1. The Early Years


2. Learning and Introspection


3. The Many Faces of Life and Love


4. A Time for Change


5. Evolution


6. Transition


7. Onward

Growing up in Toronto, Canada, I began playing music before elementary school. Very supportive parents, a couple of musically inclined brothers close to my age, plus opportunities to actually play some accordion gigs as a young kid in a Toronto polka band, all created that early 'band experience' and provided an ideal environment for what would become a life-long love and creative journey in music creation and performance. I recall dabbling with lyrical song-writing already in 6th grade. Among my earliest completed works were songs penned in the '70's during high school and performed with my newly formed first rock band "Tukker". A mix of ballads and classic rock, these tunes got several years of performance at local clubs and private parties. My thanks to Andy, Clive, Roland and Reid, plus occasional stand-in Greg ('Elvis') for some great memories. Both "Fire Demon" and "Look at My Life" were particularly strong songs and have stood the test of time. With minor changes only in the arrangements, they have been in the repertoire of most of my subsequent bands. Additionally, one of my current bands, "MobiusTrip", had the opportunity to record these along with other original and cover tunes at TimeSONGS.

Having moved on to university in London, Ontario in 1975, for the first of my several eight year cycles, my undergraduate and then graduate studies kept me gainfully occupied but didn't diminish my strong musical passions and interest in song-writing. During this period I was fortunate to come into possession of a beautifully restored 1921 Heintzman Grand Piano. This newly acquired vehicle for my musical expression commanded a prominent spot among our few pieces of household furniture at the time, and consumed many of my waking, and what should have been sleeping, hours. A lot of inspiration also came from my love of the outdoors and photography, where frequent wilderness expeditions and canoe trips stimulated ideas and imagery to use in crafting new musical ideas. Although I periodically gigged with musicians, bands or solo, a lot of my music-related efforts were spent on lyrical composition, with a focus on more personal sentiments. A number of songs penned during these years were introspective, a searching for understanding of uncertainties within myself at that particular point in my life.

With a freshly completed Ph.D. in early 1984, I soon embarked on my first major career job experience, joining a start-up Biotech research company near Toronto, Ontario, a stint which would encompass the next eight years. It was during this period that I invested in my first 'modern' synthesizer, a second-generation version of a true classic, the DX7IIFD, as well as some serious recording and mixing equipment that would enable me to create and capture performances and arrangements of my various works. This was among the most musically satisfying and abundant periods in my life, especially on the live performance front, playing with my own bands "Viewer Discretion" and "The Exceptions", and sitting in on gigs with other bands, musicians and singers in the greater Toronto area. Special regards to Ron, Mike, Warren, Jack, Ron, Bongo Bob, Steve, Ian, Andy, Anni, Mirella and many others. I felt an abundance of musical creativity, and was blessed with family and friends who supported my efforts and the many long hours needed to compile thoughts, emotions, words and melodies into, hopefully, meaningful and impactful songs. Various life and love experiences of those in the 'circle of my life' at the time provided inspiration for the songs that emerged during these years.

With the various pieces of life's puzzle seemingly falling in place to this point, 1992 brought a "disturbance in the force", when a call came for me to leave the great white north I was born in, along with the many who had been near and dear for so long, and head for new opportunities south of the 49th in Des Moines, Iowa. I was sure there was a greater purpose for this time of change, and many of the songs and other musical projects that flowed out over the years that followed reflected the quest to understand this purpose. The loss of a father and birth of a son within three weeks of each other in the mid-90's added to the turmoil, and further strengthened my resolve to continue 'seeking'.

These years also marked a diversion from primarily lyrical composition to work on some instrumental, soundtrack and other thematic projects, both personal and for clients. It was also a time to enter the 'new' local music scene from a performance perspective, first by joining "The Last Minute Band" (with Ted, Dave, Steve and Wes) and later establishing my own band "MobiusTrip" (with original members Rob, Chris S. and Chris A.). The latter was a particularly exciting endeavor, as we developed an eclectic repertoire of classic, contemporary and original rock music, which has continued to evolve over the decades with new band members and musical ideas.

The year 2000 brought a shift in formal job responsibilities from purely scientific to a mix of science and business, with new learnings, impacts and relationships. In parallel, the positive experiences gained from having worked on some informal music production projects for friends or clients led to a decision to create a formal business entity.

This was the birth of TimeSONGS as a concept and platform for musical journeys. A custom studio was personally designed and constructed via an addition to our house in Urbandale, Iowa, along with acquisition of additional pro level audio production gear. The facility provided modern analog and digital production capabilities to support the range of music-related activities (composition, performance, recording, editing, mixing, mastering, etc.). Multiple personal and collaborative musical projects were realized over the following years.

2006 brought some new excitement as we made a family decision to relocate to a rural property west of town. This meant leaving behind the wonderful custom built studio facility, but also knowing that TimeSONGS could and would continue independent of location. From a musical creativity perspective, deeper exploration of some of the sound creation capabilities of my various synths and other musical gear, led to a compilation of instrumental works under the overarching theme of "Encounters". Whether violent, peaceful, contemplative, energizing, spiritual, and whether individually or with others, we experience encounters in their many forms on a daily basis, shaping our lives and relationships.

As work responsibilities and time commitment expanded, together with embarking on some major home and property renovation projects, my personal time allocation shifted from inspirational to more practical endeavors. As such, musical creativity and studio activities were somewhat constrained. The passing of "MobiusTrip" bass player Rob Wolf and subsequent job-related departure of guitarist Chris Scelonge,led to breaks from live performance and resetting of band direction. During this time, through reconnection with a former musical colleague, a new band, "Get Off My Lawn", was launched, with six seasoned musicians focusing on 60's through 80's classic rock, emphasizing the strong multi-vocal capabilities of band members. Sadly, here too we suffered the passing of our bass player, Bob Sauerman. We continue to remember our colleagues and friends.

In the spirit of 'the show must go on', both bands are now regrouped, well-rehearsed and actively playing again, which amply fills that important performance component for me. As for the compositional and creativity side of things, bringing the formal scientific career to a close through early retirement in late 2015 and a gradual readjustment of other daily activities, there has been a renewed commitment to revisiting and re-envisioning earlier works, exploring new inspirations and taking additional musically artistic journeys.

While daily routines of the formal career are now behind me and music has clearly been receiving additional attention, other unfinished endeavors and interests that had lay in waiting are now taking some of the new found time. Projects on the property front continue to be there along with other family-oriented activities. From among the past areas of active engagement and interest, I have embraced spending more time outdoors and have rekindled my 40+ year romance with photography. Revisiting the thousands of images captured from travels and experiences, and seeing new opportunities with evolving imaging technologies, this return to active duty on the photography front has also stimulated new thinking in regards to finding ways to bring 'convergence' among some of my different interests.

As TimeSONGS continues to be the underlying concept for expression, I am delving into new ways to use convergence of music, imagery and narratives to tell stories that capture the diverse experiences we encounter in our individual and/or shared life journeys.