Your Music Mentor:

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I don't like labels, and neither do you. Who does? So let's use "descriptions". Here are a few that give you a glimpse of me:

Composer, arranger, BMI/BMG songwriter, musician, sound designer, MIDI programmer, synthesist, Pro Tools expert, editor, consultant, producer, writer, Renaissance Man, truth-seeker, eternal student of knowledge & wisdom, and, of course: teacher.

In terms of music, my themes and compositions have been described over the years as "epic", "filmic", and "dramatic" spanning the range of John Williams, John Barry, and Tchaikovsky to Tangerine Dream, Jean Michel Jarre, and  VNV Nation, some of my favorite composers & influences. Regardless of style, whether classical, techno, folk, or anything in between, one can always remember my melodies and be moved by their visual-inducing emotions.

I have been "Specializing In Melody" since the age of 5 when I discovered my natural ability to play and create catchy tunes by teaching myself the harmonica by ear. I went on to learn the accordion at 10, the piano at 12, MIDI and synthesizers at 15, the guitar at 30, and a long list of other exotic instruments along the way (such as the Greek bouzouki, one of my favorite string instruments!) completely by ear. I have collected rare synthesizers since 1984 and have well over a hundred in my collection.

I graduated UCSC with a BA in an individual major of Audio/Visual Composition which I created when I learned there was no film scoring program there at the time. I am also an honors graduate of Monterey Peninsula College and the prestigious private high school, Stevenson (Robert Louis Stevenson/RLS) in Pebble Beach. Shortly after completing the  Recording Engineer Program with honors in 1997 at the Los Angeles  Recording Workshop (which is now the Los Angeles Film School/Recording  Division), I realized my passion for teaching as I spearheaded the Pro Tools curriculum and taught thousands of students of all ages and from all walks of life at the school for over 16 years. My classes included Pro Tools, Nuendo, Reason, MIDI, music production, composition, sound design, and post production. I was one of the first people to  receive a Pro Tools Certification in both music and post-production when Digidesign (AVID) first began offering certification. I also spearheaded the Digital Audio Design department at the prestigious Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in downtown LA where I taught for over eight years Pro Tools, Reason, MIDI, sound design, studio and field recording, and post-production receiving multiple awards from the school. I now focus on teaching music online.

I have worked with world-renowned synthesist Michael Lehmann Boddicker as co-songwriter and consultant. I was also the principle Pro Tools editor for the audio versions of Thomas Greanias' best-selling novels "Raising Atlantis" and "The Atlantis Prophecy" and have produced six tracks for the legendary hip-hop artist Kool Keith with Thee Undatakerz. I won international acclaim with my debut CD "As Above So Below" as Havoc Razor. This album was nominated (from over 10,000 albums submitted) for "Best Techno Album of 2004" by the JPF Music Awards, an international organization which is now the world's biggest music awards  show. My second song, "Liberté," from the album won 5th place as "Best  Techno Song of 2004" from over 140,000 songs submitted in 57 categories from 85 different countries. Numerous songs from my album have also been placed in various films.

When not immersed in these creative endeavors, I can be found in my studio, the Synatarium, perpetually bridging the walls of vintage synth classics such as the Memorymoog-plus and Voyetra-8 with the latest in current technology, always keeping an  open mind and embracing "happy accidents" which continuously feed my creativity. 

One of my deepest passions is inspiring others to be their creative best while finding joy, confidence, and untapped talent.

I look forward to you becoming my next success story!