I don't think I've ever met a guitarist who wasn't on some kind of a gear quest -- on that never ending torturous yet joyous search for a particular piece of gear that you absolutely know will present the perfect tone. Or feel. Or really anything good.  And you will finally be able to calm the dark voices in your head. Those voices do stop -- for a few minutes, maybe an hour or if you're really lucky a day, but the inevitable rears its ugly head.  You actually do truly without a doubt need the …

It seems like I’ve been a slashie my entire career. You know, one of those artists whose style is defined as this/that/and-the-other without seeming to commit to something. I suppose that’s to be expected when you're inspired by so many genres when writing and playing your music, but it makes it awfully difficult to describe what it is that you do. Really, your elevator pitch better take place in a VERY tall building! So here I sit, working away on my seventh solo release and thinking once …

Thanks to KJAZZ Radio UK for the airplay and for adding me to their website!

I will be performing at the upcoming Sunshine Foundation of Canada "Bright Night, Big Dreams" fundraiser on Tuesday, March 20th (6:30-8:30 PM). The event takes place here in Toronto at the Miller Tavern (3885 Yonge Street) and you can purchase tickets online here . The Sunshine Foundation  is the only national Canadian charity to provide individual dreams to children with severe physical disabilities (such as spina bifida or cerebral palsy) as well as life-threatening illnesses. This …

If you're into electronic music and/or sound design definitely check out this live panel discussion featuring Eric Persing, Diego Stocco, Richard Devine and Scott Gershin.

 Great news for musicians who fly!

The AFM Applauds Passage of FAA Bill

I've started working on my seventh solo album! Over the last year or so, I wrote 25-30 tunes intended for this new record -- some complete pieces, some just sketches -- and I've picked out what I feel are the best 14 tunes for the album. Probably 10-12 of those tracks will make it on the final record -- or at least that's the sort of thing that's happened in the past. There always seems to be a couple tracks that either don't turn out the way I'd like or they simply don't "fit" with the other …

Yes, it’s my one year mandoversary -- I’ve been playing the mandolin for one year! Well, to be completely accurate it’s been slightly longer than one year, but I didn’t have the time to write this post until today. A little over a year ago Sonya, my wife, suggested I get a mandolin. She thought it would be a great “challenge” for me. She was right. To be honest, I wasn’t all that keen on taking up the mandolin. I already had a lot on my plate with guitar, …

Nice overview of the current state of the digital music universe.

I never know what to think when I read something like this NPR piece. Did it really cost Rihanna's label $1,078,000 to produce "Man Down"? Really??  Were there really forty writers working on her record?? But even if you take half (or a quarter) of the amount of money spent, it's still a pretty big number for me to get my head around...