One of the many upsides to having a (regularly updated) blog, is that it will establish credibility and authority with your offline job — so long as they’re similar. Although my teaching schedule is booked to capacity, I have pointed to my blog as a […]

“If you’re remarkable, then it’s likely that some people won’t like you. That’s part of the definition of remarkable. Nobody gets unanimous praise — ever.”  -Seth Godin This post will only appeal a very small minority of people — and that’s probably a good thing.  […]

[Update: March 25th 2017] Inception Inception is a 2010 science fiction film written, and directed by Christopher Nolan. Inception stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a professional thief who steals information by infiltrating the subconscious. He is offered a chance to have his criminal history erased in […]

Guitar does not have to be difficult to be worthwhile, and one of my personal missions is to dispel any notion to the contrary through my videos and tabs. I wholeheartedly believe Robyn’s Dancing On My Own is one of my best, and most expressive transcriptions — yet […]

I’m still pumped about Bajofondo’s excellent performance in Pittsburgh last week. I find myself listening to their new album, Presente with an even greater depth of understanding –– having now seen Bajofondo live and watched Gustavo Santaolalla’s unique guitar wizardry from about two feet away. (Note: I […]

So, a major screw-up on my part was literally forgetting how much Jeff Buckley directly influenced my guitar playing — especially when writing the descriptions for my new album. I supposed I was so excited to get my EP out there that I sited whatever to […]

Once I found the capo position for Come Undone, this arrangement of Duran Duran’s 1993 hit, glided into reality within a matter of 10 minutes. An interesting aspect of transcribing pop songs to solo guitar, is the illumination of the song’s underpinnings.  It’s like dissecting an organism, and looking at how each part works […]

I just saw Muse in Cleveland Ohio two weeks ago, and it was by far the best sounding, and most technologically advanced show I have ever seen. Matthew Bellamy (guitar/vocals) and Chris Wolstenholme (bass/vocals) are really amazing guitar players as they simultaneously: sing, play, trigger […]

I was really hoping to do something along the lines of Tom Farrell’s Hermano, from the Casa de me Padre soundtrack. That is STILL one of my favorite finger-picked songs to play. But alas, I’ve gotta go where the music takes me, and Luis Bacalov’s La […]

Like everyone else it seems, I’m a sucker for highly stylized pop with a nod towards the 80’s.  Tegan and Sara’s new single, Closer, definitely fits the bill, and it integrated seamlessly into a solo-guitar performance. If you’re new to this blog, I have no scheme as to what […]

I remember the very day Urban Hymns was released. I took the day off of work (it was that important to me), bought the CD at Sam Goody, and drove around blaring it from my car stereo. I had been playing in my new band […]

Upon hearing the first few bars of Where Are We Now?, I was admittedly luke-warm about David Bowie’s first single in 10 years.  That is, until I was sucked in by the immensely watchable, and totally weird video.  I think I watched the video so many times […]