The Life of Sid

My music story starts before I was even born, with my dad working in Radio and booking Willie Nelson in South Texas for a short time. After I arrived, we stayed in Corpus Christi for about six months, then relocated to San Antonio, then Gallup, New Mexico (for some unknown reason) and lived among the Navajo Reservation. As a child, I was a self proclaimed cowboy with a heavy nicotine addiction. I was abused by a neighbor and was actively drinking whiskey and beer at eight years old. My family became more dysfunctional with violence and alcohol. We moved many times to different towns and houses until I was on my own at sixteen. I stayed with different friends but High School proved difficult to continue. Jobs were scarce for a misfit such as myself, but trouble was always readily available. I eventually reconnected with a challenging family member to allow myself to further pursue my education, which somehow led a tangent to music.

I have always been drawn to creativity with art, music, and writing for as long as I can remember. Throughout my childhood, I played an antique, upright piano my mom had collected as a furniture piece. We moved it from town to town, house to house for years. Nobody really played it but me. Later, I traveled with a basic Yamaha keyboard and a small Peavey guitar amp during my transient teen years. I taught myself guitar when I was twenty-three while going to art school in Tempe, Arizona. Eventually, I picked up drums, bass, and taught myself how to record. I almost always play all the instruments on my recordings.
I moved to Austin in 1993 to fully commit to learning songwriting and performing. Financially challenged, I went back to Santa Fe and spontaneously started a band with friends. We performed at Michael Martin Murphey’s -Westfest in 1995. I eventually moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1996 to learn even more about the music business and moved back to Austin in 2005.

Back in Austin, Texas, I was working landscape labor outdoors and raising a family. I was struggling with alcoholism, pain, depression, and the difficulty of life. I was headed for my demise. I quit writing and playing music altogether for over ten years.
But I eventually was awakened by the gruesomeness of a friend’s death and decided to reclaim my life rather than inflict that trauma upon my family. I decided to begin to end my addictions. Music was my inspiration and higher power. I began recording and releasing my music to create some kind of legacy in case I wouldn’t survive.

Currently, I’m playing drums, guitar, and bass in local bands and getting myself out there as a working musician.

I have always believed in my abilities, my talent, and my drive. Even when others have not. Persistence is my biggest advantage. And my version of success is surprisingly minimal.