I've tried to write music since getting my first guitar back in high school. I've never been particularly good at it. For the most part, my early musical training focused so much on rhythm that harmony and melody fell by the wayside, and while I can play dotted-eighth/sixteenth-note patterns like a second language, I have nowhere near that command of chord progressions and the like.

At the same time, I played in a cover band a few years back called The Neighborhood, and while that was fun, we never played anything that I really wanted to play, particularly the rousing version of "Mexican Radio" from Wall of Voodoo that I had in mind.

So I took it upon myself to kill two birds with one acoustic guitar. I started working on some tunes and eventually got up on stage at Vaughan's Pub with a three-song set that consisted of the aforementioned "Mexican Radio," "Glory & Consequence" from Ben Harper, and Radiohead's "Karma Police." In retrospect, that might have been a bit ambitious, but over time, I've gotten better at gauging what I can actually play and/or sing, although I still cross that line with impunity. I also got bored rather quickly with playing my three or four songs and drinking the rest of the night, so I started bringing my djembe and a shaker and accompanying the house band and anyone else that would let me. The result is a pretty fun night, and eventually, solo gigs at various bars around town. It's already led to several drumming/percussion gigs as well.

I've tried to limit this list to just the songs I've either actually played so far, or would feel comfortable playing given current limitations of both my voice and my guitar ability...

