This was actually the first track for my 2018 release Words To Live By and so the name just seemed appropriate as I was starting the RPM Challenge Games so to say. I tell students all the time they will never regret learning to play such a beautiful…

For me the goal of this songwriting and recording endeavor is to learn, to grow and to continue just enjoying the process. I share this so much with my students and explain that you'll pick apart every song you ever write and probably never feel…

The one truth to me about music is how it can take me from a pit of despair to a place of hope in such a short period of time. So when you sit down to write a song and let out whatever is in your heart at that time, you are truly The Optimist…

What are you able to do? How do you find out? I believe when it comes to songwriting the best way is to Learn The Hard Way and that is to write, write, and write again. But don't throw anything away, record it all. This is from my 2018 release…

You're near the end of the deadline and you've worked like crazy to complete the project but you need one last track to meet the requirements. When you get one completed that marks off the last box, it is absolutely the End Of The Storm. This…

Another early track in 2016 I was trying to express the sense of freedom I get when I play guitar. It is this type of freedom that led me to start teaching and the freedom continues to grow. Another track from my 2016 self titled debut.

I was really enjoying my plugins for the keyboard and thought I would play with a few of the sounds and solo over them with different pickups and tone and switch between using a pick and using fingers. When I set it all up and played it the idea…

The title track to my 2020 release really opens my mind a bit right now. A bit manic, a bit dark and a bit hostile. It has been clear as I tracked this release that my metal self has emerged in the attempt to simply up the irons and make it…

Mother Nature has been trying to tell us for some time now that we need to focus less on us and more on the gift of a planet we've been given. There's been attempts but in the minority not the majority. Profit first, planet second, people third…

This is a fun track played by my youngest student James Almazan. He is showing his progress with the minor pentatonic scale in various positions over my backing. James is a finger style player and a beautiful soul. When we were editing, any…