1. How long have you been playing guitar and performing?
I started playing guitar at age 7, and after a few hitches and hiccups started getting more into it when I was in high school (and realized that girls thought it was cool!). I played in numerous bands during college (including a really fun band called Snuffleufagus, after the Sesame Street character), then left it behind to do the corporate thing for a few years, as a management consultant. When I finally realized how miserable I was doing the desk-jockey thing, I quit my job, started playing out more seriously (mostly doing the open mike and coffeehouse circuit in Boston), and released my first CD 'Three Days in the Box.' It was 1997. Since then I've released two more full-length CDs: 1999's Radium Girls and 2002's Clarify. I now live on the west coast and play about 100 gigs per year.

2. Your a native of New England? What brought you out to California?
I grew up in Vermont and my heart still lives there. (Someday I'll move back.) After college I lived in Boston, and it was a happy arrangement between my old job, my various freelancing gigs I did to pay the rent after that, and the very fertile folk scene there. Then two things happened: I turned 30, and I realized I wasn't a 'folk' artist, at least not in the sense of Boston's folk scene. Not to get on a long rambling rant, but the Boston music scene is somwhat bipolar. One on hand you have the heavy, indie garage rock and punk scene - Godsmack, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Dropkick Murphy's, etc - and on the other hand you have the heavy duty folk scene, with artists like Ellis Paul, Vance Gilbert, Catie Curtis, and slew of other great folk acts coming out of there. But in between that hardcore folk scene and the hardcore rock scene, I never felt there was much of a scene, or more importantly for me, an industry set up to help artists. If you are playing at one extreme or the other (folk or rock), and you are very good, there are people in Boston who can help you move your career forward. But my music is in between: it's rock, with some folk, some harder stuff, some noisy electric guitars, but I'm definitely not a hard core rock and roll act, and I'm not a hardcore folkie. So after a while I realized I felt kind of homeless, that I didn't fit in in the Boston scene, and that I wasn't interested in changing my tune, so to speak, to meet the system. At the same time, I had been touring on the west coast and having just really great shows, particularly in San Francisco, absolutely affirming shows where I felt totally connected with the audience. So I knew San Francisco was a place I could live and play and feel good.
The other part was a social thing. I turned 30 and realized that almost all my Boston friends had gotten married and moved to the suburbs, or moved away. I had been living in Boston for 6 years and I realized one day that I had more friends in San Francisco than in Boston! That on top of the fact that my sister and one of my best friends lived in SF, and it's a beautiful, vibrant city, sealed the deal. Once I finished making Clarify it was a no-brainer. Bought a van, rented my UHAUL trailer, and off I went. That was November '01.

3. Do you see any differences in the music scenes there, than back east?
See above for my take on the Boston scene. As far as San Francisco goes, it's a little early to say for me yet. I've technically lived here for 9 months, but I've been on the road a lot and have not made it around as much as I should. There is more of a club scene here, which means more DJs (not so good for live acts), but also more bands doing trance/house/club beats and incorporating some electronic stuff into their sound, which can be very cool. I guess in general there is a lot more of everything - it's just a bigger city. Plenty of decent folk acts, lots of bands, and tons of venues, including some really unique and funky ones. One thing I can say about SF is that people are a lot more enthusiastic about hearing something new here. In Boston, people often seemed quite jaded to me - like "Show me what you got." Here it's more like, "Cool! Let's go find a new band or person to hear!"

4. You also have written a novel. Is writing a hobby or is it something that you would eventually like to explore more of?
Writing is a big part of my life. My plan (somewhat tongue in cheek) was always to be a rock star until I'm 40, then retire to Vermont and write novels for the rest of my life. Still working on the first part, however ;-) Maybe I'll extend it until 50.
I've got an idea for another novel, but I just don't seem to have to time to write it. I actually made a conscious decision in 1997 or so to just focus on the music for now - doing both would mean doing neither very well. It's okay though - music is a young person's game, with all the travel and late nights - whereas writing you can do at any age. In fact arguably you get better at writing the older you get. So there's no rush.

5. Can you tell us a little bit why you chose the charity that you did and what it means to you?
The environment is the issue that really touches my heart most deeply. Perhaps it's from growing up in the mountains of Vermont. I've also traveled all over the country and all over the world and I've seen how badly we humans can screw things up - not temporarily, but forever - and it just makes me sick inside. I've also seen how things can be done right, and it gives me a little hope. I wish I had the courage to do more for the environment in a more direct sense - maybe I will someday - but in the meantime this is a nice way to contribute what I can.

Rainforest Action Network - www.ran.org

Works with corporations to develop environmentally friendly guidelines and practices, particularly targeted at rain forest preservation. Recent successes include convincing Home Depot, the world's largest sourcer of timber, to phase out products using old growth trees.

Natural Resources Defense Council - www.nrdc.org

Uses expertise in energy, nuclear, and pollution issues to take a leadership role in the debate on energy production and consumption, by lobbying, educating, and advocating for more responsible practices and regulations.

The Nature Conservancy - nature.org

Works with communities, businesses and individuals to protect more than 92 million acres around the world, usually by buying or permanently setting aside natural habitats. More than 86% of funds are used directly for conservation.

6. The painting you picked out is great! Is that the type of guitar you play or just a painting that you really liked.?
Not sure - it looks like it. I play a Taylor 814-C.