Junkyard Todd grew up in Seattle, back when Seattle was known for hippies and rain, and The Space Needle. He worked crappy kid jobs, grew his hair, bought a bass guitar and a bunch of great records. Did time on the East Side Metal Scene, but burned out on that, and moved to the University District. Cool people, great record stores, cheap Malaysian food. The “Grunge Explosion” was still years away. Traded his giant amps and pointy guitars for a Teac 144 and never looked back. Recorded his first pop experiments in someone’s basement, smelling of cheap red wine and green bud. Friends liked it. No one else heard it. Los Angeles beckoned. He wanted to skateboard in empty swimming pools and hang out with Motley Crue. He lied to his parents, said he was going to be a “rock star”. LA was huge, and filthy. All the pools were shut down. Guns and Roses ruled the Sunset Strip. Plan B: Pick up a bass and dive in. He played in a couple bands, did the Whiskey, Roxy, Viper Room, and a wasteland of nameless dives. He married this Blonde Bombshell from Cleveland. He kept on making secret recordings on the Teac. Lightning struck in ’97. Alien Fashion Show, the lounge act that started as an excuse to drink with his friends began to fill clubs. Suddenly they were making records and buying a new van. Playing for 5,000 people a night opening for the Brian Setzer Orchestra. Playing giant parties for Gene Simmons and John Travolta, doing live TV in LA and Louisville. They took that van around the country three times before it crashed and burned in a twisted wreck of Ego, Booze and Record Company Apathy. The Blonde Bombshell said it was time to split LA, and he agreed. They packed up their daughter and headed to Cleveland. Her old neighborhood looked just like his old neighborhood in Seattle. He set up a proper studio in the attic and started turning out crusty pop gems. His latest, ‘Last Perfect Summer’ was recorded with Nick Perry and Bill Stone of local rock underdogs Paranoid Lovesick. It’s a nostalgia trip, a soundtrack for skipping work on a perfect sunshine day. Come on, Let’s Go!