Woden Thoth
I am an avant garde musicmaker, composer etc. I never compose anything based on a perception of what's hot or anything like that, but follow the creative impulses of spirit, soul and body whether composing a composed piece of freejamming to see what comes out. Some of the things, well, a lot of the things, I do are unclassifiable to me. I do tend toward the kinds of sounds used in heavy metal (Black Sabbath was one of my earliest influences and favorite bands), progressive and punk rock, and my technique inclines toward blues. This is generally true whether I'm playing the electric mandolin, which is my primary instrument nowadays, bass guitar, my first instrument and primary for most of my musical career, or guitar. Most of my compositions are lyricless because I possess no words or language to express what I put into sound.
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
Bands in the past have been Pluokinesis, Der Zerklang, Roasted Cat, Electric Tiger, Frappe Dreamgate and presently Papunya Tula and I've played with numerous people and collaborated with others such Jimi Pocius, Holley Hall, Ed E. Metel, Ludent Tremmel and Mike Bloomer. For the last few years, and most of my melodic life, I have been limited to solo efforts, most of which remains unreleased.
Have you performed live in front of an audience? Any special memories?
Sometimes I perform if I am involved in a band, which is always a great pleasure for me.
Your musical influences
My influences span the realm of everything from Gong to Beethoven to Frank Zappa to Cabaret Voltaire to Amon Duul to Ravikiran to Jimi Hendrix to Einstuerzende Neubauten to Black Sabbath to the Residents...
What equipment do you use?
Epiphoine Mandobird VIII, CP Thornton Bass, Hofner Guitar/Bass, Gittler Guitar, Epiphone Soldibody Guitar, Rogue Bass, Crumar Synthesizers; all kinds of Digitech, Electro-Harmonix, Boss, DOD and other effects devices; Tascam, Yamaha and Boss recorders; Audacity and Cakewalk Pyro software
Anything else?
All of the artwork on my page here is taken from my paintings in acrylic and watercolor or my photographic endeavors. I do like paint sometimes and I have long said that my music is the aural translation of my painting and my painting the visual translation of my music.
