I was born and raised in a small town outside of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma called Midwest City. They called it that because it was in the Midwest, see? People out there apparently aren't very creative, which is why I moved to New York when I was 22. But before I did that I figured I better have something to offer, so I taught myself how to play piano. Okay, actually I taught myself how to play because I wanted to be Elton John or Billy Joel, without the high heels and drinking problems. Anyway, it turns out I was actually pretty good. I read a lot of books about how to play, and I practiced all the time so I could avoid playing sports, where I would inevitably be ridiculed and hit with the ball.
So I moved to New York and began building my résumé with small productions at night. I had always known I wanted to work in theater, not because I couldn't find work elsewhere (I joined some bands back home and I dabbled in composition) but because I genuinely loved the art form. I loved helping the actors tell a story with music, and being part of something that was larger than myself; knowing that if I did my job right and everyone else did the same, we could create something larger than the sum of our individual parts. I also liked the paycheck.
So I built up my résumé and then got booked on a professional tour. That led to another tour, and another. Then I figured I should try living on water, so I worked on a cruise ship for a couple of months. I wasn't a huge fan of it but it did enable me to visit some pretty awesome places, like The Colosseum in Rome and The Gap in Vatican City. After that, I landed my first Off-Broadway show, The Marvelous Wonderettes. I played the show for 13 months (over 400 performances!) and can be heard on the cast album, released by P.S. Classics.
Since moving to New York, I've been fortunate enough to work with professionals and amateurs of all levels. I had the honor of performing for Tony Randall's National Actors Theatre at the Plaza Hotel, along with Tony Bennett, and released a CD of original piano works entitled Midnight Story. I was also the First Prize winner of the Silent Film Scoring Competition sponsored by the University of Wyoming. In addition to full productions, I frequently play for cabarets, auditions, rehearsals, and spontaneous karaoke sessions in my living room.
If you'd like to help me write the next chapter of my life, then by all means drop me a line at macarecords@hotmail.com!