St. Rose isn't actually that far from New Orleans. People will hear "St. Rose" and think about goats and trailers and toothless women and gun racks, but it ain't that bad.

Anyway, I grew up listening to my Dad play piano, and got serious about keyboard around the time I graduated from high school, 1986. Since then I've worked on my songwriting skills mainly, but my playing has improved a little too. I love lots of different music, from Steely Dan to Jon Cleary.

I want my demos to sound like a million bucks, so I always welcome input on how to improve. Hope all who listen find something they can relate to.

-Daniel

Yep, Writing my Own Bio...

I started playing clarinet in 4th grade, and got pretty good at it by about 9th grade. I stuck with that through my first semester at LSU, but by then had started playing keys and writing, so I dropped the wind instruments. I did play a little tenor sax in high school, which was fun.

I grew up listening to my dad play jazz standards on our family's piano. Songs from the 30's and 40's had real emotion and heart in them, and I try to do the same with my songs. My influences include Tom Petty, Donald Fagen, Oscar Peterson, Jimmy Webb, Dave Brubeck, Cole Porter, Mark Knopfler, Elton John, Billy Joel, and many others.

My first songwriting sucked hugely, but I still look back on those early tunes with great fondness. My songwriting has gotten better in the last...oh, about three years. I hope to make it better and better as the years go by.

So, what's the aspiration? I want to hear one of my songs on the radio. I don't need to be the spotlight; I don't need fame. I want my music to be heard all over the place, and for at least one person somewhere to think, "wow, he must have read my mind when he wrote that."

dm