About me 

  I’m a performer, producer, and sound engineer based in Vermont. I have a six-piece band called Ponyhustle, and we play old-school country music. My approach to playing and recording is based on the underlying belief that music is something humans need to sustain their souls. Pete Seeger said it best: “Once upon a time, wasn’t singing a part of everyday life as much as talking, physical exercise, and religion? Our distant ancestors, wherever they were in this world, sang while pounding grain, paddling canoes, or walking long journeys. Can we begin to make our lives once more all of a piece?” I believe that music in the modern world still serves this essential function, and it’s my goal to foster the most honest and authentic musical expression in myself and others.

     I learned to play on my grandmother’s acoustic guitar when I was ten years old. She loved country music, and some of my earliest memories were playing old country songs by her bedside. I fell in love with punk music in seventh grade when my math teacher gave me a Minor Threat CD, and the intensity of that music still resonates with me. By the end of high school, I discovered that these seemingly disparate genres actually agreed with each other. Roots music is full of the same honesty and raw emotion that I love in punk and rock and roll. They both have attitude, they both resist authority, and neither is focused on perfection.

   I moved to Vermont in 2008 for university and graduated with a degree in anthropology. I chose to study the social and historical aspects of music rather than the technical, and I’m glad I did. I learned that cultural knowledge, oral tradition, and social change are all enriched by music. It changes the brain and connects human beings to each other and to nature in profound ways. I wanted to carry on tradition, and I practiced storytelling in my performances, learning how to illuminate the cultural significance of the songs I was playing.

   I stayed in Vermont, wrote hundreds of songs, released many albums, and toured across the country. My output was at times almost manic and incredibly helpful for learning the technical skills required to be a good producer.  I also discovered a passion for playing at assisted living and memory care facilities. Connection with older generations, playing the music I love with those who lived through its history, and the ability to literally bring back memories are gifts that continue to deepen my sense of purpose.