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Hi. I’m Carson. I keep putting off this whole biography thing (or I guess it’s an autobiography) because I HATE talking about myself. Why not have somebody else do it you ask? Well, because it always comes out so damn impersonal…with a heavy dose of the whole “Look what I’ve done!” attitude. I really wish someone could just observe my life from start to present and write a biography that sounded like it came from me…but I guess I am the only one fit for that. So, you can just pretend this is a script for a VH1 special…with fewer drugs and less groupies.

Where did you grow up and what was your childhood like?
I was a pretty normal kid with a pretty normal life. I have 2 sisters, and I grew up in the wonderful promise land of Kent, WA. I love it there…no matter what people might say about it. My mother put my sisters and me into (classical) piano lessons at the very early age of 3. All I can remember about those lessons is tapping rhythms to the “Peter and the Wolf” soundtrack and learning how to read music with flash cards. That is where I learned the proper discipline of how to play piano…not really where I learned to love music. My love for music came from my parents. I grew up with music from all different eras and styles molding my musical tastes and preferences. My father introduced me to classic rock and funk bands like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Tower of Power, and my mother introduced me to soul music like Stevie Wonder, Al Green, and Aretha Franklin. I don’t even recall when I was actually allowed to listen to the radio…I guess that’s why I knew more James Taylor and Billy Joel than 2Pac and Whitney Houston.
As I grew older, I resented my mother for the classical and jazz lessons she dragged me to (today I am eternally grateful). I wanted to quit so badly because my future NBA career was calling me. I wanted to be Michael Jordan more than I wanted to be Michael Jackson…found out pretty quickly that basketball might have to become a hobby. Anyways, I went on to high school, still with my mom making me go to piano lessons and hoping that no one at school knew that I played piano…because I was soo cool it would have been social suicide (sarcasm noted).

When did you realize that you wanted to be a musician?
Well, it wasn’t until I was in high school when the idea of singing and playing songs was brought to my attention. My mom talked me into trying out for the school talent show (decided that I was going to take the social risk…didn’t really have too much street cred to lose). I think it was because of the talent show that I began to think about music as something I was interested in pursuing. Soon, I was playing less classical and instrumental songs, and learning how to accompany myself while singing. I wish I could say I was one of those people who always wrote songs and poetry and was always really expressive through art…but I can’t. It wasn’t until I was 20 that I decided I was going to try a crack at writing my own songs. After writing (for lack of a better term) one crappy song after another, I started to get the hang of things. That’s when I went into the studio and recorded my first EP, Green Eyed Soul, in 2008. It was an eclectic mix of my learnings as a songwriter. A few of the songs I am most proud of writing are on that album. Shortly thereafter, my sister and I formed a band and today I am so honored to be playing with such talented folks. They make me want to work that much harder on becoming better at my craft.

So, what the hell are you doing now?
To be honest, I don’t really know what I’m doing or where in God’s name I am headed…all I know is that I love music and it feels right to be dedicating myself to it. If it feels good, you gotta do it, right? As far as what I am working on right now, I am writing new material for a brand new album. I’m really analyzing the moments in my own life and things I have experienced from the world around me, and then trying to transform those feelings to lyric and music form. I feel I have settled into more of my own as a songwriter and in defining my own sound. I am pouring myself into these songs to make them honest to me and for those who are willing to listen. I feel I am still starting my journey as a musician and a songwriter, and have so much to learn and explore. My mom always says that music takes a lifetime to master. So, hopefully I will be able to keep moving forward on this long ass road and earn my place in music in the eyes of my fans and my peers. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all of the love and support from each of you who do listen and especially those who have spread the word thus far. You all deserve a hug…

If you made it all the way to the end of this novel, thank you for hanging in there…peace out my peeps!
-C

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