All of us want to fit somewhere. Some find their tribe early on. Others think they found their cool kid’s table but then they move on (or people move on without them). For years, I grappled with “Where do I belong?” The answer hit me a few years ago yet I still tried to convince myself otherwise.

I belong as a teacher.

One of my students asked me “What made you want to be a teacher?” And my answer was pretty direct: “I always liked inspiring people.” Problem is, when you play a club or bar, nobody goes to figure out if my licks were from a Rush record or a Shawn Lane transcription. They go to, well, get drunk. Nothing wrong with that. But after years of hearing “Play something I like” or “Play a song I know”, it got very draining.

I have been teaching for almost 27 years. I was solely giving private lessons for years while working either in retail (ugh) or in an office (ugh x 2) When I was fired from my last job in 2015, I could breathe again and finally find my bliss (my friend Glenn always said that). But even when I began teaching in the music store, a part of me was still “You need to be a guitar god!” Played more clubs, opened for nationals, but what did I accomplish?

Not much.

But when a student’s eyes light up over learning a G chord, or lately learning “Master Of Puppets” (thank you Eddie Munson), THAT’S where I truly belong. My students want to learn; patrons in a club don’t. But that’s not to say that I don’t enjoy performing again after taking time away. I just don’t feel this pressing need to ALWAYS be playing live. My trio has played only two shows this year, and both were absolutely killer. Even so, when I sit in the studio, or in someone’s home, and start spewing out music theory or how to play a Green Day song, that’s where I truly shine. My students pick up on the enthusiasm and run with it. They can’t wait to learn something. I’ve even had some students say “I wish you were my music teacher in my school, you’re so chill.”

I wish I had a chill music teacher as a kid. So I became the person that I wanted to meet as a teenager.

And I’m still an eternal teenager 😉

Should I be having this much fun at 52 years old?

Yes.

Yesterday’s show at Debonair Music Hall (Teaneck, NJ) for NJ Metalfest 7 was off the rails! Eleven bands, each bringing their own heaviness to the stage. And then there was my trio. Were we going to be accepted by people who worship at the altars of Slayer, Pantera, and the like?

Yes.

We had a 30-minute set, so aside from chit-chat here and there, it was time to cut the brakes and let the car roll down the hill. Drummer Mike Sabatini and bassist Brian Smith definitely make the music tighter and heavier, and my Orange rig (along with new Ampturco cables) delivered. This was the set list:

“Time To Fly”/”Quicker Than The Devil”/”Stranded On Pluto”/”Blame The Moon”/”Force Quit”/”Never Be The Sane”

Most of the set was devoted to the newest cd MOOD SWINGS, while the first song was from MARBLEHEAD, and the second was a non-album single from 2015. And damn it, we slayed!!

Thanks to Jerry Declet at The Metallicave for making it happen. And for making us the first-ever instrumental band to perform at his festival.

My hair hurts.

They say there’s a first for everything. So here’s one for the books:

I played in Pennsylvania for the first time ever.

Why is this such a big deal to me? For one thing, I enjoy getting out of Dodge for a few hours. I am proud to be a New Jersey resident but let’s face it, any musician worth their salt loves playing outside the box.

Naked Glory played its first show ever in PA as well, and everything was great! Perfect weather, nice stage, good crowd, the vibes were right. Blew through two sets of songs with some minor hiccups but that’s to be expected. Outgoing guitarist Bruce Williams did the first set and then passed the baton to incoming guitarist Nick DiStasi, who played the second set. Went very seamless, even with only two rehearsals before the gig. The crowd dug everything, and we took time to chat with the patrons. When someone asks “When are you coming back?”, that’s a good sign. It means you did your job.

I got to use my new Ampturco cable too and it delivered!! Got three more coming (see pics below) so hopefully I will have all four in time for the July 9 gig with my band in Teaneck:

I was given the orange cable recently but soon will have blue w/green plugs, sea foam green w/orange, and red w/yellow. No purple in stock but will get that one soon too. And yes, I hope they make a hot pink one in the future 🙂

Don’t forget that I will be doing two radio interviews this week to promote the NJ Metalfest 7 show:

Wed July 6 w/DJ Metal Mistress

Thurs July 7 w/DJJD on The Metallicave

Both shows will air LIVE on www.craniumradio.com

Even though I am kinda on vacation this week, I will still be busy but all good stuff!!

