My initial musical influences come from the irreverent 90’s punk revival, most notably from the music of NOFX, Pennywise, and Lagwagon. Tool and Rage Against the Machine are two other 90’s bands that exerted a great deal of influence on me.
My entrenchment in the punk scene began to unravel in the early 2000’s, probably as a result of beginning college. Exposure to The Decembrists and Bright Eyes is what initiated an expansion of my musical horizons, an expansion continuing to this day. The Decembrists embedded in me a love of 3/4 time, and Bright Eyes opened me up to (non-pop) country. Near the same time, bands such as (early) Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, and (early) Electric Six got me to dabble in dance rock. Although my appreciation of music continues to expand, the last set of musicians to influence my musical style includes the people (or bands) that I have played with (or in). This includes playing with Matthew Toplikar, Eric Dobbins (Sick Bird), and Jacob Frese (Brass Buffalo).
Matthew Toplikar is a folk singer – songwriter. I played several gigs with Matt when he was active in the local music scene of Lawerence Kansas. Along with Elijah Dragen and Taylor White, we home-recorded six songs under the album name ‘Shitty Whiskers’ (so named because, during the recording, the house cat got a bunch of dust bunnies in his whiskers). You can check Matt’s other musical work here.
Sick Bird, headed by Eric Dobbins, was a contemporary bluegrass band. Matt learned Eric was in need of a bassist and got the two of us in touch. Not at all trained in bluegrass, I brought my own style to bear. Sadly, Sick Bird disbanded after I played only a handful of shows with them. Presently, I cannot find any recordings.
The longest lasting band I played in was Brass Buffalo, headed by me and Jacob Frese – Jacob, however, was certainly the heart and soul of the band. Jacob and I each brought our own songs to the table to be worked on. Jacob brought to bear influences from Americana in general, and The Mountain Goats in particular. I brought to bear a mixture of the above influences listed above. You can listen to a live recording of our last show here. Please keep in mind that many of these songs are the brainchild of an early 20-something who was deeply influenced by the irreverent punk scene (I got better).
At the moment, I am on a hiatus from music, creatively speaking. Instead, I am focusing my energy on philosophy. However, I do hope, in the future, to find a balance between being a professional philosopher and an amateur musician.
