My love for music started in the early 80s with albums from artists such as Queen, Devo, J. Geils Band and Olivia Newton-John. However, it was (re)discovering KISS in 1985 that started my ridiculous obsession with anything and everything music-related. A few years later, my friend Joe gave me a grocery bag full of bootleg KISS videotapes. I couldn't believe my eyes while watching this footage and wondered how much of this stuff was out there. Thus began my fascination for live video and audio recordings, a habit which has lasted over twenty years. During my high school and college years, I spent time on the retail side of the music business and dabbled in security work for venues and festivals. None of that was fulfilling enough for me, as I always wanted to get more directly involved with bands. KISS's image and dedication to a spectacular stage show had a huge impact on me. I developed a fondness for bands who give you something to look at in addition to their music. From Alice Cooper and Wednesday 13, to Slipknot and Marilyn Manson, to Toilet Boys and Lady Gaga, artists who stimulate my ears AND my eyes are extremely important to me. Other artists I greatly enjoy include Guns N' Roses, Pearl Jam, Backyard Babies, The Wildhearts, Life of Agony, Anthrax, Metallica, Prince, Motley Crue, Clutch, Ratt, Social Distortion, and W.AS.P. I'm also a sucker for just about any band related to the heyday of the Sunset Strip and I have a strange obsession with the Swedish hard rock and metal scenes. Since KISS seems to be the catalyst for many cool things in my life, it's only fitting that they eventually brought me to BackstageAxxess. In late 2006, I met Gus after a meet & greet with Paul Stanley during his "Live To Win" tour. Upon learning that I liked to spend countless hours of my life fiddling with video footage, Gus asked me to give him a hand with Glam-Metal.com. When he decided to branch out on his own, I was glad to join in and help make the new website a success. When I'm not spending hours staring at a computer screen, I enjoy spending time with my wife and our pug, going to concerts, and watching hockey (go Red Wings). Working with everyone at BackstageAxxess has been a great time, as well as being a learning experience. I've had the opportunity to do some very cool things over the past couple of years with the site, but I truly think our best work is yet to come. First concert: Mötley Crüe / Whitesnake - Cincinnati, OH 1987 Top 5: 1. Slipknot / Vision of Disorder - The Pearl, Las Vegas, NV 2009 2. Backyard Babies / Chelsea Smiles / Crash Kelly - Peabody's, Cleveland, OH 2005 3. The Wildhearts - The Agora, Cleveland, OH 2004 4. Murderdolls / Taking Dawn / Vampires Everywhere - Key Club, Los Angeles, CA 2010 5. Guns N' Roses / Metallica / Faith No More - Hoosierdome, Indianapolis, IN 1992 I can't just do 5....so here's the rest of the Top 10: 6. KISS / Ted Nugent / Skid Row - Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH 2000 7. Life of Agony / Shinedown - Irving Plaza, NYC 2003 (2 nights) 8. Marvelous 3 - Magnolia Street Pub, Spartanburg, SC 1999 9. Marilyn Manson / L7 - Hara Arena, Dayton, OH 1997 10. Pearl Jam / Bad Religion / The Frogs - Marcus Amphitheater, Milwaukee, WI 1995