All I can tell you is I have wandered the world trying to make all of the pieces fit. Raised a latchkey kid of divorced parents I have survived Klansman, racist kids, the ignorance of my own people and run-ins with ignorant police officers. Whom I guess they felt they were entitled to do the evil as soul relives the destruction of my ancestors that fell from the heavens so long ago. Powerless and lost they were dragged against their will to a place they would be forced to call home. So began the orchestra of my inception.

Where does the inspiration come from? They say pain is the fuel of art, and if that is the case I at least have enough to fly to Jupiter and back. Whether it's the demons of ones own mind you continue to wrestle with, the insanity of life or the curse cosmic joke that few hear and even fewer people actually get... THESE are the building blocks of creativity. Its out of these bricks of desperation and pain do you truly feel the art. The beginning of my pain came in the form of me being the only black kid in a small city in Montana. That was the beginning of getting familiar with a sense of isolation I had never imagined what it would be like not being able to connect with people on certain level. Whether is was the clash of suburb vs. city black vs. white it didn't matter, I was alone. That drove me into excelling in sports which allowed me to work off a certain level of frustration (and in some social circles made me popular) but it wasn't til I started writing poetry (a philosophical jock?!?! Ewww! :-) that I realized this was something that needed to get out. Writing poetry eventually lent itself to music to become songs. At this point I started on the path of being a self taught musician (this was by necessity as they funds were lacking). It was imperative I find an outlet for the chaos swirling around the war zone called my life (at the time). During this process of training to be a musical "Ronin" I learned to play guitar, and bass by ear. At this point I was really just dabbling. This was interrupted by news of returning back home: To Boston.

After awhile the rejection and isolation pushed me to an area of myself that made me realize I could either be miserable for the rest of my life because I didn't fit in or I could no longer hand someone else the power to make me miserable. This was the forge of what I affectionately call my "feck off" attitude. I eventually said to hell with everyone and decided that I could care less if anyone hates me. Just make sure it's for the right reason. This became my shield against those with blinders on. If they weren't willing to at least listen to what I had to say then they weren't worth talking to. I got a guitar, immediately tried to start a band (it failed miserably) several attempts and chord changes later, I managed to start a band named (after non-other then myself) Avant. It was a funk/metal band along the lines of Rage against the Machine and Tackhead with a dose of "Parliamental" elements thrown in for good measure, this was years before anyone was doing it or even knew what to call it. During that musical growth spurt my keyboardist introduced me to piano. And after a few late night sessions at the M.I.T. engineering studio he also introduced me to sequencing and at that point the birth of a self contained songwriter began!!!). I started hob knobbing with local music scene and ended up getting to know groups like Juice with Soul, Chuck and the Ruff Nexx Sound system. So folks I knew got signed but cuz they didn't know the biz they got burned (but that's another story). Since then I've worked on musical projects as well and I have done some songwriting and producing for other acts. Got good reviews and started shopping demos but I got tired of dealing with the egos prancing around with unrealistic expectations.

Eventually I decided I'd refocus my energies back on the Avant project and there was serious interest coming from some folks at Arista. The flames were really beginning to fan to record deal levels when as cruel fate would have it. I broke my neck in a gymnastics accident and was temporarily paralyzed. All hopes went up in smoke. I spent 4 months in rehab and a halo just trying to walk and turn around without looking like Frankenstein. By the time I was anywhere near being able to play or write again the volatile nature of the beast that ship had sailed and put me back at square one again (If you run into a Doug Daniels tell him to get hold of me! ;-). In any event what doesn't kill only makes you stronger and as a result of all of those really powerful mind altering drugs I came up with some amazing material and arrangements that you can only pull from the ashes of a gods dreams.

After recovering, I spent my time trying to accelerate the process of getting my neural paths to reestablish themselves as the signal going from my brain to my fingers was scrambled and all of my solo passes were getting inverted (talk about frustration) I've spent the past two years finally getting back into decent musical shape and am in the process of finishing a full length CD which should be ready by fall. Though I write in all genres (with the exception of C&W because it's a knock off of the blues) I really tried to focus on getting back to the instruments. I've got some synth-layered stuff but I'm tired of black folks just walking around with a mike. My opinion on R&B/Urban Contemporary Music Let me ask you this? How many artists out there actually PLAY instead of going the "Puffy" route and looping or sequencing stuff? Where is the love, respect and adoration for the craft of songwriting? Where is the blood sweat and tears? Where is the sacrifice that shows when someone listens to the product and can HEAR the love and care put into it? That dedication seems to be slipping into the antiquities of time. Like some arcane and forgotten art branded heresy by some misbegotten institution. Well, I intend to bring it back! They don't call me Avant for nothing. To be Avant is swim in the face of convention and insurmountable odds. This probably also a contributing factor to me bumping heads with A&R cuz I kiss no one's ass. It took me a WHILE to convince the labels once I started shopping stuff. Just because the saw a black face to stop trying to shuffle me off to "urban land." I'm trying to market to people. Not white people or black people or yellow or red blue or green people. Just people.

Music I guess my passion manifests itself best in this statement "songwriting should cause you to push the envelope of your soul oft times causing you to expose yourself and sometimes making you uncomfortable." If you are not in a zone of honesty and willing to take it to the hoop when you write (or anything else for that matter) you are cheating yourself. I have made the conscious decision to venture into areas of music where not many black faces are seen. Because it obvious brothas and sistahs ALREADY dominate the urban contemporary market. So venture on to explore new territory. Most R&B nowadays is remakes of something really TIRED! How many times can an artist sing about your [pick topic of your choice] money, cars, baby's daddy/momma, how hardcore you are, how big you dick is or how good in the sack you are? Time for some new material folks. Where is material that reflects the myriad of spectrums that blacks have inside? There are other subjects and other material to discover. To any black artists out there: YOU ARE A MONKEY if you let these A&R clowns pigeon hole you like that. Don't let them make you sing songs irrelevant in nature. Differ the subject matter, take a chance, do something different. Just stop singing crap. Why is it blacks are only in R&B and hip-hop? Blacks invented all of the popular genres of music people listen to today so why aren't we in those areas as well? Don't let them sell you short.

I vow not to create any mindless drivel devoid of any artistic merit and lacking in anything that doesn't even SLIGHTLY resemble creative content. I vow to write about things that do more then insult ones intelligence and inspire fear in people that hear what you are listening to which makes them wonder if there is something WRONG with your head. Take that Marilyn Manson noise someplace else. THIS is my manifesto!!!! I've vented enough for now and your eyeballs made need a rest. I thank your stopping by and taking the time to read. I hope you found it worthwhile. I'll be updating this as time permits. I'm in the process of trying to finish the 7th song for my CD.