All is well in the world of independent music. While the majors argue about reasons for the steady, drastic decline in record sales over the past few years, the minors bask in the success brought to them by a public that's hungry for something new and different. It is in this world that I make my stay, reigning the scene as a true supporter of the indies and their craft...

OK ... enough with all the cryptic crap!

As Editor-In-Chief and Co-founder of Garage Radio, I've made it my mission to seek out and expose new talent. So far, so good. In the four years that GR has been .., we've introduced millions of people to new, unheard music and given them a deep insight into the scene and its players. But my love for music wasn't always as a staunch endorser.

I started out just like everyone else ... a twinkle in my Daddy's eye. At 5 I picked up my first guitar. Something about the sweet hum of a perfectly tuned G-chord stuck to my soul, so I played. Over the next 7 years I went through my mom's record collection, absorbing every nuance of every song. Folk and '50s rock ... '60s and '70s pop ... The Beatles, The Carpenters, The Kingston Trio ... it was all I had to learn from and I began to suspect that there was more to music than poppy hooks. And I was right.

Circa: 1980. As the disco era declined and long hair began to come back into its own, I snuck off to a Black Sabbath concert with my 20-year-old cousin. Van Halen was the opener and, as I gazed in awe at Eddie and his technique, it became clear to me that I had to go electric if I was ever to realize my new dream ... be a rock star! That one gleaming moment reshaped my goals forever and even though I was grounded for a good portion of my 12th year, I never lost sight.

Fast forward a few years. With hair down to my ass, a beat up Stratocaster and an old school Sears Silvertone amp, I joined my first band. We opened for acts like W.A.S.P., Odin and Poison ... all pretty much unknown at the time ... and played lots of school functions, but the band, named Axxon, was destined to fail. We were a cover band and the other guys just weren't interested in playing originals. With my creative gene stifled I left.

From there my career as a musician was pretty much up-and-down. I did some session work and toured with a few semi-national bands, but I never felt at home with any of the music I was playing. My passion for heavy yet melodic riffs and complicated compositions just didn't sit right with the other musicians.

By the mid 1990s my style was completely unpalatable to many bands and I simply gave up. Instead I took a different road, learning everything I could about the biz. I found a new passion in writing on the biz and in 2002 Garage Radio was born.

Now I participate in many aspects of the music biz ... as a journalist, scout, publicist, radio personality ... anything to be involved. I've found joy in running across new artists and exposing them to the world ... it's my new calling. The time is nigh for music reform and I'll be there to support it to the end!