waybackwednesday – 2017 Pedal on the Pier with Dion Jackson and the Laker Girls.

waybackwednesday – 2017 Pedal on the Pier with Dion Jackson and the Laker Girls. This fundraiser is always good fun for a great cause: music, fitness, and entertainment all rolled into one. It’s a fun challenge for me too, because I’m jamming live with a DJ without any rehearsal or any idea of what songs they might play. It’s an honor just to be a part of these events alongside great musicians and entertainers such as Flea, Norwood Fisher, Craig Robinson, and many others

I just updated my @kemperamps_official to the latest firmware.

I just updated my @kemperamps_official to the latest firmware. There’s some fantastic new features and it’s rock solid and stable as always! I still use a few external pedals for certain specialty functions: bass synths from futureimpactpedal and c4synth, as well as advanced filter and distortion effects from @sourceaudio. My external effects are all midi-capable, which empowers me to use the Kemper to control all of their settings. I can change all of my effects (internal & external) with the tap of a button on my pedalboard. In one of my bands, we use @Ableton Live for audio, lighting, and video cues. Ableton even sends patch changes to my bass rig so that I can just concentrate on performing — no more doing the pedal dance. The Kemper Profiler has really been a game-changer for me.

It felt so good to be on stage in front of a live audience again with my bandfam in @gloria_estefan_tribute.

It felt so good to be on stage in front of a live audience again with my bandfam in @gloria_estefan_tribute. Given the current pandemic restrictions, the live audience was separated into pods and limited to a few hundred (it’s usually several thousand for this show). However, the City of Buena Park live-streamed the show on their Facebook page and YouTube channel. The band members were spaced much farther apart than usual, and any band members not singing wore masks. It’s gonna take a while for me to get used to the new normal, but it’s worth it in order to protect loved ones and still get to perform live shows.

Hey You!

Hey You!

Please caption this photo. I’m sure you’ll come up with something better than “Hey You!”.

Looking forward to rocking out with these non-gentlemen tonight (@werenogentlemen) at a rehearsal for an upcoming live video shoot.

I love writing and performing original music.

I love writing and performing original music. However, it comes first and foremost from being a huge music fan, and from being inspired by learning and playing the music of other artists too.

In addition to the original bands and artists I work with, I play in several tribute and cover bands, including a @pink tribute, ‘Raise Your Glass’. Here’s a clip of us having a blast performing “18-Wheeler” live.

Doing our best to do justice to P!nk’s music is no small feat. P!nk is an amazing singer and performer, and her band is full of top-knotch musicians, including Eva Gardner on bass, Justin Derrico on guitar, and Mark Schulman on drums. I’ve seen them live several times, and it’s always an awesome, high-energy show.

A few years back, performing a warm-up with Dion Jackson for a Walk for MS.

throwbackthursday – a few years back, performing a warm-up with Dion Jackson for a Walk for MS. I love getting to mix my passions, and with these events I get to intertwine my love for volunteering, fitness & adaptive athletics, and music. Having Dion as a friend and a mentor makes these experiences priceless. The MS Walk is going virtual for 2020 (link to more info in my Instagram bio).