I’ve been doing this a long time. My dad showed me a few chords on this Takamine acoustic when I was 15 and I got a Fender Squire Stratocaster for my 16th birthday. Even though the first song I learned was “Long Black Veil” by Lefty Frizell, I wanted to do what every 16 year old wanted to do: I WANTED TO ROCK!
So, I worked and saved money, and with some help from Mom and Dad, I got a Marshall half-stack. If I wasn’t at school, playing ball, or working, I was in my room playing guitar. I’ve never been a great guitar player, but what I lack in ability, I make up for with passion.
When I was 17, me and some buddies started our first garage band and went through several names and lineup changes. That band became Unchecked Aggression: the first band that actually made a real record. Other incarnations had made demos going back to high school, but I was 21 when our first record came out (technically, our only record). We beat around the DFW area for a few years and built a pretty loyal following, but we weren’t managed and made almost no money, so we went to LA. That didn’t work out, so I came home to Fort Worth.
At 23, I got my old job back, and got a second job working the door at a bar in the Fort Worth stockyards. Rebecca and I got married, and I bartended a few more years until 2007 when I started playing music full time.
We stayed on the road constantly for the next decade, going from six-figures in debt to actually making a living. I didn’t get on my first tour bus until I was 36, but look at us now!
The highs and the lows: I’ve learned from them all. I do my best to share my story through song and show. There have been more than a couple of times I thought about hanging it up, but I just can’t. I didn’t choose music, music chose me, and it’s what I’m here to do.
My path has been unique to say the least: I’ve never really fit in with the music business or agreed with how things are done. I came from a DIY punk mindset of doing things the way I want to do them. When I was starting out I was in a metal band and we learned how to book ourselves, put on shows, and record in a studio. Later on I learned how to manage a band and route shows, which turned into booking our own tours. Our long time bass player, Josh Thompson, and I did that for the first six years we played together. We had to learn to do everything and we never stopped. We have also had great help from amazing people on the way to where we are now.
So, where do we go now? Up! We’re excited for the next chapter with the fans. We’re still excited we have the privilege to put our music out to the best fans in the world.
I hail from Dayton, Oh and have been playing drums since I was ten. Watching 80’s bands as a kid on MTV (all those drummers with gigantic monster kits!) really caught my imagination, to say the least. As soon as I could, I began studying music and practicing, getting my first paying gig at 16. I went on to study jazz at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and spent ten years on the rock and jazz scenes in Dayton and Cincinnati. Wanting a change of pace (and warmer weather), I decided to head down to Austin, TX. In 2008, soon after graduating UT with a Masters in Jazz Studies, I finally hit the road for real, with the rock band Heartless Bastards. After a “highly educational” 8 years with them, I’d say I got a vans-eye-view of the country at least 3 or 4 times over! While on a hiatus from the Bastards in 2016, Cody came calling to record “I’m Not the Devil”. Shortly thereafter, I joined his band full-time, and have been a Tone Deaf Hippie ever since. I must say, I’m pretty lucky to have a gig where I can draw on all my musical experiences and contribute to a project that has grown so much. It’s been a great ride so far- one I’ll never take for granted. I can’t wait to see what comes next…
I’ve been playing music all of my life. My grandma played the piano and I would stand on the bench and “play” while she was playing. At the age of 13, I was introduced to the pedal steel guitar and I’ve never put it down. I’ve been touring as a professional for the last 12 years. A lot of credit is due to Cowboy Eddie Long and Robby Turner. Both convinced me to quit my day job at the time and go work on the road with Cody. August 10, 2016 I got the offer to work with Cody and it’s been the most memorable time of my life. The chemistry on stage, and off the stage between all of us is amazing. Everybody gets along and we make some damn awesome music. What more could you really ask for?
I grew up in the Great Plains of West Texas. Plainview, Tx to be exact. I grew up playing the tuba in the Jr. High and High School bands under the direction of the great Barry Hurt. It was here, not knowing at the time, the foundation to the rest of my musical career was set. After high school I moved to the Oklahoma City area to attend college. Around 2001 I decided to learn the bass guitar. With the background I already had it was a natural fit. I first met Cody in 2005. After moving to Fort Worth in November of 2006, Cody and I reconnected a bit more and in August of 2007 he asked me to play bass with him full time. Through the years Cody has entrusted me with booking, tour managing, band leader, and probably most important to me, the production of all his work since Adobe Sessions. It may seem crazy but after all these years, I feel our best is still yet to come.
I guess it really started on January 6, 1981 when my Papa and Nanna gifted me a black Les Paul copy and a Peavey amplifier for my 13th birthday. After a few years of learning I realized that it was possible to get paid and possibly make a living playing music so I started a band with friends playing original material in the Dallas Deep Ellum scene in the late 80's. Somehow we snagged a deal with Polygram records pretty quickly. The deal eventually fell through but I was hooked on becoming a pro. Lead guitar was my niche, so I focused mostly on working the road as a "hired gun" with different bands, singers and songwriters for the next two and a half decades. Lots of miles. Lots of dues paid. Got the call from Cody sometime in 2014. I had heard about him and knew he was coming up, so I tuned my guitar down a half step and headed out in Dirty Dolly. What a ride. I wasn't sure where it would lead at first but I knew he was the real deal. It's the longest I've ever stayed with an artist and I've never had as much gratitude and joy sharing the stage with Jinks and crew.
I received my first guitar on my 12th birthday, and have played almost every day since. I grew up in Western Massachusetts, so my musical surroundings were influenced by jazz and funk coming up from NYC, and rock and metal coming out of the Boston area. With this wide range of influences, I played my first jazz gig at 13, and had a rock band by 14. By the time I graduated college in 2012, I had toured the East Coast and made the move to Nashville, TN. I still remained in the rock scene, as there were plenty of garage rock bands coming out of Music City at the time (The Black Keys, Cage the Elephant, etc.). My previous band, Ferris and the Wheels, caught the attention of Cody’s producer, and I was invited to do a session for Cody’s side project, Caned By Nod; so in the Spring of 2021, I flew to Texas and started my career with Jinks. And it’s been incredible ever since.
