High School...

When Sr. High came along, I stayed mostly with the Alto Sax and played Jazz and Concert Bands, sometimes sitting in with the Orchestra. I never lost my love for the guitar though, and for my 15th birthday I bought a vintage '60s Japanese Fender Jaguar copy for $30 and matched it up with a brand new Marshall practice amp. I was rocking hard with that setup after I discovered Punk Rock. Sticking with what worked however, I found myself joining lifelong buddy Steven Sidley's band POINT OF DEPARTURE (POD) in 1985 playing Alto and Tenor Sax in a horn section. POD was a pretty popular Classic Rock/Blues bar band. I was 17 at the time. My first gig was in front of more than 2,000 people at a 3-day mini-Woodstock event called the Full Moon Farm Boogie. Needless to say, it was quite an experience.

While POD was doing quite well, I was still itching to be a Punk Rocker. About mid-way through Sr. High I met up with a fellow named Richard Smith. With Richard and a pair of twin brothers from Canada we formed a new wave band called SYNTHETIC MEN. I was playing everything from sax to guitar to drums. We were famous for absolutely nothing, never actually playing outside of the twins' parent's garage. What SYNTHETIC MEN did, however, was form a stepping block for me to enter into the world of Punk Rock.