Rod has been a full time musician for over a decade and has endorsements with XOX Audio Tools, the makers of the Handle Guitar, Gibson Guitars and Dunlop Guitar Accessories. Rod currently performs 3-5 nights a week throughout the Northeastern United States. When he is not performing, he is keeping busy in his home studio. His original compositions, as well as his production and arrangement skills, have been used by The United Way, the cable show, Just Fishing, and most recently, featured in the film, Butterflies in the Wind. He also wrote, recorded and produced a commercial jingle for the United States Census Bureau, and both the song and video were used in their Regional and National ad campaigns.
Rod has performed to crowds of over 68,000 at the half-time shows for the Philadelphia Eagles, and to over 20,000 at RFK Stadium. He has also played special events in Washington D.C, at the Russian Embassy, and most recently at the Air & Space Museum's Inaugural Ball, attended by over 6,000 guests for the 2009 Presidential Inauguration.
Rod recently released a CD entitled, Cosmic Playground, showcasing his instrumental music. The title track was featured in Guitar Player Magazine. He was also featured in many other major publications such as Hammer World in Hungary, and Guitar Player, Brazil. Rod has been generating quite a buzz as well in many popular music sites and blogs throughout the world.
His session work has included projects with Craig MacGregor, bassist for the platinum-selling band Foghat, and his songwriting abilities have gained the interest of artists from Sony and Motown Records. Foreign labels in Canada and Australia have also expressed interest in Rod's songwriting talents.
In the past, Rod maintained a teaching schedule of 60 students per week, and while teaching, he developed the Future of Music (FOM) series; a program for young musicians to learn about music composition, basic business principles, as well as the opportunity to perform in a professional, concert setting. The success of the FOM program caught the attention of The United Way, who used the FOM performers to create a CD, A Generation Unleashed, to benefit their youth services throughout the region. Rod produced the CD and assisted in planning and developing the day long, outdoor CD release concert, hosted by Motown's, R-Angels.
Rod knew at an early age that he wanted to be a musician. He developed his craft on progressive and guitar-driven rock music. His tastes expanded to include classical, fusion, jazz, and world music. When asked about the inspiration for his music, Rod says simply, "Nature and life. I try to clear my mind, and let the music come through, trying to let the song write itself."