Mr. Forefinger

Mr. Forefinger was derived from the 1998 experimental play that I wrote, called "Mr. Forefinger", which was a 10-minute experimental play that used my own music, which was performed only once.

My one-man band started out from my inspirations from going into the secret and semi-secret venues of the Chicago's DIY music scene, which began almost after the 9-11 attacks, so about late 2001. My first-hand experiences there, which included being moshed in unorganized mosh pits and seeing a large coterie of counterculturalists who love the DIY music scene. Seeing the countless numbers of bands that I liked in the scene made me appreciate progressive rock, ska, ambient, flower punk, progressive punk, funk, nu-jazz, nu-soul, and experimental jazz and experimental noise, and moreover, I had racked up 300 compositions of my own without being in a band....so in 2010, I had decided that I wanted to have a one-man band of my own.

The biggest inspiration for Mr. Forefinger, additionally, came from Chicago performer, Paul Velat (aka Lord of the Yum-Yum), an experimental performance artist and one-man band who used simple electronics and high amounts of minimalism.

What sets me apart from other bands is my interdisciplinary skills as an artist. Being from a strong dance background, which included me doing a lot of ballroom and salsa dancing in my college years, I started to incorporate both performance art and traditional dance moves---part of them being inspired by past artists who had unusual stage presences---like Jackie Wilson.

Right now, I am in the process of making Mr. Forefinger into a full band, for my next gig on May 13, at Mortville Chicago. John Heinze on drums and Emily Rose Giddings on background vocals had said "yes" to my offer, and more musicians TBA.