I was two, almost three, years old when I became playing the drum kit. I became a musician by spending the better part of my life learning how to play new instruments, writing music, teaching myself how to record and function as an effective studio engineer, spending all of my time and money on equipment, and then spending more time learning how to use it. I performed on the collegiate indie scene in the US while attending university in houses, dive bars, and parties, while releasing very limited quantities of music on CD-R. I became disillusioned with that scene pretty quickly, and after working with independent labels and producers, decided to put out some of my very stark, guitar and/or piano and voice, GarageBand demo recordings from 2010. I wasn't promoting it very much until I was approached, or swarmed, by a lot of different people who wanted something from me, despite never having heard anything more than sparse demo versions of my music. So all of a sudden I had boutique PR firms, major label A&Rs (Virgin Int'l., etc.), and world famous venues (like the Whisky in Hollywood, with whom I refuse to ever work) throwing contracts and sweet nothings my way. It got rather large and very nerve-racking very, very quickly. That's basically what happened.

I'm not sure. I want to say Kenny Rogers, but a particularly fond memory is of my mother purchasing VIP tickets to a Dave Matthews Band concert for my birthday (which is also her birthday) because she knew I was obsessed with the playing style of their drummer Carter Beauford.

I am completely obsessed with vintage equipment. Collecting old and rare pieces is my passion. Here is a brief list of the gear I play: Gibson, Martin, Fender, Gretsch, and Rickenbacker acoustic and electric guitars and basses
Mellotron M-400/Chamberlin tape-playback keyboards
Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer Electric Pianos
Steinway, Yamaha, and various makes of baby-grand/upright/toy pianos
Moog, Solina, ARP, Oberheim, Yamaha, Korg, Roland, & various Synthesizers/String Machines
Roland drum machines, among others
Hammond, Vox, Farfisa, Elka organs
Pearl and Paiste drums/glockenspiel, Zildjian cymbals, LP congas/bongos/shakers/maracas/and various percussion instruments
Various makes of orchestral instruments- trumpet, trombone, flugelhorn, clarinet, cello, viola, violin, etc.
Appalachian/Bluegrass/Hawaiian String Instruments- autoharp, mandolin, dulcimer, lap slide guitar, ukulele, etc.
visit the 'equipment' page at the official Love Anchor website for a more comprehensive list: http://www.loveanchor.org

I would like to find friends, fans, and others who are excited to either listen or perform. I would enjoy playing/sharing more 'traditional' gigs- like theatres and such, as I've gotten into the habit of performing at festivals. And I don't hate it, but I don't necessarily enjoy it. I'd like to find people who want to play normal shows and tour, so we can connect with people in a more intimate fashion.

I started off like most children by listening to what my parents liked, which, much to my chagrin, was mostly 80s hair metal. Until I was about 8 or 9 years old my favorite bands were Motley Crue, Poison, Cinderella, and KISS. It wasn't until that point, during the grunge/post-grunge/alternative era, that I began to develop my own listening identity. MTV, which still played music videos more than anything, was a huge part of my growth. It was after seeing videos by bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and especially Smashing Pumpkins and Nine Inch Nails, that I began to immerse myself in rock music of my own choosing. Trent Reznor/Nine Inch Nails has been the only mainstay from my childhood, though, and he continues to be a major influence on my work, not so much in terms of style, but in terms of 'auteurism'. When I found out as a young boy that Nine Inch Nails was essentially just one guy in a studio, it blew my mind. Realizing that I could make an entire record by myself was perhaps the great epiphany of my musical evolution, and I never resigned myself to playing just one instrument. In fact, to this day, I continue to pick up new instruments and learn new styles so that if I want something done in the studio, I can accomplish it myself. And I don't really have any friends, which makes being a multi-instrumentalist more of a necessity.

My primary music project is called Love Anchor. It's jazz-based in nature. It's rather difficult to describe, so you'll just have to listen. People say it's kind of like combining Radiohead, Billie Holiday, Chet Baker, Interpol, Joy Division, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Scott Walker, etc., etc. But what do YOU think? The upcoming release is called 'Goodnight, Lover'. Love Anchor performs live. Here you can find some dates: http://www.mtv.com/artists/love-anchor/

If I could choose a band made up of people who are still living, I think I would be most inclined to perform with Radiohead- they were my 'jumping-off' point, so to speak, from traditional rock music into jazz, electronic music, krautrock, modern classical, etc. They do such a great job of condensing all of these ideas and motifs from experimental forms of music and distilling them into more accessible songs. If I were to choose a band comprised of people who have unfortunately passed on, I would play with the John Coltrane Quartet.

I would say the largest was about 350,000-500,000 at the MusicWeek festival in Toronto last year. I'm not entirely certain, but I've been informed by trusted sources that the number was definitely between 250,000 and 500,000. That was pretty memorable in itself- most of my festival appearances are due to the nature of the music I play. They tend to get loud and rowdy and my music is completely different, especially when I perform without a backing band and just a loop pedal and a few instruments. It's easy to be overwhelmed and drowned out by massive audiences, especially if they've been doing some drinking. As far as the smallest audience is concerned, I can remember performing at a rural, out-of-the-way restaurant and bar where there were maybe 5 or 6 people watching- and they watched just because they felt bad for me.

I don't know. It would be rather unfortunate to spend so much time picking an album if I get stuck without a CD or record player. I'd probably just utilize an MP3 player and try to think of some way to keep it charged. I like a lot of different music- too much to choose one. I must own nearly 10,000 albums.