Q: Where did you grow up?
A: On the North Shore of Long Island, New York

Q: When did you start playing guitar?
A: I started playing when I was 22.

Q: What was the first song you learned on the guitar?
A: I learned two songs kind of at the same time: "Rosemary" by Lenny Kravitz and "Father and Son" by Cat Stevens.

Q: Who are some of your (musical) influences?
A: Willie Nelson is my greatest inspiration. Pink Floyd, Phish, Cat Stevens, Barenakedladies, Peter Himmelman, Ben Harper, and the Indigo Girls grab me too. Luis Miranda, my first guitar teacher, has been a great influence; and bassist Brian Kendall Moore is a musical mentor who opened my ears to the significance of a bass and how its sound can be intergral to a song and a band.

Q: Why does the guitar mean so much to you?
A: I love its voice, and the fact that any note you hit can be right. Playing the guitar connects me to my thoughts and feelings, and in doing so leads to the tremendous pleasure of writing a song. The guitar is also an endless challenge to my brain and fingers because there is so much to know and see in it. When I practice the guitar, my spirit rises and I feel I've evolved that day. In the end, it's just a lot of fun to play and sing along with.