Music
Frank Zappa said that "Music is the best".
Seeing and play live music is one of my greatest joys, and I've played in a wide variety of bands and projects through the years.
Below are some examples of current work, released under the band named Kangaroo Crucifix. The name is meant to be a juxtaposition a la Guns N' Roses- pairing a light-hearted and bouncy sounding word like "kangaroo" with a stern, serious, and angular word in "crucifix". It has a metallic ring to it, but the music isn't always as heavy as the name implies. The vast distance between the two poles each word anchors gives a lot of creative latitude.
For these songs, I performed all the parts and produced the music out of my home studio. I'm always writing and adding to my portfolio.
Mister Valentine
"Mister Valentine" came to life as Russia began its "special military operation" in Ukraine, and the music and lyrics came together naturally in response. My original songs tend to not stick to a standard structure, and this one definitely is no exception to that rule. It alternates rapidly between dance-y rock, thrash metal, and 80's inspired electro-funk. It even features a special appearance by Putin himself.
Speaking of special appearances, the backwards guitar solo is written and performed by the esteemed Dr. Hell, who appears courtesy of Charming Arson.
Don't Lose My Number
"No Jacket Required" is a Phil Collins masterpiece, full stop. As the thickness of pandemic isolation wore on, I found myself hearing the classic "Don't Lose My Number", but re-imagined in a more subtle, coffeehouse vibe.
Around the same time, I'd listened to Reveal's podcast, "Mississippi Goddam: The Ballad of Billey Joe", an incredible examination of the story of Billey Joe Johnson, a young man from Mississippi who passed away surrounded by mysterious circumstances in 2008.
I heard the Billy in Phil Collins's tune as Billey from Lucedale, and it added a new layer of complexity to whatever it was that I was creating. The latter half of the tune steers towards a more brooding, jazz-inflected feel, guided by that new inspiration. We may never know what truly happened to Billey Joe, but regardless, this work is dedicated to him.
She Rises
In the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of friends re-joined forces to create something unique.
It's the work of a group of longtime friends, bound together by their love of music, separated by the normal wax and wane of life, and the entirely abnormal time that was the year 2020. Ironically, It was that abnormal separation that ultimately brought them back together- at least virtually.
The song began as an improv session years prior- and if you've ever enjoyed the experience of jamming with other musicians, then you know the exact moment I'm talking about. It's when some switch flips, and all of a sudden, the song is playing you. It's like the proverbial bottled-lightning catch. It doesn't happen often- but when it does, two things cross your mind. The first is, Frank Zappa was right- music really is THE BEST. And the second is, "wow, I really hope someone is recording this".
Luckily, someone was. Years later, amidst the isolation of lockdown, "She Rises" took shape out of the best passages of that one jam- painstakingly re-recorded and re-arranged. Each musician recorded their own parts in their own homes, and the song was mixed, mastered, and released entirely remotely. The music video, featured here, features the song as well as originally generated AI artwork. The top version has NSFW lyrics- if you'd prefer the SFW version, watch the bottom video.
The song itself is a celebration of strength, resilience renewal, and it's dedicated to our friend Adam Ochshorn, who we think really would've loved it.