About
Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life. –Beethoven
If you dig deep enough into rock n roll, you’re on a freight train headed straight for the Blues. –Jack White (from It Might Get Loud)
Guitar has always been a passion of mine, and this blog is where I’ll share it. Past and present. High, low and everything in between.
I’ve played guitar in various bands for over 25 years.
I’m the guitarist for the Chris Collat Band. Our music is groovetastic & melodic at the same time. Sometimes we lean rock, sometimes jazz, but it’s always funky up in here!
I also play guitar with the Joyful Noise! youth choir backing band, based in Olney, Maryland. Every year we take the show on the road for one action-packed week of concerts and fun, supporting the ministry of Compassion International along the way.
Levite is the house band for my home church, the Montgomery County Church of Christ. Our sound is rock with definite blues & funk stylings. Mike, Rich, Scott and I enjoy taking worship tunes and putting our own unique stamp on them.
Here’s a bit more of my history for ya:
I started out playing keyboard, but took up guitar at age 13 to play rhythm on Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits. I ended up asking the lead player to teach me those cool leads. 
Mark Knopfler is still a huge influence on me to this day. My first guitar was a twelve-string acoustic, but I soon bought a Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty (which I still regret selling). Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Alex Lifeson were major influences on me starting during this time.
I studied classical & jazz guitar in college, but was just as happy ripping leads in my band What’s Next with Dave, Stu and Chris (and Brad til he left).
After college, I moved west to Columbus & played with a band called Quixotics. I also played with the Jenny Morgan Band for a spell, before moving back to the East Coast to give What’s Next another try under the name Nine Ways.
I took some time off to enjoy marriage and have kids, then started playing in various church ensembles and finished my first CD, Deep Waters, in 2003.
I also love to play fingerstyle acoustic music, influenced by guys like Laurence Juber, Doyle Dykes, Tuck Andress, and Pete Huttlinger.
Deep Waters is my first and only CD (so far). I wrote and recorded it in my basement studio over 3 years time. One of these days, I’ll get around to recording a second one. As fun as recording is, though, nothing beats performing live.
