The name "Element-O.P." was actually born while singing the "Alphabet Song" with my daughter. Instead of singing "L-M-N-O-P", I sang "element-o-p". I thought it sounded cool, so I decided that if I ever formed a band, that's what I'd name it.

Fast forward about two or three years, and I found myself playing bass and electric guitar at my church. Getting out around other musicians inspired me to start working on my own music, and Element-O.P. was born (again?).

Element-O.P., as such, hasn't played live yet, but I have played "In Your Image," "Jesus' Feet" and "All Good" at my church, Muldoon Community Assembly (Edge).

Without the Internet, Element-O.P. would probably remain just a dream. Anchorage, Alaska is not exactly known as a musical focal point, like L.A. or Seattle. However, with a web presence (http://www.element-o-p.com) and sites like soundclick.com to help get the word out, it becomes possible for dreamers like me to connect to an audience that I would not have been able to reach fifteen or twenty years ago.

That depends upon the contract.

Element-O.P. is too new to have much history

My two favorite bands right now are Juggernautz and Mortal. Ok, that's cheating...both are basically Jyro Xhan's work, but what can I say? He's a talented guy, and has greatly influenced my music.

I really like Nine Inch Nails, Stabbing Westward and Filter. Even though a lot of Trent Reznor's lyrics are a bit much for me, NIN is probably my biggest influence--it is, in part, because many of his lyrics are diametrically opposed to what I believe that I am inspired to create my own music.

One of my less obvious influences is David Gilmour. I've always liked Pink Floyd--"Dark Side of the Moon" is still my all-time favorite CD. David Gilmour heavily influenced my lead style. On songs where I play leads, it's guys like David Gilmour and Eric Clapton that I try to emulate.

Geddy Lee from Rush and Chris Squire from Yes are probably the two biggest influences on my bass playing...not that I will ever be anywhere near as good a bassist as either of them. But their precision and musicianship inspire me to become a better musician as well.

Anchorage, Alaska is my home, with good reason. It's beautiful here -- at least when it isn't raining :) -- and I like the dichotomy between city living and being able to drive 5 minutes and be all alone in the wilderness.

I'm a big fan of Fender guitars. I use two Strats -- one that I've modified with a Seymour-Duncan Hotrails pickup, the other is still a work in progress. My bass is a Squier MB-4, but for a Squier, it's actually a pretty decent little guitar. I use a Korg Electribe-A MK. II analog modeling synth/sequencer and a Roland JV-880 synth module for my electronics, and I have an Alesis SR-16 drum machine for the drum tracks.

I've got two amps that I use: a small Gallien-Krueger bass amp and a vintage Carvin X100B tube half stack for the Strats.

I'm a gadget freak, so I've got a lot of different effects processors. Currently, I'm using either a Boss DS-1 distortion or a Digitech Bad Monkey in front of the Carvin. A Dunlop Cry-Baby Wah is also an essential.

On the vocals, I use a Digitech VX-300 vocal processor, but I still need to spend more time learning how to use it for best effect.

Thanks again to Soundclick for giving me a place to advertise Element-O.P., and thanks as well to everyone (especially my wife!) who has encouraged and helped me out so far! Element-O.P. wouldn't exist without you!

Most of all, thanks to God for giving me the inspiration to create this music!