working on a new song in my home studio

I started writing songs somewhere in my early adolescence. The first song, tune and all, is still floating around but looking at it with experienced eyes I can see it needs .. well ..a bit of work.

I realised instinctively at that stage that trying to actually make a living out of writing songs would take some doing so I put any aspirations on hold, got into the business of getting street cred but continued to listen and write in my scrapbooks, often mimicking styles of the times. I tried my hand at every subject under the sun, and a few from elsewhere.

Somewhere along the line the passion to be serious about it, to have other people hear my songs, grew too strong. I began to take guitar lessons, piano lessons, even singing lessons. With some enthusiastic support from music teachers, local musicians and my family (the latter always biased but always welcome just the same) - for my music, not my singing, I'd have to admit.

I began entering competitions

• a Brisbane region C & W in 1996 that resulted in exceptional reviews
• the 1999 Unisong contest from which I received 2 high commendations
• a US Adoption Agency song contest in 1999/2000 (See and hear one of these entries, Welcome to the World.)

In 1997 I cut, a demo CD, Suburban Dreaming, in a commercial studio in Bundaberg, Queensland. I wrote the lyrics, composed the melodies and did most of the instrumentation, arranging and singing for the 16 songs. A professional studio musician contributed, to significant effect, on guitar and percussion.
I distributed this CD to a sample of Aus record companies and individuals, receiving some interested and encouraging replies from record companies and much favourable support as well as constructive criticism from friends and acquaintances.

The demo has been very useful to me in defining my musical goals. A professional singer, and several amateur singers in North America, have expressed considerable interest in performing my material. If you have a commercial or professional interest in my music let me know and I'll be happy to provide you with a copy of the demo.

In the last few years I've entered into several collaborations to broaden my musical horizons. These include:

• my barely teenage son (who's a much more fluent musician than I'll ever be, having successfully completed 8th grade piano and spent several years playing trombone in high school and community bands). I've written lyrics to which he's composed music (Time Waits for No Man), and written melody and lyrics to one of his chord structures (Superman)
• Vidar Martins - a Norwegian musician. Using the internet to communicate I wrote lyrics to 4 of his songs. You can see the lyrics and hear these songs at his website.
• North American songwriters, once again using the Internet. As there generally seem to be more lyricists than melodists/composers these usually take the form of writing melodies to other's songs. But there are many exceptions.

As time goes by my catalogue, already quite extensive in terms of styles and themes, continues to grow. I could not possibly include the many songs I've written, on this site. Instead, you'll find a sample of themes and styles.