About/Bio
I'm a Chicago based musician, producer, and drum instructor. I have played drums, guitar, keys, bass, mandolin, percussion, and or provided vocals on over 200 recorded songs and have been playing live shows since 1998. I am currently releasing original music with Electric Villain.
I have self-produced over 20 full length albums throughout my career and have performed on over 30. I have played live with (either on stage or on a shared bill) and or have recorded music with Katie Kadan, Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake / Trans Siberian Orchestra / Cher / Night Ranger / Rock of Ages), Jim Peterik (Survivor / Ides of March), Jimi Jamison (Survivor), Klem Kayes (Survivor / Van Ghost), Jason Schimmel (Estradasphere / Secret Chiefs 3), Marcus Rezak (Digital Tape Machine / The Hue / Stratosphere All-Stars), Mike Keneally (Dethklok / Steve Vai / Frank Zappa / Joe Satriani), Bryan Beller (The Aristocrats / Dethklok / Steve Vai / Joe Satriani), Howard Levy (Bela Fleck & the Flecktones), Fred Breitberg, Reverend Horton Heat, Bailiff, Don Barnes (.38 Special), Dagan Thogerson (Murder By Death), Fareed Haque, The Heavy Hearses, Ideamen, The Dancehall Twigs, Chamomile & Whiskey, Radiofix, SMOKER, Stampy, Lobster Newberg, Jim Ward (Sparta / At the Drive-in), Lisa McClowry, Josh Woodward, Psychic Temple, Kick the Cat featuring Kris Myers (Umphrey's McGee), & Chris Siebold, Paul Wandtke (Trivium / Smells Like Nirvana), Greg Fundis (Led Zeppelin II / Fareed Haque), Chris Connelly (Ministry / Pigface / Killing Joke), as well as Cory Wong, among others. I am currently available for private drum lessons and or freelance studio session work on guitar, drums or production. Send me a message for booking/drum lesson inquiries.
Career Timeline
1998 to 2006
I played drums in northwest Ohio and Cincinnati, Ohio in the band It Ends Here. I also briefly played drums in Holy Heart Failure, and had a short stint as the singer and guitar player in a band called Along the Lines. During this time I also experimented with recording solo acoustic albums.
2006 to 2008
I joined the Phoenix, Arizona based band Radiofix. I played drums on 8 songs on the 2007 album "Angels & Skeletons".
2008 to 2009
In 2008 I joined the Chicago based progressive rock band Lobster Newberg. I played drums on the song 'Tight Rope' from the album "Actress".
2010 to 2014
In 2014 I released the album "Fin" by The Heavy Hearses. I spent four years recording this in Chicago, having started in 2010. The album includes a number of special guests with myself on drums, guitar, bass, and vocals.
2010 to 2011
In 2010 I played drums in the Chicago based progressive metal band Glass Chariot featuring Brian Gilmanov, Marcus Rezak and Matt Longbons.
2011 to 2016
In 2011 I joined the Chicago based psychedelic dream pop band SMOKER. I played drums on the album "Strange Ways" as well as 13 additional tracks released on the "Monchu: 24 Songs / 24 Stories" project. I also performed live on an episode of JBTV with the band.
2012 to Present
I co-founded the dance / psychedelic fusion project The Dancehall Twigs as the main songwriter, music director, and co-producer. We have put on multiple shows in Chicago featuring live dance and live music together.
2015 to 2020
I co-founded the Chicago jam band Stampy in 2015. I played drums, sang lead and background, and played percussion and acoustic guitar on the self titled "Stampy" album (2017) and the follow up album, "Expectations" (2020), and directed the band's music video for the song 'The Frame'.
2015 to 2021
I joined the Chicago based 90's tribute band Uncle Jesse & the Rippers on drums in 2015. We played a number of festivals and shows around the Chicagoland region.
