Heart Beat of City: Music is about connnection

Instrument/s played: Bass guitar, guitar and drums

What band do you play in?: Crackerjack

What was your first experience with music?

I have been around music my entire life as my father has been playing in local bands from the time he was a teenager.

I guess my earliest memory of learning music would be dad teaching me to play a basic rock beat on the drums when I was in kindergarten. I remember the amazing feeling you get from playing even at that early age.

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What or who inspires you?

My wife, my two children and my three grandchildren inspire me every day and I am lucky to have such a beautiful close-knit family. I am inspired by many great players and also by our local music scene which features so many talented people young and old.

My parents and my brothers and band mates have always been a big inspiration to me as we are a family of musicians. If I had to name a musical hero it would be Jason Newsted.

Do you have a favourite song or style to play?

My heart will always lie with metal music. It is more a way of life than something you like or listen to.

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What do you listen to?

Recently, I have been listening to Metallica's new album 72 Seasons and it is amazing. I don't just limit myself to metal though as I would be missing out on a lot of great music.

I love a lot of the classic '80s rock music that I was raised on and have even developed a love of country music which my wife loves very much.

I like to listen to any music that connects with my heart and that has meaning to me, that is the most important thing to me about music particularly with lyrics.

Favourite gig and why?

There are many I could name but the one that stands out was my dad's 60th birthday party. It was a family affair with lots of family members performing songs that had been chosen to convey the way they felt and some of those people are no longer with us.

Also there were a lot of close friends who also played most of which was unrehearsed and we just had a great night of jamming with family and friends which I will remember for the rest of my life.

How do you feel about the music scene in Griffith?

I think Griffith has an amazing music scene which has shown a strong resurgence in recent times. The talent we have in this town is incredible and we are also lucky to have many organisations, businesses and individuals who actively and passionately promote the scene and foster local young talent.

The pub and club scene is always firing and we have so many talent quests and other events to allow young people and people who don't normally perform live to do so. I think Griffith music scene rivals any in our region.