fulfil their purpose. Otherwise it's like a show without an audience, or a wedding without guests, both having great potential to bring mutual excitement, but only actually delivering half the fulfilment. I mostly write with an audience in mind, and try to imagine how the words might affect someone's life, both for the moment and for their future!

Back to raw passion
It is claimed by many who know me, that a turning point in my song writing came when I dropped the need for computerised sequential assistance, and just picked up the old 6 string. I found that it was easier to flow with my expression when I wasn't distracted by all the issues of recording, stopping to work out what instruments needed to go where, and wrestling with virtual instruments that keep crashing. I now let my band and producer worry about that aspect, it's very liberating!

Final word on Music
You just can't beat it, nothing else has the immediate power to affect a person's mood, for good or bad. It creates a depth of unseen imagery that touches the heart and blows the mind. It's an outward expression of who we are, just as nature is an expression of God's heart, His supreme intelligence, power and beauty. Being made in His image means that creativity is second nature, and I believe that words, accompanied by music, is the ultimate in this creative experience. To me, art is undeniable proof of a man's soul ... Hypothesise that one away, Darwin... if you dare!