2015 to 2016
I played drums in the Chicago cover band Thick Six which included a rotating cast of musicians from the Chicago music scene including Sean Briskey of Stampy and Bill Allan, among others.
2015 to 2017
From late 2015 to early 2017 I played drums in the Chicago Alt-Country Rock band The Blind Staggers.
2016 to 2020
In 2016 I co-founded the Led Zeppelin tribute band Of Evermore: Tribute to Led Zeppelin for which I played drums.
2016 to Present
In 2016 I started my own solo music project called Electric Villain for which I play nearly every instrument and invite guests to appear on albums. As of 2021 I've released 7 albums. I intend to continue releasing music within this format.
2016 to 2019
From 2016 to 2019 I played drums in Mr. World, a Rage Against The Machine tribute band based in Kenosha, Wisconsin and Chicago.
2018 to 2021
I joined Katie Kadan's live band in 2018 and played drums with her until 2021. I appeared on 6 songs on her debut self-titled album, performed live on television, and played many shows including a sold out show at House of Blues Chicago in February of 2020.
2018 to Present
In 2018 I founded Peephole: Tribute to System of a Down for which I am the lead singer.
2019 to 2020
I played some live shows on drums with Smells Like Nirvana, the midwest's number 1 Nirvana tribute band, featuring Paul Wandtke of Dead Original, formerly of Trivium. These shows included a headlining show at House of Blues Cleveland, City Winery in Chicago, and multiple shows / tours in the New York and the Chicagoland regions. I have sat in with the band a couple of times since 2020 as well.
2020
On August 10th, 2020 I released the debut single from Snake Dealer, an original music project formed with the guys from Peephole: Tribute to System of a Down. The song 'Blood Night' can be heard on all streaming platforms and on my music page. Additionally, on 10/14/2020 the band released a music video for a cover of the song 'Roulette' by System of a Down. Our version features Mike Morgan (vocals), Evan Walker (strings), Kevin Campbell (strings), Curran Allenstein (guitar), and myself on lead vocals. The video can be seen right here on my website or on YouTube.
2021
In July of 2021 I released the Electric Villain instrumental piano ballad album titled Sunborn. Originally recorded throughout the pandemic for TV / Film, these musical movements spoke to me in a unique way, and represented a brand new approach to songwriting. Although this music is vastly different from the rest of the Electric Villain catalogue, I have begun finding ways to incorporate it into my overall sound and style, branching out and expanding what I thought was originally possible. In October of 2021 I also released the Electric Villain single Supernova Nexus Freakout. A dance party jam, this song couldn't be further away from the style of music featured on the Sunborn album. I intend to continue to experimenting with different styles and genres as I write new Electric Villain music.
2022
In January I re-released a very old song called "Storm" with Electric Villain, originally recorded in 2005 and released in 2006. It can be heard on all streaming platforms and Bandcamp.
2023
On July 14th, 2023 (my birthday), I released a new full length Electric Villain album titled Within Darkness. This was recorded partially during the pandemic, and also while I was suffering from a severe back injury that caused me to lose the ability to walk. Because of my inability to record drums, I asked Greg Fundis (Led Zeppelin II / Fareed Haque / 56 Hope Road) and Dagan Thogerson (Murder By Death) to play on four songs each. They both agreed and are heavily featured special guests on the album. Other guests include Lynne[a] on flute, Jarrett Donoghue on guitar, and Charles Williams (Stampy) on acoustic guitar and vocals. I play all instruments on the album, and was able to record drums on four songs, three of which were tracked after my back surgery in October, 2022.
2024
As of January, 2024, I am performing live with Peephole: Tribute to System of a Down, and am working on new Electric Villain music including a follow up to the 2021 piano ballad album Sunborn. Separately, a brand new single titled Fell Away is set to be released sometime in early 2024 as well.
I'm excited for the future and want to continue making great music. Hopefully you'll hear new music sooner than later. Please reach out if you'd like to collaborate. Thank you for reading and for your time and support.