MY VERSION OF YEAR-END WRAPPED

As you see above, the new kitty Lyra was eyeing my Ibanez guitars. Think she wants to be a shredder? She started learning “Kittens Got Claws” by Whitesnake.

She’s a Steve Vai fan like me 🙂

This year was definitely a head-scratcher. Not sure if the universe was testing me but whatever the case, I am ready for 2024. I don’t rush things, as life is too short. But I can’t wait to see 2023 go away.

Oh some good happened. I left GHS Strings for Aurora Strings back on July 3 (lots of irony on that date). Am very happy to be part of the team, and the feeling is mutual on their side as well. And this year I celebrated 20 years as an Ibanez artist. Fancy that! The same dude whom nobody thought would amount to much has been with Ibanez that long. (I can still recall the jealousy directed at me when I worked at VHM…good times!)

I played some shows but not with my own music. I helped out a handful of cover bands who appreciated my talents. Whether I was covering Motorhead or The Cranberries, I brought my A-game and made sure whatever band I was helping sounded good. I have at least two shows coming up next year with Rock Hard and I cannot wait! I get to throw down some molten metal and classic rock along with a dose of 90s grunge.

And there’s one song I hope RH covers before I croak…you can guess what it is.

As for the original scene….well, I am not part of it. I am not part of anyone’s secret society or weird little eco-system. In short, I’m not a professional socializer. I may lose friends with that but I’ve lost some friends this year, so bring it. I will still be creative and unique but won’t be doing any new music for a while.

ACT NATURAL sold nicely, which was good. Strangely didn’t get a ton of press like MOOD SWINGS. Some magazines didn’t get back to me. Some radio stations didn’t either. One refused to play my music anymore so bye-bye. The stations that did play me, I am grateful for the exposure. And hey I got the front cover for the final issue of Surge FX in England!

One little victory.

And while I will never get 500k streams on Spotify unless I pay for them (you know who you are), I am glad some people give a damn about my strange quirky metal. So thank you for the continued support. And if you’re new to my music, strap yourself in! You must be this tall to ride.

What’s in store for next year?

Your guess is as good as mine.

For now, I will stick to teaching and living in my bubble.