Today I got to check another musical act off my bucket list, but this time it wasn’t just about the music. This wasn’t my typical rock or metal concert—it was my first time seeing a jazz band live. And this jazz band mattered to me more than most, because it was Alex Skolnick’s jazz band. This night carried weight, personal, emotional, and deeply needed. The morning started slow. I sat with my coffee, staring at my closet, reminding myself to shower and trying to talk my brai

Yesterday, I had to say goodbye to my beagle Viclyn—Vic for short, sometimes Land Seal, sometimes SausageMcMuppy, sometimes Vicalickin. My heart is shattered. I don’t think I’ve ever felt pain this sharp. Vic wasn’t just a dog. He was my constant, my comfort, my witness through so many losses—my mom, friends, exes, the fathers of my children, other pets. He was there for all of it, quietly loving me, keeping me steady. And now he’s gone. Vic lived to be almost 14 years old, b

Vic is almost 14. He and his littermate Buster have been side by side their whole lives. Buster has his own quirks and minor issues, but overall he’s healthy. Vic’s sudden decline came out of nowhere—one day he was fine, the next, he wasn’t. He lost use of his right back leg, and we eventually learned it was IVDD, common in beagles. For weeks, I’ve barely slept. Vic couldn’t get comfortable, and if he couldn’t rest, neither could I. I laid with him, watched every tiny movemen

Why I started this journey.

The past few weeks—honestly closer to a month—have been rough. I was laid off from work for two weeks while also dealing with health issues with my elder beagle. When you’re carrying that kind of stress and worry every day, it starts to feel like nothing is moving forward, or even feels like it’s getting better. Then came Grungefest. Grungefest is something everyone should check out. It’s a powerful combination of tribute bands honoring Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains

Unconditional love

Your dream just out of reach

The music industry today is almost unrecognizable compared to what it used to be. The world many of us grew up with, where musicians could build a career over time, sell physical albums, and create a stable life through their art doesn’t exist anymore. It’s not the 80s, where a band could get discovered, tour locally, grind their way up, and eventually become millionaires through album sales and radio play. Today, only the major label “flavor of the day,” usually whatever is

I started this blog after watching Mick Blankenship push his video premiere this past week. It bothered me how many people say they love him and his music, yet not all of them joined the premiere. It got me upset, it got me angry, and it made me feel that I need to say something.... as a fan, as a promoter, as someone who loves all music, and especially independent artists. I am writing this as a fan of real music. I am writing this as a promoter. I am writing this in support

This birthday hit me harder than any other. It hit me mentally, in a way I wasn’t expecting. It made me realize that the years are speeding by, and I only have so much time left on this beautiful planet. Birthdays used to be about celebration, cake, laughter, maybe a wild night or two, but now they feel more like a quiet reckoning. Another trip around the sun, another reminder that time doesn’t wait, and life is fleeting. The past five years have mostly been a blur of factor

This evening, I took a trip about forty minutes south to show support for someone I consider not just a friend, but family — Jon Loree, who plays drums for Smile Empty Soul. When you love music as deeply as I do, and have been involved in it for nearly twenty years — not just as a fan, but actually working within the industry — you get to know the bands on a whole different level. Some of them become more than just familiar faces on stage; they become family. Almost six years

Back Home — October 24–26, 2025 The Detroit area will always be my home. No matter where life takes me, that city and its people hold a piece of my heart. This past weekend, October 24–26, 2025, will be one I’ll never forget. I had been planning to see Lynch Mob ever since they announced their show. I wanted to see Jaron, their bassist, who has become a part of my music family, and since Damien was filling in for another band playing the next night, it felt like the perfect w

How one legend reminded me why music is my lifeline — and why I refuse to give up on where I belong. Music has a way of reaching into our...

This night was meant to be a grand adventure — the final concert of the season featuring Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, and Corrosion of...

Podcast

“My 30-year-old son just told me I’m too old to love Yungblud — that it’s creepy, that I need to stop being a cougar. I laughed, because...

This week is always heavy on my heart. Tomorrow, September 22, my mom would have turned 79. Just two days later, on the 24th, it will be...

Music didn’t start in arenas or on streaming charts—it started in garages, basements, and small clubs where nobody knew your name. The...

This isn’t my typical blog. This one is about me, about how I’m feeling today, knowing I’m not the only one going through this. I know...

On July 22, the world lost Ozzy Osbourne, the Prince of Darkness, the voice of heavy metal, and a man who redefined what it meant to live...