My Gift My Curse

My Gift My Curse

It has taken two years, fourteen different musicians, and countless hours of writing and recording, to make my sophomore album My Gift My Curse.

Without further adieu, it will be released on Monday, November 18, 2019 on Spotify, Amazon, Pandora and everywhere else for digital download and streaming. If you would like a CD, go to CDBaby.com or come see me.

You may be asking yourself "Why did it take so long? or “Why did you have so many musicians?" We'll for those of you who don't know my music, I'll have to explain a few things.
First of all, the musicians that are on this album I very much love and respect and have wanted to work with for a long time. They range from heavy metal artists, country artists, blues, jazz, rock and even some Celtic, which I love all of it. This is why I had to create my own own genre of music because nothing that anyone uses in music marketing would fit my style. So I coined my genre of music Diverse Rock. I'll always be at my core a rock artist but I truly do love all types of music depending on what I am feeling at that point in time.

When I write lyrics, songs, guitar parts, melodies, and so on, I never limit myself. I write what I am feeling lyrically and write the music that I am feeling at that time. When I record the song I let it become what it is meant to be or at least what I am hearing that it should be. I hold nothing back and never limit myself. Many musicians put themselves inside a box and chase the same brass ring, that they never truly become someone original. I am not one of those musicians. There are songs that I have written that require, or at least I think it does, a trumpet, fiddle, bagpipes, so on and so forth.
Myself or Richard Rupert, my mentor and so many other things (see below for all his credits) start making phone calls to musicians who play these instruments, and who we think would fit the bill. I was amazed, most not knowing who I was, showed up and did an amazing job. They bring what I do to life and help make it diverse.

That being said, on My Gift My Curse, you'll hear banjos, fiddles, harmonicas, synthesizers, bagpipes, tin whistles, congas, bongos and piano. The only thing you won't hear is rapping and an accordion.

I'm far from finished making music, so I'll make sure I put that on my "music to do list" and I'll get it out to all of you later. So for lack of a better explanation, this is why I call what I do Diverse Rock. There is too much variety of styles and diversity going into each song that I just couldn't call it Rock, it was too passive. So, Diverse Rock is what you're going to get from me!

This album truly stands to attest that statement with thirteen all original tracks, each different and diverse from the next. If none of this makes any sense to you, grab some whiskey, weed or both , and sit down and take a listen on 11/18/19. You just might experience something new and like it, or send me a hate email that I probably won't read.

In closing, I would like to say thank you and much love and appreciation to all the people who made this record possible. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I couldn't have done this without you.

First and foremost, Richard Rupert-Sound engineer, guitar, lead guitar, trumpet, fiddle, bass, piano, keys, co-producer and owner of Green Valley Recording. Above all, my friend and mentor.

Jesse Roedts-Drums-Hand percussion and co-producer on Faded Memory

Joseph Hauserman-Drums , keys, congas, bongos, hand percussion, and co-producer on Slow Decline

Chris Bartley- Bass, backing vocals, and co-producer

Josh Chalk-Guitar on Trust No One

Mark Tomeo-Slide guitar/steel guitar

Chris LaRose- Harmonica and banjo

Alan Batz-Drums on Stranger Inside and Reflection

Joe Flair-Bass on Stranger Inside, backing vocals on Reflection and The Past

Jason Hagen- Lead guitar on Stranger Inside

Tony Harlan-Lead guitar on Stronger

Arno Vosk-Bagpipes on Reflection

Chalie Holmes-Upright bass on Slow Decline

Peter Pandolfo-Drums

Eric Val-Vocals, Guitar, Co-Producer


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