I mentioned in a previous blog that in my earlier years, I was lucky enough to tour the country with a professional rock band. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that chapter deserves its own spotlight. It shaped me creatively, professionally, and personally far more than I understood at the time.

I have been completely obsessed with music for as long as I can remember, especially the guitar. Some kids grow up on cartoons, but I grew up on MTV. The music videos of the mid and late eighties were my Saturday morning programming, and something about the combination of sound and imagery hit me in a way I could not shake. Early photos of me show miniature guitars, rock star outfits, and the kind of very serious expression a five-year-old wears when they believe their destiny involves stadium lights. Scooby Doo, the original version, of course, was the only exception. Otherwise, music was everything.

One of my earliest pretend band moments took place in a friend’s bedroom in sixth grade. We had drumsticks, pots and pans, and one guitar between us. We acted like we were a band. We were absolutely not a band.

By middle school and high school, I found my people. These were musicians and music obsessives who could talk for hours about the members of eighties hair metal bands or which college rock group had a new release, or why one song was better than another. Concerts were sacred. Weekend trips to record stores were essential. I spent entire nights online learning about bands, their friends, and their labels like a detective solving a case. My passion did not fade. It grew. I joined bands and played every show anyone would let us play.

In college, I leaned even further into the music world by interning at Saddle Creek Records in Omaha, which was a dream for someone who already knew most of their catalog. I eventually returned to work there again for a short period after the internship ended.

Then, during my final semester, came the invitation every music-obsessed kid fantasizes about. A new band in the area, called Blackpool Lights asked if I wanted to go on tour as their Tour Manager. I had never done anything like it, but it had the word tour in it, so I said yes without hesitation. After graduation, I continued to tour with them. We even started a record label together. And after a few changes within the group, something unexpected happened. I was no longer only managing the tour. I became a member of the band.

Suddenly, I was the lead guitarist in a touring rock band. My childhood dream was real. It was everything I imagined and also everything I would never wish on my worst enemy. Long drives, longer nights, incredible highs, humbling lows. There is nothing else quite like it. Somewhere between soundchecks, empty diners, and sold-out shows, I learned a lot about who I was.

Eventually, the band reached its natural end, and I found myself with a new college degree, a collection of stories, and no real plan. But I also had something most people never get. I had actually done the thing I dreamed about when I was small enough to hold a toy guitar.

So I looked back on everything I had learned. I kept playing music for fun rather than survival. And when the time was right, I stepped into my first real job, ready to use my love for communication, storytelling, and creative work.

Through every twist, tour, and reinvention, I can say one thing with complete honesty and no regret…

I did it.

I was recently a guest on the Kansas City-based Badass Records Podcast. It’s a bit of a long listen, but we dug deeper into my music obsession and the albums that shaped my musical journey as well as who I am today.

My current original music project is a band called Sisters Of…. It’s weird. It’s heavy. It’s instrumental. It’s not for everybody. But maybe it’s for you?

I also currently play in an 80s cover/tribute band Blue Oyster Culture Club. It’s fun and we’ve been lucky enough to do it for a very long time in front of a lot of people. Here is a little taste of what we do.