CURRENT MISSION

Travel for inspiration and growth!

ABOUT ME

"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."...or so begins Catcher In the Rye, one of my favorite books. I actually had a great childhood. My mom was primarily a stay-at-home mother sitting on a masters degree in Psychology and now works as a school psychologist and my dad was the lead singer/songwriter of an eighties pop group called Bourgeois Tagg who was on MTV and Johnny Carson and had one big hit before breaking up and he went on to a career as a record producer and A&R rep and finally an author of political fiction and commentary. I have three younger sisters who are into musical theater. I am 30 years old and have spent at least 15 of those years pursuing a career in music (that's a lie...I spent a few early years definitely entertaining the thought of becoming a professional magician) and studying the masters and learning my craft as a writer. I was born in Sacramento, CA on September 6, 1987. We moved to Nashville, TN when I was seven and then back to Sacramento in time for me to start high school. I began playing out as a singer/songwriter in high school and recorded my first album on and off throughout which was eventually released during my first year of college. I spent my first year of college at UC Santa Cruz and then moved to San Francisco for two years just to see what it would be like. I now live in Los Angeles playing with my band, doing session and production work, and recording my third album

PHILOSOPHY

The right heart behind the wrong actions is far better than the alternative.

The best and worst of all humankind exists inside each and everyone of us.

There does exist an absolute truth but complete humility before God requires admitting that far be it from you to claim to possess it.

We will learn so much more from life if we can listen to wisdom spoken by even those who may not be strong enough yet to follow it themselves.

Progress will be made when we stop compartmentalizing our battles into rights for individual races, genders, orientations, etc and fight unified for the singular goal of human dignity.

Peace is believing the best in the intentions of others.

Live life with an open mind and a firm foundation.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

The first time I used Couch Surfing set quite a bar to measure all future couch surfing experiences by. My girlfriend at the time and I took a trip to New York last spring with tickets bought on a whim after hearing about an extra great airfare deal. We took an all day flight, arrived in Long Island around midnight, and then took the two hour train ride into Brooklyn. Needless to say we were hardly awake enough to follow the directions from the subway station to our CouchSurfing host's home where we were to be staying. When we finally reached our destination, our host, a twenty-something year old guy named Josh greeted us at the door a lot more graciously than I may have been to two strangers showing up at my house at 3am. We walked into what looked like a cross between Versailles and the castle in Beauty and the Beast. The owner of the house was an art collector and had covered the walls with paintings from all eras. Chandeliers hung from the ceilings and ornate statues could be found in every corner. A beautiful grand piano held residence in the room we were to stay in. It felt like staying in palace. It made the trip so much better having a friendly place to sleep at night avoiding the coldness of a hotel or hostel (or bus shelter for that matter!).

Couch Surfing has also been a huge help while on tour which is what I've primarily use it for. It's been amazing meeting so many great people who have graciously allowed us into their homes. Touring would not be possible without Couch Surfing.

Interests

MUSIC, Books, Movies, Philosophy, Debate, Theology, Politics

• arts
• writing
• books
• theater
• performing arts
• beauty
• politics
• movies
• music
• piano
• surfing
• soccer
• divinity
• psychology

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, U2, Tom Waits, The Velvet Underground, David Bowie, Chuck Berry, Ben Folds, Rufus Wainwright, Eisley, Jenny Lewis, Jon Brion, Sara Watkins, Big Star, The Rascals, Big Star, Michael Jackson, Hanson, Electric Light Orchestra, George Gershwin

Movies: Harold and Maude, Life of Brian, There Will Be Blood, Hugo, Birdman, Amelie, La La Land, Little Miss Sunshine, Fargo, The Godfather, American Beauty, Almost Famous, Once, What About Bob, The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, Best In Show, Inglourious Basterds, Let The Right One In, Coffee and Cigarettes, No Country For Old Men, That Thing You Do, This Is Spinal Tap, The Point, What Lies Beneath, Sing Street, Mulholland Drive

Books: Through the Looking Glass by Louis Carrol, Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse, Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Sophie's World by Jostein Gaardner, The Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, The Bible, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I was born...that's pretty amazing! Haha... I've gotten to perform music in three different continents and all over this country. All sorts of stuff. Life is pretty amazing!

Teach, Learn, Share

Songwriting, philosophy, etc

Countries I’ve Visited

Ecuador, Haiti, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States