I have been playing music professionally since 1998. But I officially started playing the piano when I was two years old on Christmas morning when I received my first toy Grand piano!
I played my first live paying gig in 1998 with a band called MAGPU in Dallas, Texas. We went on to play 108 concerts in 4 states.
One of the highlights was being part of the first ever and only Tulsa Jamfest in Tulsa, Oklahoma back in 2001.
This one-off festival featured other smaller local bands but also El Buho, trumpeter for Miles Davis, and Mike Gordon, bass player from PHISH. It was so much fun and to watch El Buho and Mike set the place on fire with super funk and psychedelic wonderfulness was priceless.
Here is the list of all of the bands I played keyboards with over the years:
Blind Vision 1987
Touch 1990
ICK 1992
Fate Rains 1993-1995
Third Eye 1993
Magpu 1998-2003
Third Ear 1999-2009
Escher’s Elevator 2004-present
The Rebel Alliance 2004 (percussion)
Pecan Tree 2007-2009
Dos Monkeys 2007-2009
The Upsides 2009
Incelta 2017
Mike Fuzzbot 2018
Sushi Greenberg (a tribute to PHISH) 2019-2023
Kendall Brown and the Earthtones 2025-present
The Dead Thing (a tribute to The Grateful Dead) 2006-2008
Close to the YES (a tribute to YES) 2023-2026
Lions Share 2024-2025
Touch of Trey 2025
All Blues All-Star Band 2025
Laiken Williams (vocalist) Visit Savannah – The Texas State Fair 2025 ( I learned 44 songs in 6 days and performed 6 sets of music over two days with an amazingly gifted singer)
Dead Side of the PHISHÂ (a tribute to The Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd and PHISH) 2026-present
So, as a result of being in so many bands, I have had the opportunity to perform hundreds of times in front of people. We’ve played private parties, birthdays, The Texas State Fair, holiday shows, camping festivals
The Close to the YES band was hands down some of the nicest and best musicians I have ever played with, the most demanding time-wise, the most challenging musically and the lowest paid band I have ever played with….period.
And after 6, about to have been 7 personnel changes over a 2 year period, I had to bow out, gracefully. Life is too short to have to restart over, and over, and yet over again.
But I learned so much about composition, technical playing that I was able to achieve and I was able to perform some of the most complex progressive rock music that was ever written by a legendary band that I had been a fan of my entire life.
I would have never thought that I would have ever had the opportunity to meet people that loved the music as much, maybe even more than me, let alone that could actually play it. It took 37 years for that to manifest. And what’s funny, is that I was ready for it! That’s why I got picked.
I listen back at the studio rehearsal recordings and watch the live performances, which are only about 4 performances, and I am very proud of what we were able to do as a band and musicians. We definitely nailed some of the music and got close, hence the name.
I am only playing in two bands currently: Dead Side of the PHISH and Kendall Brown and the Earthtones. To be able to play the music of The Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd and PHISH in a single show has been a joy.
I love all of the bands. Kendall Brown and The Earthtones is a 1970’s singer songwriter vibe and feel with lots of room for improvisation and fun seasonal covers plus he has a wonderful sense of humor embedded within the music and performances.
And what’s the most amazing thing is that I get to play music with the guitarist and drummer from my original band MAGPU from 1998 in the Dead Side of the PHISH band and I get to play music with the vibraphonist and drummer from the MAGPU band as well in Kendall’s band! So technically, we have reunited together in two bands collectively, but missing our original GIANT bass player, Kyle Grundmann, who resides in Austin with his family.
