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My mother's taste in Latin Jazz influenced me greatly. The Orchestra Big Bands from the 1930 s-1970, especially the ones from Cuba and Panama. Jazz and Blues greats: Miles Davis, Tito Puente, Sarah Vaughn, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Ms. Ella Fitzgerald, Gene Krupa, Billie Holiday, Thelonious Monk; and there's no forgetting my favorite all-time vocalist, Nina Simon - her voice was my light on so many occasions. Though I would have given a weeks wages to have been able to see JUST ONE Count Bassi show ... *sigh*.

Hip-hop: Public Enemy, Guru, Roots, Beastie Boys (have a sit-down w/ me one day on music and I'll break that one down for you..), Hieroglyphics, Sunspot Jones, Aesop Alone, Kool Keith (Black Elvis fu**in' rocks!), KRS 1 and Boogie Down Prod., NWA, Run DMC, and Aceyalone - just to name some; Funk, Soul, most of the late 60's rock and soul like The Whispers and Cream; 70's music from Rock to Al Green to Led Zepplin and Kiss to the Delfonics, ... I love that West coast lazy-funk that saturated the airwaves through the late 70's. Artists like Randy Crawford and Bloodstone to Stevie Wonder, Bobby Womack and Donny Hathaway heavily influenced the way I heard music. It was always about what was going on in-between the rhythms for me, and artists like Stevie really brought that out.

Dig - they were the ones that let me know that it was OK to color outside the lines.

All Rock: Rush (John Bonham and Neil Pert are the reasons I wanted to play drums), Police (Stuart Copeland is the reason I still can), Fleetwood Mac, and Chicago.. And then you got bands like Living Color (Vernon Reid was a genius!) to Metallica and Black Sabbath - though in the last ten years, one of my all-time favorite bands has become (wait for it ...) the Foo Fighters. Dave Grohl is a drummer-hero to me .. but its his songwriting, playing, and ability to just "say that shit" that really kills me!!! I WILL work with these boys .. and I WILL get Dave G into a studio, into sound booth, and into one of my songs. Watch me. ... Can't forget the Punk years and all the music we were listening to while we were out on our boards! Damn, I miss those days at times, and the flexibility of my knees ;). But when the late 80's came around and I discovered Dub (Skatalites, Marley, Lee Perry, DubPhonic ...), break beat, and this other shit that no one could seem to find a name for - the way I heard music was over for me. It was right after hearing a Beasties cd that was nothing but their instru[mental]s. I couldn't take it off repeat for months because I'd fallen in love. They were the first "band" - be it rock or hip-hop - with the balls to release an instrumental album. And it was sic! It fueled my relentless drive to seek out more music like this (I found Omi Trio, Krust, DJ Krush, DJ Shadow, and J-Boogie respectively), which I think is what brought me into this whole music-makin' sh*t in the first place. Down-Tempo and Acid Jazz really pressed my impressionable mind; however, when I discovered everything else under the dance music umbrella - it was over! The DJs that influenced me are none that youd (unless you were from San Antonio) ever heard of.. DJs like DJ Jesse and DJ Rise (first man to ever play Lil' Louis "French Kiss" - to my ears) and DeepFeel. Places like the Cameo Theatre was the only place we could get house music, and even then it was mostly NY/east coast house that we were being spoon-fed. Still - it was some of the best stuff I'd heard. Tony Humphries and Larry Heard still do it for me to this day, dig?

Damn, there's so many others but, hell, that should give you SOME sort of clue about my tastes and influences!!!

Comin' from where I'm from, where I'm at and where I've been.