SONG	ARTIST
16 MILITARY WIVES	The Decemberists
867-5309/JENNY	Tommy Tutone
ADDICTED TO LOVE	Robert Palmer
AFTER HOURS	We Are Scientists
ALISON	Elvis Costello and the Attractions
ALL OF THE GOOD ONES ARE TAKEN	Ian Hunter
ALL MY LOVE	Led Zeppelin
ALL THE WAY HOME	Spinal Tap
ALONE JEALOUS AND STONED	Secret Machines
AMERICAN LIFE	Primus
ASHES TO ASHES	David Bowie
BEAUTIFUL DAY	U2
BEHIND THE WALL OF SLEEP	The Smithereens
THE BENDS	Radiohead
BLACK SWAN	Thom Yorke
BLOW UP THE OUTSIDE WORLD	Soundgarden
THE BONES IN THE GROUND	Robyn HItchcock
BREAKFAST IN AMERICA	Supertramp
THE BREAKUP SONG	Greg Kihn Band
BRIGHT FUTURE IN SALES	Fountains of Wayne
CAN'T LET GO	Lucinda Williams
CAN'T STAND LOSING YOU	The Police
THE CARPET CRAWLERS	Genesis
CAST NO SHADOW	Oasis
CENTERFOLD	J. Geils Band
CHANGE	John Waite
CHANGES	Sugar
CHELSEA DAGGER	The Fratellis
CHERUB ROCK	Smashing Pumpkins
CHICK LIT	We Are Scientists
COME DANCING	The Kinks
COMMON PEOPLE	Pulp
DAKOTA	Stereophonics
DANCE HALL DAYS	Wang Chung
THE DAY I TRIED TO LIVE	Soundgarden
DEAD MAN WALKING	David Bowie
DESPERATE BUT NOT SERIOUS	Adam Ant
DIAMONDS ON THE INSIDE	Ben Harper
DREAM POLICE	Cheap Trick
DON'T CHANGE	INXS
DOWN UNDER	Men At Work
ELECTRIC FEEL	MGMT
EUROPA AND THE PIRATE TWINS	Thomas Dolby
EVERLONG	Foo Fighters
EXCUSE ME MISTER	Ben Harper
FIND YOUR WAY BACK	Jefferson Starship
FLAGPOLE SITTA	Harvey Danger
FOLLOW YOU FOLLOW ME	Genesis
GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS	Peter Gabriel
GENERALS AND MAJORS	XTC
GOLD GIRLS GUNS	Metric
GOOD GIRLS DON'T	The Knack
HATE TO SAY I TOLD YOU SO	The Hives
HEY YA!	OutKast
HOLE IN MY LIFE	The Police
HOOVER DAM	Sugar
HOURGLASS	Squeeze
HOW SOON IS NOW?	The Smiths
HUNGRY HEART	Bruce Springsteen
I DON'T CARE ANYMORE	Phil Collins
I DON'T LIKE MONDAYS	Boomtown Rats
I HAVE THE TOUCH	Peter Gabriel
I RAN	A Flock of Seagulls
I TALK TO THE WIND	King Crimson
IF I CAN'T CHANGE YOUR MIND	Sugar
I'LL STICK AROUND	Foo Fighters
IN YOUR EYES	Peter Gabriel
INVISIBLE SUN	The Police
IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM?	Joe Jackson
JEAN THE BIRDMAN	David Sylvian & Robert Fripp
JOE'S GARAGE	Frank Zappa
KARMA POLICE	Radiohead
KEEP THE CAR RUNNING	Arcade Fire
KIDS IN AMERICA	Kim Wilde
LAWYERS GUNS AND MONEY	Warren Zevon
LEADERS OF THE FREE WORLD	Elbow
LIGHTNING BLUE EYES	Secret Machines
LITTLE SISTER	Queens of the Stone Age
LIVE FOREVER	Oasis
LOOKING AT THE WORLD FROM THE BOTTOM OF A WELL	Mike Doughty
LOST!	Coldplay
THE LOST ART OF KEEPING A SECRET	Queens of the Stone Age
LOST CAUSE	Beck
LOVE STINKS	J. Geils Band
LOW	Cracker
LUCKY MAN	Emerson Lake & Palmer
MAJOR TOM (COMING HOME)	Peter Schilling
MAKING PLANS FOR NIGEL	XTC
MELT WITH YOU	Modern English
MEXICAN RADIO	Wall of Voodoo
THE MIGHTY QUINN	Manfred Mann
MONEY FOR NOTHING	Dire Straits
MY KINDA LOVER	Billy Squier
NEW KILLER STAR	David Bowie
NO EXCUSES	Alice In Chains
NO ONE KNOWS	Queens of the Stone Age
NOBODY MOVES, NOBODY GETS HURT	We Are Scientists
NOBODY'S FAULT BUT MY OWN	Beck
NOT ONE OF US	Peter Gabriel
NOTHING IS WRONG	Gomez
NOTICE	Gomez
THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST	Iron Maiden
THE ONE THING	INXS
ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER	The Fixx
OPEN UP	Dispatch
PEACE, LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING	Elvis Costello
PERCUSSION GUN	White Rabbits
PHOTOGRAPH	Def Leppard
PSYCHO KILLER	Talking Heads
PUT YOUR LIGHTS ON	Santana with Everlast
RADIO RADIO	Elvis Costello and the Attractions
RADIOACTIVE	The Firm
REBEL YELL	Billy Idol
THE REVOLUTION STARTS NOW	Steve Earle
RITA	Los Lobos
RUN TO THE HILLS	Iron Maiden
THE SAFETY DANCE	Men Without Hats
SAY GOODBYE	Chris Whitley
SCARY MONSTERS (AND SUPER CREEPS)	David Bowie
SEWN	The Feeling
SHOCK THE MONKEY	Peter Gabriel
SIMPLY IRRESISTABLE	Robert Palmer
SO LONELY	The Police
SOLSBURY HILL	Peter Gabriel
SOMEONE TO TALK TO	The Police
SOMETHING ABOUT YOU	Level 42
SPITTING GAMES	Snow Patrol
STARLIGHT	Muse
STARMAN	David Bowie
STEPPIN' OUT	Joe Jackson
STUPID GIRL	Garbage
SUNGLASSES AT NIGHT	Corey Hart
SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE	Muse
TALK TONIGHT	Oasis
TAKE ON ME	A-Ha
TEAR OFF YOUR OWN HEAD (IT'S A DOLL REVOLUTION)	Elvis Costello
THEOLOGIANS	Wilco
THERE THERE	Radiohead
THIS IS A CALL	Foo Fighters
THREE OF A PERFECT PAIR	King Crimson
TIME	Pink Floyd
TIME FLIES	Porcupine Tree
TIME IS RUNNING OUT	Muse
TIMES LIKE THESE	Foo Fighters
TIRED OF YOU	Foo Fighters
TONIGHT IT'S YOU	Cheap Trick
TOO MUCH TIME ON MY HANDS	Styx
TROPICALIA	Beck
TURNING JAPANESE	The Vapors
UNDER THE MILKY WAY	The Church
THE UNDERDOG	Spoon
VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR	The Buggles
WATCHING THE DETECTIVES	Elvis Costello
WEREWOLVES OF LONDON	Warren Zevon
WHICH WAY TO AMERICA?	Living Colour
WHO CAN IT BE NOW?	Men At Work
WINNING	Santana
WONDERWALL	Oasis
WORKING MAN	Rush
WOULD?	Alice In Chains
YOU'RE ALL I HAVE	Snow Patrol
YOU'RE A MEAN ONE, MR. GRINCH	Traditional
YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING	Judas Priest