Left and Main

For the last few years, I’ve been battling the inner struggle of anyone with a specialized skill — when is it time to go out on my own? When does the chance for undiscovered opportunity outweigh the benefits of security and steady income? When do I choose self-reliance over a supportive team of professionals? It can be a maddening exercise, often with no resolution. I’ve been very patient watching these internal dynamics unfold, and I’m happy to say that at long last, the battle is over. In the bout of Uncle Cheese vs. self-doubt, Cheese has prevailed.

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Dear Oscar, You know I’ve always been a positive guy. I consider it one of my strengths. I can find a positive side to just about anything. When the car goes in for repair, I think about all the emissions I’ll be saving by carpooling. When the heat goes out, I try to enjoy a [...]

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Last summer, I was driving home on the Interstate late in the evening when I noticed a series of electrical flashes beyond the Camel’s Hump vista. Most of my friends know me as a closet brontophobe, and I responded in the usual way, with anxiety and adrenaline pumping through my pores. The lightning was miles away and non-threatening, of course, but the thing about a phobia is that it seeks a way to put fear into you, and it isn’t stymied when intellect denies fear. This time, it made me start wondering — what would happen if lightning hit my house? There’s nobody home. It would catch fire, and I would lose everything! My god!

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An arrangement of one of my all-time favorite pieces by one of the best guitarist/composers of our time. If there’s a way to do phrasing, harmony, and dynamics better than this, I have yet to hear it.

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A quick arrangement of one of my wife’s favorite songs.

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Written by Lennon/McCartney, arranged by the great Adam Rafferty

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I’ve been wanting to do my own guitar arrangement for a while, but I couldn’t decide on a song. Last weekend, I was in the car, and told myself whatever came on the radio next would be the song that I would arrange.

You can thank 104.7 for spinning this gem from the heart of the 80s. Enjoy!

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This piece I wrote for my adorable little niece in Sweden. I was inspired to write it after seeing a picture of her wearing a flower in her hair. The title “Bluma” is transliterated from the Swedish word “blomma”, meaning “flower.”

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A performance of Adam Rafferty’s arrangement of “I Can’t Make You Love Me”.. the most beautiful song ever written by an All-Pro defensive lineman.

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An attempt at Adam Rafferty’s arrangement of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” fingerstyle acoustic.

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