
As a musician, being able to say, “Oh yeah, I played music in Japan!” sounds pretty cool. Truth be told, I was part of a Japanese band that did pretty well (boy, I miss that band.) But aside from that, my life in Japan had hardly any musical focus. Despite the high demand for foreign (American) talent when I was there, it generally did not involve music. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.



Some odd jobs remain in my head more than others. Such as the time I had to model with a young Russian woman for a sports catalog. She was incredible! Every 2 seconds, she’d strike a pose that looked absolutely amazing. It did not matter when that shutter snapped, it would capture an experience with her. But me… I could not make a pose to save my life. I’d stand there thinking and planning how I should move my body and my face. And when I tried to strike a pose, it was in the most contorted and uncomfortable manner. The camera caught every moment of awkwardness. I was way out of my element. The photographer had to repeatedly tell me to lower my head. Apparently I kept looking up. As far as I know, that catalog was never published.
The whole Japan experience was crazy. People would stop me on the street to ask for my autograph, or to take a picture together. I was treated like a celebrity, yet I was often reminded that I was just a foreigner. That social dichotomy was just one example of many that exemplified Japanese culture.

Aside from dueling, I am also the website developer for Felix and Fingers.
I hope I can bring some dueling piano fun to your event!
