Music: Greg brown, John Prine, the Whipsaws, Dave Moore, Evan Phillips, David Zollo, Uncle Tupelo (son volt, wilco), Jayhawks, Nate Duccinni, Dan O'brien, R.E.M., Gillian Welch, Mellissa Mitchell, The Photonz, Bob Dylan, Maureen Kilgore, Leo Kottke, Bo Ramsey and the Backsliders, Velvet Underground, Paul Westerberg, Brandon Duccinni, the Puppets, Josh Chambers, Johnny Cash, Woody Guthrie, Paul Simon, Billy Bragg, Dan Bern, Lyle Lovett, Whiskeytown, Ben Harper, Denny Garcia. To name just a few...
I've opened for/played with: Michael Franti and Spearhead, Tim Easton, The Whipsaws, Evan Phillips, Barefoot Bluegrass, Colin Hay, The Photonz, Mellissa Mitchell and her many random bandmates, Mason Jennings, Emily Kurn, Jared Woods, Joe Raven, Tamara Nile, Doug Geeting, the Incoming Band, Leeroy Stagger, Sticky Wicket, Denny Garcia, Maureen Kilgore, Kristina Castenada, Matt Herman and the Jack River Kings, Last Train, etc...
Misc. : Jack Kerouac, Agustus and Woodrow, Bernard, etc...
Let's see... The honest truth is that I don't really play out all that often. I drive a tour bus in the summer, and enjoy ample relaxation in the winter. I live in Girdwood, Alaska with my woman, Cole. We came her in a roundabout way 6 years ago from several points in the midwest. I grew up in Dubuque, Iowa. I like Iowa. I'll probably move back there someday. But for now I'll be here. Girdwood is really a special place. If you've been here you know what I mean. If you haven't, then you should come check it out, just ask anybody that's been here.
Music has been with me for my whole life. It started with the musicals my folks got my brothers and I involved in, the piano lessons, choirs, then trombone for a short bit, more musicals and plays, then bass guitar. It was my senior year in high school before I ever picked up a six string guitar. My friend showed me some chords in his basement, and my first strums were learned on my mom's Gaucho, which was a total piece of shit guitar, but it caught my interest, and I got hooked.
Around the same time, I saw Greg Brown play at Micheal's Edgewater Inn in Bellevue, Iowa, sometime around the holidays. Best show of my life. I remember thinking that this guy's got the best job in the world. Maybe someday I could do something like that. Maybe it was just a coincidence that I'd just learned my first chords....
I've been lucky enough to play many a rollicking night either here or there, with alot of good folks, and it's been a blast. I'm a sucker for live music, and I'm glad that I've got something to throw into the stew.
Spiff at the Discovery Theater in Anchorage, AK......
hey tough guy. how was seward. i wanted to come but the snow just kept falling. had a little ski date to take care of. . . u didn't play at the sitz last night, did you? i saw somewhere that you were supposed to but i figured the genius' that figure that kind of thing fucked up. anyways. . . ill see you tonight.
i know it! i've heard your name around quite a bit from evan, jeff and others so i was quite pleased when i got to hear you open for tim and leeroy, you make some great music! I hope to make it to the snow goose show!
Happy belated B day Spiff!! Congrats on the CD, I cant wait to get it. I have been showing your Discovery Theater gig to all my work buddies and everyone loves it. I will spread the word on the CD. Take care and keep on pickin'!
