In 2011, I saw a local band that changed my world: The Dirty Moogs. They were a blend of 1980s synth music and modern dance grooves, with a healthy dose of humor and lyrics so tight you could bounce a quarter off them. Determined to hitch my nascent interests in live performance visuals and video game development to their rising local stardom, I set out to woo them into letting me join the band as a member whose instruments were a laptop and a projector.
• Began by creating a mini 8-bit style video game to celebrate their EP "Peter Goes to Law School"
• Evolved into pre-rendered projections for their performance at Treefort 2013
• Began experimenting with live visuals, including building a Death Star trench game, which I played live as they performed at a dive bar in La Grande, Oregon
• First "big" show included old school red/blue 3D glasses used to see the visuals come alive (a story about show time failure and overcoming that in here as well)
• Evolved into more orchestrated, synced visual performances using MIDI controllers
• Also designed album covers, t-shirts, posters, and band merch, including a second EP video game for "Back to Bits," which was sold on USB drives at their shows
• Ultimately, proved to myself that I could do it