I grew up in Colchester CT, a town whose motto is "Where tradition meets tomorrow." I played snare drum in the high school marching band, which was fun, but did not attract any girls (even when I played my tender snare drum arrangement of "You've Got a Friend"). I switched to guitar and wrote a series of sweet and sad songs about being a teenager and having a vague feeling of overwhelming sadness and sweetness. This worked only marginally better. I studied music in college, and sang with an a cappella group called the Spizzwinks, and another one called the Whiffenpoofs . I spent a lot of time on stage in white tie and tails, showing my "jazz hands" only when absolutely necessary. The obvious outcome of all this is that I am now a musician/software designer who lives in Brooklyn and works in Manhattan. I am the musical director for Little Gray Books hosted by college friend and newly christened power punk John Hodgman, and I wrote a theme song for a show on MTV.