(The long version):

I'm best known as a singer, teacher, band leader, songwriter & multi-instrumentalist.  I'm often asked "what do you play?" and I find it a difficult question to answer.  I play guitar as well as a bunch of different instruments including plucked strings (upright and electric bass, mandolin, banjo, ukelele etc.) percussion (drums, shakers, scrapers) keyboards and computers,  exotic instruments and found sounds.

I've always been fascinated by sounds and the more I hear the more I want to create.  I have  been making music for most of my life. At the tender age of three I started piano lessons through the Royal Conservatory. But my real joy came from early improvisations and through lifting melodies on the piano by ear. At 11, by some crazy fluke, I appeared on National TV singing back-up for John Sebastian (the Lovin' Spoonful) at the Genie Awards.

At 18, I moved to Montreal to attend McGill University. I played in several bands like Funderwear! and El Camino.  I furiously honed my songwriting while also producing my first recordings. I also got a chance to work with Grammy winning producer George Massenburg who not only was a guest professor in the recording program but also designed the equipment on which we were recording. Upon completing my degree, I returned to Toronto and co-founded Beyond the Pale with Eric Stein and Bret Higgins.

During this time, I was very interested in swing, gypsy, klezmer, bluegrass as well as the funk, blues, soul, jazz and rock that I had grown up on.  I became a six time scholarship recipient from KlezKanada (1999-2004) where I studied guitar and mandolin techniques with Jeff Warschauer as well as participating in workshops with members of Brave Old World, the Klezmatics, the Klezmer Conservatory Band and David Krakauer. I also studied guitar with the likes of Don Ross, Michael Occhipinti and Lorne Lofsky, as well as arranging with Shelly Berger and Pete Sokolow.

I left Beyond the Pale in order to travel to Central America with my love, Dori.  I took a job in a Marriott Hotel playing guitar and singing for four hours every day.  During this time I took it upon myself to learn an enormous amount of music.  Every time somebody requested a song, if I didn't know it, I would learn it to play the next day.  I tried to play a week's worth of music without repeating many songs.  It was a fun challenge. 

In 2001, I became Musical Director of Dori's theatre company: Starshine Productions, a company dedicated to producing thought provoking, original entertainment for children.  We enjoyed successful international runs. During this time I also played the title role in Uncle Jeb's Farm, a show for which I also arranged the music and produced the Original Soundtrack CD.

Around this time, I put together my first CD of original music entitled "Swimming to Catch the Sun".  The album told a story of a journey and was extremely eclectic in nature.  Many of the songs were written while we were in Central America and they ranged from rock to punk, ballad to anthem, with many sounds.  About a week before its release, the twin towers were brought down on 9-11.  I was actually playing in New York City that week (It was Friday the 7th) and we toured the twin towers on the 8th.  We left on the tenth.  I wanted to stay an extra night to catch Les Paul play at the Iridium, as he did every week, but Dori convinced me we had to head back to Toronto to work on Uncle Jeb's Farm.

Dori and I got married in 2003 and traveled the world for our extended honeymoon.  When we returned home, we settled into our new life as married couple and soon after came my older son, Noah.  It was at this time I took a few teaching jobs, one working with young children at Rainbow Songs, one teaching music for kindergarten to grade 6, and one teaching preschool music.  A couple years later my second son, Ezra was born.

It was around that time that I studied the Orff teaching method at the Royal Conservatory.  Fast forward to 2014 and the birth of my third son, Milo. I continued to work at Rainbow Songs, running interactive musical programs for children until the summer of 2018. I have also been teaching music privately to students in Toronto for over twenty years.

Over the years, I have produced full length albums, commercials, film and theatre soundtracks and has received grant support from the Ontario Arts Council and FACTOR. An avid traveler, I have performed live in over fifteen different countries on five continents including North America (Canada, US), Central America (Nicaragua, Costa Rica), Europe (UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Holland), New Zealand, Australia, Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, India, Nepal), Israel and Africa (Malawi, Zimbabwe).

I have had the privilege of collaborating with many incredibly talented people including: Beyond the Pale, Kid Koala, Hawksley Workman, Jack Breakfast, Socalled, Jayme Stone, Marky Weinstock, Kat Goldman, The Podemski Sisters, Jon Stancer, Kristin Lindell, Harris Eisenstadt, David Wall, Aviva Chernick, Zebrina, Ken Whiteley, and many others. I perform both solo and with many other wonderful musicians.I am currently a member of oOzAkAzOo, Rock N Rainbow, Crooked House Road, The Mercenaries, Tararam, Eat a Peach: A Live Tribute to the Allman Brothers Band and playsDEAD.