I have been asked by Epinions to tell you a bit about myself. Since I have been chosen to be an Advisor in Musical Equipment, I guess it would be appropriate to discuss a bit about my musical background and experience in the field. I am a Psychologist/Musician with a love of music and animals of all species. I began playing music at about the age of 13, and had been an animal lover long before that. I worked my way through high school and college playing the guitar, bass, and keyboards in local groups. I began to buy vintage used guitars and basses that were in need of repair, and I taught myself to fix almost any type of repair problem. I have also built guitars from scratch. They were not great instruments, but I learned a great deal about what to look for in a fine musical instrument.
After college, I began to do session work in studios in Manhattan and also began trying to get my own songs published and recorded. An A&R guy at one of the labels I brought my music to asked who had produced and arranged the tracks that I presented to him. I told him that I was playing all the instruments, and also produced and arranged the music. He was not interested in me as a performer, but was impressed with my abilities as a producer. I eventually ended up engineering and producing a number of singles and a few albums for other artists, and I eventually began my own publishing company as well. No major hits came out of this, but it was very gratifying to see my name in Variety, Cashbox, Billboard, Record World, etc.
However, although some might consider this being successful, I did not feel artistically, creatively, or emotionally fulfilled. My dream had always been to be doing my own music. Instead, I was helping other people to fulfill their musical dreams. I was at a crossroads. I decided to go back to school to study Psychology, as I had always found that field to be fascinating, and I also felt emotionally gratified to be a part of helping people to feel better about themselves. I eventually earned my Ph.D. in Psychology, and I am fortunate enough to be very successful in that field. I continue to play music everyday, and still write and record my own music. I also have an inappropriately large collection of musical instruments, especially guitars.
I have been blessed with many treasures, the most valuable being a beautiful wife, and three very talented and healthy children. We are a close knit family, and I am very proud of the accomplishments of my children. Incredible as it may seem, my wife is also a musician/singer/songwriter, who also decided to go back to school to earn her Ph.D. in Psychology. We met during my internship, and with so much in common, it was a very natural fit right from the start.
As far as my love of animals goes, we have 2 dogs, a cat, 2 ferrets, 5 cockatiels, 4 parakeets, 2 geckos, 2 fire belly newts, and several fish tanks. I do not have a partridge in a pear tree, but I am working on it.
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