Pup

How are you doin' today? Wonderful, I hope! I sure appreciate you takin' the time to check out my website right now. Time is a very precious gift and I'm sincerely honored that you've chosen to share a little bit of yours with me. There's nothing I enjoy more than sharing my thoughts, feelings and most of all my music with all of you. I must confess that I often get a little bit long winded, so I apologize in advance for that... but I can promise you that the one thing you will always find here is a warm hug and a friendly smile. Life is too short not to enjoy every second you can and if there's anything I can do to help you get the party started, don't hesitate to ask.

Well, for goodness sake... where are my manners? I'm so busy yakkin' that I didn't even introduce myself yet. I know many of you are already good friends by now, but I hope there's always a few new faces to meet as well. You know, I always figured that meeting a new person is one of the most exciting things that can happen in life. I know it scares some folks a bit when they meet a stranger, but if you think about it, everyone in your life was a stranger at one time, right? I always looked at it like this... the next person I meet could end up being the very best friend I'll ever have in this life... you just never know. Besides, every friend is a treasure... it's just that sometimes you gotta dig a little bit to find it. Me... I try to walk right up and meet as many new people as I can all the time. I figure if we all spread a little sunshine in the world, maybe it'll just keep gettin' brighter and brighter, until we're all smilin'! What a wonderful world that would be, huh!?! Anyway, my given name is Michael, but my friends call me "Pup"... yeah, just like puppy... and since I was kind of hopin' we'd be friends as well, I'd just as soon you call me Pup too. It's kind of a long story, as many of mine are, but yes, the nickname has a lot to do with me walking right up to strangers with my tail waggin' and eager to be friendly... of course it also has a little bit to do with how sometimes my wandering tends to get me in trouble... but I promise, my bark is always a happy one and I never bite... I just want to play.

Right now, I'm still working hard to get this site up and you'll see a lot of changes over the next few weeks, so please bear with me. Most of my time is spent makin' music and my first goal is to get as much of that music out here for you to hear, so you can let me know what you think. I'll tell you right off the bat, I'm a HOPEFUL romantic and I write a lot of syrupy love songs... but after all, love is the most powerful thing in the world, right? I also write songs from traditional old style country music, clear to edge of Alt-Country... and everything in between... even a bit of Rock-n-Roll once in a while. Most importantly, I write about things that are near and dear to me and you... love, life, family, dreams, values... or just plain fun. There are so many wonderful things in life to be thankful for, I have a hard time stopping long enough to record songs just because there is so much to write about.

One of my special projects that is very near and dear to my heart is a website called AnotherAngel.org It's a very special site that is dedicated to the memory of our fallen soldiers throughout history. It's not a political statement of any kind, it's just a tribute to those who are willing to lay down their lives for the pursuit of freedom, plain and simple. If you have a minute some time to check it out, please do. There's a free download of a very special song that I wrote and I'm trying to make sure that everyone who wants a copy gets one, so pass the word along and thanks again for sharin' your time with me.

So for now, I'm going to sign off and keep pushin' to get all of the stuff done that will help me stay in touch with all of you more easily. For all of you who have been listening to me sing and encouraged me along the way, from the bottom of my heart, "Thank you." My circle of family and friends grows bigger each day and every one of you is a very special part of my life... you make me who I am and I love you all.

All dah' best!

Pup

Music has always been my first passion. From the time I was a small child singing along to tunes in the car or trying to impersonate Elvis in the shower, I always knew I wanted to sing. Of course, sometimes life sends us on a little sidetrack before we get a chance to chase our real dreams and my life was no exception. For a variety of reasons I didn't get a chance to really start pursuing my musical career until about 4 years ago. Fortunately, however, through the wonderful support of many of you folks and the long arm of the World Wide Web, things are happening quickly these days and I expect it will only get more frenzied as time goes on.

Honestly, I love almost all genres of music, as long as it's not angry or hateful. Country, Classic Rock and Blues have always been my favorite simply because the songs tell a lot of stories about life. The words paint pictures that are easy to connect to because many of us have been sittin' in those same shoes at one time or another in our lives. That's what music is to me... a universal medium that crosses all the boundaries: age, race, color, language, everything! When people share music they are sharing a little piece of their lives together and it is a beautiful thing. I like songs where the lyrics are clear and purposeful, whether it is a heart-wrenching ballad or a rowdy sing-along, I think it's important to hear what the songwriter has to say.

As for my own genre I would say it more closely fits Country Music, but as you can already see I've taken that into a slightly different direction on some of my work. I've been diving for about 5 years now as well and I've met so many great friends along the way, I decided to do a few albums that lean a little more toward the sport of scuba diving and the "island" way of life in general. I've attempted to include a real diversity of songs on these "Scubaribbean" (That's my own new word!) albums so that they are enjoyable for all listeners, whether they are divers or not. Hopefully you will all let me know if I've succeeded.

I'm already back in the studio working on the first country album, but we'll be starting back into the live shows more often as well, since my travel schedule isn't so hectic during the winter. I'll keep you posted on all of the upcoming shows and other exciting things that are happening. Until we meet again, keep lettin' your heart shine all the way to the outside and share it with the world!