Nap time.

Well it can be told…I have moved on from Spectraflex cables after many years. I have nothing but great respect for Dave Russell, as he has always been so gracious to me even when I thought I was a pain in the butt. Everything was on very good terms but it was time for a change.

I am now an endorser with Ampturco cables!

Anthony Turco and I had been lobbying emails back and forth for a bit. I expressed interest in his cables, so I received the orange one pictured above (and yes, the purple plugs rock!) I demoed this cable, really put it to the test. Played it through various amps, various guitars, and my array of pedals. The tone was clear, a bit sharper than normal (which I like). I made the decision this morning to make the switch to Ampturco and feel like a kid at Christmas.

Christmas in June!

I will be getting three more cables made up in neat colours and end plugs. When those are in my hands, I will dutifully snap a pic of them. I cannot wait to use these cables on stage and in the studio!

Am I supposed to be excited at my age?

So it’s Father’s Day today. What’s a 7-string guitarist to do?

Have rehearsal, of course!

Rehearsal on Father’s Day?! WHY NOT!

We had an earlier rehearsal so we could leave early to enjoy the rest of a beautiful day. Went over the six songs and everything sounded killer! For some reason, the music’s getting heavier…and that’s a good problem to have. We will have one more rehearsal and then onto the July 9 show for NJ METALFEST 7! Tickets are being mailed out, some of our friends have already posted as you will see below:

So yes, a loud metal rehearsal on Father’s Day was perfect!

Now to dive into some Carvel cake…

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of introspection (meanwhile my car passed inspection back in April…is that the same thing?) This happens when self-doubt creeps in from time to time.

The plight of being a musician!

I am usually alone with my thoughts and ideas. True artists tend to work best alone. I was never good at collaborating, which unfortunately makes others paint me in a negative light. When riffs and melodies come to me, I have to act quickly. Waiting for others doesn’t appeal to me. Once I get everything collected, then I can make my move.

But then another feeling hit me upside the head recently. Will I ever write “that song” that will catapult me? Jon Lord (RIP) said that Deep Purple’s IN ROCK album was their calling card. Every band/artist wants one. But it can also mean an albatross around one’s neck for eternity. So therein lies the conundrum: Do I want a signature song or a bunch of tunes that people can enjoy? I asked myself if there will ever be my “Cult Of Personality”, my “Ice 9”, or maybe my “Tom Sawyer”. Bold thinking but someone has to do it. I really hoped “Turn To Rust” (from MARBLEHEAD) was going to be THE ONE to skyrocket. Sadly that did not happen. I’m still proud of that song; in fact, I still say it’s my personal best piece.

And it was played on WRAT a few times. All seven minutes of it.

I have a bunch of new demos, and cannot wait to hear them turn into real songs. I may never have “Free Bird” (that could be a blessing) but will always write the best songs possible. If the public deems the songs worthy of such high praise, then awesome.

No “Stairway” either.

Did you feel your house shake from where you are sitting? Oh, that was us rehearsing for the first time since February.

Sorry not sorry.

Last rehearsal was late February before the March 4 gig. So today Mike, Brian, and myself convened at Bandmother Recording to peel the paint off the walls. As you can see in the above photos, the pictures didn’t budge.

We are obviously gearing up for the July 9 show at Debonair Music Hall (Teaneck, NJ) for NJ Metalfest 7. Tickets are still on sale, so be sure to go to the UPCOMING EVENTS page and click on the link to order. We only get 30 minutes, so we left out two songs from the previous set list. Six songs, wham bam thank you ma’am!

I can’t believe I just said that.

Inspiration is a funny thing. It either hits you in one fell swoop, or it ignores you for months. Sometimes you get so many ideas attacking you, that there aren’t enough hours in the day to jot them all down. Or you sit there hearing paint dry.

Fortunately I fall into the former camp.

With the nicer weather (I can wear shorts!), my mood elevates and therefore, the muse pays a visit. Riffs are tumbling out of my head and onto the guitar, which begs the question: “Where are they coming from?!” It’s not something that can easily be answered. It’s one of those “You have to be there” moments.

