I'm a reluctant New Englander. I was born in El Paso, TeXas, and came to NH in the 1970's, about the time wild cherry was singing "play that funky music," And John Denver was busting out "Thank God I'm a Country boy." Now, I can't imagine living anywhere else but here. Okay, maybe I can imagine somewhere else in the middle of february, or when there's a foot of snow on our long, steep driveway. I've lived in Tx, MO, KS, DE, VA... but most of my life has been spent here in the granite state. Some of my early music memories came from records my DAd brought home during his time as northeast recruiting commander for the U.s. army: Billy Pearl for today's Army, Robert Morgan for today's army, country express. Those records were the first time I heard queen, and earth, wind and fire... and also jim croce and tony orlando. My brother and sister, who were a few years older, were listening to black sabbath and the eagles.
“I learned the power of a song when my older brother locked me in a closet and made me listen to Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” over and over again.”
My favorite records are Tom Waits' "Closing Time," and Marc Cohn's eponymous debut record. I’m still pretty fond of the Eagles’ “Hotel California” and the Beatles “Abbey Road.” I could probably listen to Otis redding's "mr. Pitiful" for a hundred years and never tire of it. i think the best rock and roll record ever made is "Born to Run," but I hear "Adam Raised a Cain" and I'm sixteen all over again. Music is like a time machine that way. And although I'm fond of what might be considered classic rock, there's plenty of amazing music being made today. I enjoy listening to ed sheeran, the avett brothers and the punch brothers. i also dig dan zanes' music.
I could sit in a good music store for hours, picking on acoustic guitars. Strings and Things Music in Concord, NH, is a good one, and they're good people. I played my first gig in Concord, too... at Hermanos Cocina Mexicana. I recently played their 30th anniversary. I call my music FreeStyle Folk, and though I usually play solo, or with my trusty JamMan looper, I like nothing better than sharing a song with a fellow music lover.