Rich Wagner

 
Many of my first memories are of music. Riding in the car and listening to the radio stands out the most. We'd watch American Bandstand on Saturdays and Solid Gold on Saturday night. Heck, we even watch Hee Haw! I have always had a love for music. I'd sit for hours waiting for a particular song on the radio just so I could click record and have a tape of it.

In high school I was into sports. There was more than one way to impress the girls, and that was the one I chose. But I always dreamed of being a rock star and playing the school's talent shows. It never happened though.

When I came home from college in '94 I found an old classical guitar in my Dad's attic. I bought some strings and decided I'd teach myself to play. It wasn't long before I replaced that guitar with a standard acoustic, a Yamaha I believe, and spent many nights in the bed room learning to play. Having been in band from 4th grade to 8th and playing saxophone I had a good base knowledge of musical theory and applied that to my learning of a new instrument.

In '99 Dad and I hooked up with a worship team where we went to church at the time and it was my first experience playing outside my bedroom. It opened up a whole new world and I immediately noticed how improved my playing was when playing with others.

And now, we're doing the Alter'd State thing...

My musical influences and personal taste include: Led Zeppelin, U2, the Beatles, Foo Fighters, Guns 'n' Roses, Jimmy Eat World, Journey, 80's Hair bands, 80's new wave, the Beatles, Pearl Jam (until Neil Young ruined them), Derek Webb, and countless others.