I have about 8-10 rough guitar-only demos. Thankfully, my Tascam DR-05 hand-held recorder is a savior. I also write things down on manuscript paper. True, I could easily get a program like Sibelius but I prefer to sketch things out. To me, writing music is art. Call me old-fashioned but I get a kick out of seeing all those notes zooming around the page, with funny little notations (thank you, Steve Vai) to keep myself amused.

The interesting thing about writing music is that you’re basically living in a vacuum. You isolate yourself from the world, get into this head space and forget life for a while. And then once you are done, you expect the rest of the world to like what you’ve created. I sit here in my corner of the basement, and whenever an idea hits me, I reach over and grab a guitar. Can’t ask for anything more convenient than that. (I wish I had a bigger space to work in but I guess that’s part of the “vacuum” vibe.)

Also, I dropped off some gear at Mike Sabatini’s studio because we will be gearing up for the July 9 show in Teaneck! The cover band is on a small hiatus so that affords me time to hammer the set list with Mike and Brian. Mike even opined that “we work well together” and expressed interest in doing the next album. That works for me! While I am in no rush at all to do any recording, it’s good to know that things are lining up. I won’t predict anything but if a new album can be squeaked out in 2023, it will be the first time in a LONG time that there won’t be such a long gap in between albums. You can’t/don’t rush art, so whenever the songs are ready to be recorded, they will present themselves.

That was, like, deep, man.

Recently, I had to have a long sit-down with myself and assess some things in my life. As some of you know, music has always been a constant (well, I still enjoy old school video games). And like anything else, you get frustrated dealing with something you’re so passionate about. Doesn’t matter if you’re a doctor, fireman, painter, dog-walker…you get down on yourself about trivial things.

That happened to me a while back.

I’ve been a guitarist longer than I care to admit. Have had amazing opportunities, and giant disappointments as well. Musicians by and large want to be seen more than heard sometimes. This is why most are in 34 bands, just for the sole purpose of “If I look really busy, people will think I’m awesome!” I was guilty of that too. When I walked away from everything in 2019, I swore off live shows. And well, when you have a hit album in 2021, suddenly there’s interest in you again, albeit with mixed feelings.

When you hone your craft as much as I did and still do, you hope people will come around and say “You’re a legend” and “You’re a guitar god”. I became obsessed with wanting to hear these things, and honestly they rarely happened, if at all. The same people who praise me are the same ones who think a wanna-be Pantera band are “killing it”. Are people genuine with me, or are they talking out of their asses?

I’m thinking 20/80 for this one.

Trying to be a guitar god was too time-consuming for me. It was becoming more of a heart break than anything else. As a kid, I would see pics and videos of Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Satriani, Ritchie Blackmore…and think “I can be like that!” When you’re a scrawny kid from North Arlington that gets bullied all the time, you have lofty goals. I wanted to go from Clark Kent to Superman overnight.

I came damn close, didn’t I?

I sit here typing my fingers off and have to give something up. That something is wanting to be a guitar god. It’s just not in the cards. Being a teacher has always been my niche, and my students love me. They can’t wait to see what I have up my sleeve for their next lesson. Can’t say the same for guys who stand in the room with folded arms wishing I would poorly cover Metallica. And once I told myself, “Self, you can let go now”, I felt a giant weight lifted off of my back. I still love playing the guitar, still want to perform (not as much as in the past), and am working on rough demos for a 9th album.

I think being a creative musician is more fulfilling than trying to be someone that I was not meant to be.

But it was fun trying!

I couldn’t win Class Clown in 8th grade, lost that to Luis Rivera (who was very funny actually…)

But now my album MOOD SWINGS is in the finalist round for Male Album Of The Year! For an album that I didn’t think would ever see sunlight, this is really huge. If it wasn’t for Mike Sabatini telling me to “Send the f–n songs” back in Feb 2021, I wouldn’t be typing this blog. Also with the added help of Jon Hanemann and Joe Lambert Mastering, this album came out way better than expected.

That’s a good problem to have.

Now it’s up to the judges at the ISSA to see if this album wins big or not. If it does, then obviously HELL YEAH! If not, that’s fine too. Getting this far is a big step. I make music, and once it’s released, it’s up to the public to smash it or trash it. It took eight albums to get it right.

Looks like a trip to Atlanta is in my future…