What was the beginning point for your music career? How did it all start?
I think for me it started probably like every other musician. There was a song or a band that they heard, wanted to emulate that sound or rock hero, and started playing the instrument. Me personally I’m an old school metal head. Bands like Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer were staples for my troubled childhood and felt like a vent every time I heard the music. It wasn’t until I got to the Marines that I sat down to learn. I got my first cheap guitar and Guitar Word magazine and taught myself how to play, but I didn’t want to sound like any of the bands I listened to. I wanted to be different, and I wanted to incorporate all kinds of music into my playing not just fast aggressive riffs. In the early 90s when I started playing everyone wanted to be flashy and shred like Eddie Van Halen. I wanted his originality but not his style. It wasn’t for me. That’s when I found the blues and realized its okay to play fast but still leave the emotion in the music and that’s what I try to do now.
Was there any bumps on the road? What kind of challenges did you have to deal with?
One of the biggest challenges has been getting away from the microphone. When I first started being able to play and sing was a hot commodity, and everyone wanted me because I could which was great, but that same great thing boxed me into constantly repeating what someone else had already done instead of showing people the real me musically. That’s what I try to bring to Misery Lane. Another band we recently played with said they loved our set because he could hear longevity in the music. No two songs were the same and that’s so rare these days he ended.
What was the most fulfilling and satisfying moment so far?
My oldest son plays rhythm guitar for the band. He asked me to teach him when he was in high school so he would be ready for his guitar class the next year. He took what I showed him and absorbed it like a sponge. He was playing songs in days that took me weeks to learn. His very first live show was playing with me and my old band in a battle of the bands contest so no pressure there LOL. He absolutely killed it and we took first place that night. That was a proud dad moment to share that with him. So that would be my most fulfilling moment.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
People often ask me what’s my sound? Who do I sound like? I always respond that I sound like me. I say that I play metal riffs with blues solos so it’s not what you’re expecting to hear. As far as a song goes it’s really whatever the emotion of the day is. I dive into that ocean and come up with riffs and words to fit the mood. The music for Misery Lane I’d like to think non-genre specific because you can hear the influences in the music. The band is a great group of guys with a very diverse palette of music to build on and it gives the band a great dynamic musically.
What is your creative process like?
The process for me is so non-specific it can be hard to describe. Sometimes I’ll just have a melody in my head that becomes something more. Sometimes I’ll have a line of a verse or chorus and build things around that. Sometimes it could be a situation I or my friends or in or an emotion that happens out of nowhere and I build on that, but it could also just happen from grabbing my guitar and escaping reality for just a minute.
If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
I wish that it wasn’t so cutthroat, and more people tried to help each other versus keeping each other down. If people would realize that we are stronger together things would be so much better for everyone. If you’re in a band or know a band think about how many other people, you know in bands. How many of those bands have you given a like or follow? How many other band’s posts do you share? Do you tag the other bands you’re playing with and the venue if possible or do you only promote yourself? Do you check out the other band’s music on a streaming service? Do you buy other musicians’ merch even if they don’t buy yours?
If you were asked to give a piece of advice to upcoming bands, what would that be?
Stay humble but stay hungry. Don’t think just because you have a Facebook page, you’re somebody. Think about things to make your band stand out. Get a website. Stay active on social media. Practice your craft. Network with other bands and musicians. Support your friends. Reach out to and talk to venues and promoters even when you’re not playing a show for them…they are people to. Accept criticism because people only get better with honest feedback. If you do get a bit of a following don’t forget about the next guy coming up. Every major band was once a band nobody had heard of.
What has been the best performance of your career so far?
That’s a hard one because what makes it the best? I didn’t miss a note. Great criticism after the show. Etc. I think the best performance of any band or musician is when you can see the person feeling the music. I don’t mean the “guitar face” type pic you see from everyone LOL I mean when you can really see the people playing not thinking about the crowd and just feeling what they are doing. Too often bands wind up just standing there staring at their instrument afraid to miss a note instead of playing for the feeling that got them there in the first place.
If you didn’t become a musician, what would you be doing now?
Luke Combs said it best when he sang, “I’d still be doing this if I wasn’t doing this.” Even if I weren’t in a band I’d still be writing and making music and the beauty of the social media era is that I could release a song every day if I wanted.
What is new with the band at the moment? What are you currently working on and would like to share with the world?
We are currently working on our third album and playing shows supporting the second. The beautiful thing about Misery Lane is we never stop creating. We mesh well musically so writing and playing together just comes naturally. We already have a few songs in varying stages of finished ready for the third album which we are hoping will be ready in March/April of next year. Until then we will be playing shows and having fun and hopefully, we will see some of you there. Check us out at miserylane.com. On Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/miserylanemusic. Or check out the newest album “Red Balloon” wherever you stream music.
