Meep and Myrna Productions

Biography

I began playing guitar at the age of 13. My earliest influences were the hard rock groups of the era (this was the late 70's); KISS, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, etc. I loved the outrageousness of it all, especially because it drove my parents into apoplexy. To put it simply, I wanted to be a rock star.

Then I heard about a guitar player who had died several years earlier and who had essentially set the stage for outrageous stage antics for years to follow. This guys was called "the black Elvis," and he played guitar with his teeth, behind his back, under his legs, and he set it on fire. I am speaking, of course, about James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix. As I began to listen to his music, my young mind was completely blown away by what I was hearing. The outrageousness was certainly there; the volume, the distortion, the feedback, the stage antics, but there was more. Much more. This guy could REALLY PLAY. The outrageous stage antics were just window dressing. Jimi brought a deep knowledge of the blues into rock and roll, and he brilliantly fused them into a mixture that was all his own. He completely changed the way I thought about the guitar and about music. Before listening to Jimi, I wanted to be a rock star. After listening to Jimi, I wanted to be a musician.

It was only a matter of time before the likes of Robert Fripp, John McLaughlin, and Frank Zappa entered my musical universe. Wow. I didn't fully understand what these guys were doing, but I liked it. I was now entering the world of fusion, jazz, progressive rock, and (gasp!) the avant-garde. And the world of Frank Zappa. I think it's safe to say that after seeing Frank Zappa's "200 Motels" as a sophomore in high school, there could be no turning back. If my parents were thrilled with my previous musical choices, they were now delighted beyond description.

As I got more proficient on the guitar, I jammed with friends as often as I could and played in a few bands through my high school years. The most notable of my high school bands was a power trio called "Barth Bile and the Electric Phlegm." You should be able to guess who was Barth Bile. The "redux" clip below from our performance at a high school talent show in Spring 1984 gives some indication of the styles of music that my 17-year-old mind was exploring:

During my high school years, I also lived a parallel life as a geek. I had a natural aptitude for math and science, and I enjoyed these subjects because they made sense to me. When it came time to think about going to college, I had to weigh my rapidly increasing passion for music against the practical approach of applying my math and science aptitude toward what was likely to be a more lucrative career path. After considering all of the electronic gadgets that went into making, recording, and playing back music, I decided that I wanted to understand how it all worked. Upon my graduation from Carlisle High School in central Pennsylvania, off I went to Penn State University to study electrical engineering.

I continued living my double life as a geek/musician during my four years as at Penn State (a trend that I have continued to this day). I kept up with my studies and I got my degree, to be sure, but I kept up with my guitar playing as time permitted. I played in a number of bands, including an avant-garde outfit called Tin Scraps. I discovered multi-track recording and bought my first 4-track cassette recorder. This was cool! I could overdub multiple guitar parts to my heart's content (at least within the limits of a 4-track machine)! I became a disc jockey at the campus radio station and had regular slots on their jazz and avant-garde programs. Access to the radio station's extensive record library allowed me to explore music from such jazz giants as Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans. I also discovered the beautiful jazz guitar work of Joe Pass. I decided that I wanted to be able to play like that, and I decided that after I completed my engineering studies and entered the workforce, I would plunge into jazz guitar in earnest. More on that later.

During my junior year, I took a course in electronic music, which gave me access to the Music department's electronic music lab. Yippee! Both my geek side and my musician side made themselves at home. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde peacefully coexisted in that little laboratory. They had multi-track tape recorders (hard disc recorders were still about a decade away), computers, samplers, and synthesizers (including an old Moog that took up most of an entire wall). After I finished the basic electronic music course, I followed it up with a semester of independent study, for which my project was a modern dance piece called "Terms," a collaboration with the Pennsylvania Dance Theatre.

Click on the links below to listen to either the full-length (11:30) version of "Terms" or the "redux" (4:30) version:
Terms, full length version (11:30)
Terms, "redux" version (4:30)

I had a lot of fun in the electronic music lab, and I got college credit for it to boot. I was more convinced than ever that music, recording, and production would be a significant part of my life, whether as a career or as a hobby.

Upon graduating from Penn State in 1988, I began my professional life as an electronics engineer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., where I remain gainfully employed to this day. While my engineering side helped pay my rent (and eventually my mortgage) and put food on the table, I pursued my goal of studying jazz guitar. I was fortunate to hook up with Paul Bollenback while he was still living, playing, and teaching in the D.C. area. Paul is a great jazz guitarist and an equally great teacher. He can absolutely tear up the fingerboard, and then explain to you, clearly and articulately, exactly what he is doing. I studied with him for about two years, and he significantly opened my eyes, ears, and mind to the possibilities of what one could do with a hunk of wood with 6 wires strung across it.

I have played in a number of bands in the D.C area, including One Color Coalition, Thin Air, On the Rocks, The Dark Aether Project, The Jazz Detour, and presently, Outta Scope and 3 Piece Suit. I always had some basic recording equipment for making demo tapes, but at some point I decided that it was time to upgrade. The technology had come a long way since that first 4-track cassette recorder I had bought in the mid-80's, and it was now possilble to build a studio in one's home for a modest budget that was capable, with the appropriate know-how, of producing professional quality recordings. I steadily upgraded my gear to include the components listed on the "Recording" page, and I have been very happy with my results. Of course, there is always more to learn, which I suppose means that I will just have to make more recordings in order to continue to refine my skills. Oh darn.

I enjoy my work at NASA (for the most part). I am presently an electrical systems engineer on the James Webb Space Telescope project. It was through my work on this project that I met keyboard player Lee Feinberg with whom I am now playing in Outta Scope. In addition to the engineer's salary that has enabled me to afford my arsenal of guitars and my recording gear, I have learned many valuable skills at NASA that are directly applicable to my musical pursuits. Because I work with computers and technology on a daily basis, I have achieved a level of comfort and confidence with them that enabled me to build and operate my studio. In fact, when I am deeply involved in editing one of my audio projects on my computer, I would be hard pressed to tell you where my engineering side ends and my musician side begins. I bring both sets of skills to the table; just as it was in Penn State's electronic music lab nearly 20 years ago, Jekyll and Hyde peacefully coexist when I am in the zone in my own little laboratory in my dungeon, I mean, basement. My inner geek gives me the comfort and confidence with the technology I am using while my inner musician gives me the judgment to make sure that after I have done all of my fiddling and twiddling, I end up with something that sounds good.

One more benefit of my NASA gig is that it is the place where I met my fabulous wife, Vickie. (She has helped me put this website together, for which I am most grateful.) We have two beautiful children named Marianne (8) and Owen (5), and they both love music.

When I hit my mid-30s, I decided that it might be a good idea to pay more attention to physical fitness, and I decided to pursue cycling at a more serious level. Vickie is a native of Nebraska, where her parents still live. In 2001, they decided to ride in the Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska (BRAN) for the first time. They had such a wonderful time that they decided to do it again in 2002. I was inspired to join them; however, I knew that I had some serious training to do if I was going to pull it off. I trained, I rode, and I had a blast. It was so much fun that I was inspired to capture the experience in a song called "The BRAN Ride Blues". Each year that I have returned to ride in BRAN, I have continued the tradition of writing and performing silly songs that capture the events of the week, most of which are parodies of popular songs (this makes it easier to come up with them quickly). 2007 will be my fifth BRAN, and I decided to commemorate it by making a CD of my collection of songs to date. Go to the Music page for more information.

A number of years ago, I came across a wall hanging with a saying that brilliantly and succinctly expresses the way I feel about music and why it remains an important part of life. It hangs on the wall of my studio, and it says:

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." - B. Auerbach