Portrait of Mr Spiral as a young man, December 1990
I started out as many electronic musicians did in the 1970s: alone in a basement, composing music to release on cassette or vinyl (or someday, wonder of wonders, a real CD!) and win the adulation of millions of fans. Over years of struggle and failure, I became painfully aware that lack of success wasn’t my only problem… I realized that even if I was successful and did get those millions of fans, I was still going to be alone in a basement. And that, frankly, sucked.
It took me decades to really find my bliss in this realm… collaborating and creating with other people rather than alone, and playing live for real audiences rather than merely releasing recordings and hoping someone would find and enjoy them. Over the years since transitioning from studio maven to live performer, my creative output has exploded and I have people following my exploits worldwide.
I perform at venues ranging from coffee houses and seedy bars to amphitheatres to planetaria; perform music live online over Internet radio and in the virtual world of Second Life (where my alter ego is an avatar named Spiral Sands); and assemble groups of musicians for album projects, music festivals, one-off concert events, house concerts, and virtual happenings online. It thrills me to know that there are dozens of famous and well-respected electronic musicians out there who have worked with me in the past and look forward to working with me in the future, lending their talents to my dreams.
Click on the links below to investigate the many chapters of the story so far:
The Man In The Locked Room: 1980-1990
Team Metlay: 1990-1999
Different Skies: 2003-2012
mindSpiral: 2005 to the present
After Silence: 2002 to the present
Mr Spiral 