Born in Toronto and raised in the paper mill town of Millinocket, Maine, I came of age in a place where blue-collar grit and a deep appreciation for the arts somehow fit together naturally. Music found me early through school choirs, musical theatre, and a community that believed creative expression mattered. While many of my friends picked up instruments, I gravitated toward singing and discovered that music had a way of bringing people together. During high school, I began performing as part of an acoustic duo, learning songs by artists and bands like The Moody Blues, R.E.M., and The Who. Those early performances—sometimes on stage, more often in front of patient friends—sparked a lifelong love of live music and planted the first seeds of songwriting.
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A family friend helped change the course of things when he offered to buy me a guitar in exchange for painting his garage. That well-earned Yamaha guitar carried me through college, where performing with an acoustic trio opened the door to songwriting. Encouraged by fellow musicians, I began writing songs inspired by the uncertainties, relationships, and restless optimism of young adulthood. After college and a brief stop working in television, I made a leap that would shape both my life and my music. With a duffle bag and a guitar, I boarded a train in Boston and headed to Missouri for graduate school. During those years, I wrote more than I performed and discovered that moving, transition, and the search for home would become recurring themes in my songs.
Over the years, music has led me through coffeehouses, pubs, theaters, recording studios, and more than a few unexpected turns. I’ve performed in acoustic duos, rhythm-and-blues bands, and Americana projects; worked with independent labels; recorded multiple albums; and spent a year touring the country in support of original music. It was not a profitable adventure, but it remains one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. Along the way, I gained invaluable experience in studios and on stages ranging from intimate listening rooms and crowded bars to large stages where every night carried its own surprises and lessons.
Since making St. Louis home, I’ve continued recording and performing while also building a career in higher education. Music and teaching may seem like separate paths, but for me they share the same foundation—storytelling, curiosity, and connection. Today, I still consider myself a songwriter first, drawn to lyrics that create a sense of place and speak honestly about the beauty and complications of everyday life. My live shows—whether solo or with fellow musicians, including the Americana band 5 Star Roscoe—are less about performance for performance’s sake and more about creating a room where people feel welcome, seen, and connected. I’ve learned that songs matter most when they remind us we belong somewhere and to one another, and that sense of community continues to guide every stage I step onto.
