Let's Get Into It...

I'm Randall, a Nashville-raised musician turned tech entrepreneur, and my journey's been anything but ordinary. Thank you for stopping by to learn a bit about me and feel free to drop a note, or check out my resume!

My Story

Music: Where It All Started

I come from a family of musicians spanning generations. This proximity to the music and entertainment industry has provided me with some amazing opportunities, memories, and friends. I have been able to rub shoulders with top class people across multiple industries.

In the small(ish) town of Franklin, where I spent my childhood, it was not uncommon to see world famous musicians walking the street, acting like they didn't have mind bending talents - just one of the people, which is why you can still find many extremely famous people there to this day (and some not-so-famous, yet extraordinarily talented people).

As a teenager, I founded a band that would later evolve into the renowned Paramore. Those early days of songwriting and performing laid the foundation for a career that would span genres, languages, and continents.

The Nashville Years: A Symphony of Experiences

My college years were a whirlwind of bands, songs, and studio sessions. But it was in my twenties that I truly found my voice. I became known as a versatile session vocalist, lending my voice to projects across Music Row. From the studios of "the demo queen" Kim Copeland to the hallowed halls of Blackbird studios with producer David Hall, I sang my way through one of the toughest pockets of the industry - Nashville's highly competitive music scene.

One of the crowning moments of my career came unexpectedly. While recording at Michael McDonald's studio (Singer: Doobie Brothers, "What A Fool Believes") - I received a compliment on my vocals from the legend himself. As a singer, there couldn't be a higher compliment received. I spent years writing and recording with talented people at that spot - some of my favorite memories were made there.

Over the years I have recorded countless session vocals both in-house and remote in my home studio. I have recorded in English, Mandarin (including throat singing), Spanish, and French. Genre-wise, I've covered everything from country and pop to world music and heavy metal. I found a niche in extreme vocals - it's surprisingly cathartic.

I still do remote sessions, by the way. Feel free to message me if you need vocals!

Writing: More Than Just Lyrics

While music was my first love, words became my Sancho Panza - my faithful companion. Songwriting was just the beginning. As social media rose to prominence, I found myself crafting content for various platforms, exploring topics from psychology to technology. This culminated in my current project, "#RandyAndTheTechpocalypse" - a sci-fi series that blends entertainment with education, helping people navigate the ever-changing landscape of technology. (Encrypt everything!)

I was lucky enough to run a short lived podcast called What A World Podcast, for which I also wrote blog content. During those podcasts I got to interview some incredible people from music producers, to kung fu masters, rappers, freemasons, and beyond. I have always had a knack of making friends with the most interesting and wonderful humans - and they seem to enjoy me as well (thankfully). It was during one of these interviews I became friends with eco-friendly fashion designer Jeff Garner, who recently made an award winning documentary Let Them Be Naked. Jeff asked me to compose and edit clips of his for a social media campaign - saying I had a "good eye" (not a ho-hum compliment from a world renown fashion designer!).

Despite growing up thinking coding was as out of reach, I took a chance on learning programming at Nashville Software School (listed as a Forbes best coding bootcamp). To my surprise, it wasn't just for math geniuses as I had imagined. Instead, I discovered a world of logic and problem-solving that resonated with my creative mind. This is my wheel house.

This newfound passion led me to complete intensive full-stack development programs, where I not only kept pace but excelled as one of the top students. It was a revelation that changed the course of my career and how I understood myself as a student.

The Tech Crescendo: Entrepreneurship and AI

Today, my life is a beautiful mashup of music, technology, and entrepreneurship. I've co-founded a software company, diving headfirst into the world of tech startups. My current projects include:

Developing AI-driven platforms using cutting-edge technologies from OpenAI and Anthropic
Creating an AI system for automated social media content generation
Expanding #RandyAndTheTechpocalypse to improve digital security awareness
Attending the InterPhase Incubator entrepreneurial cohort at Chapman University

But one of the most meaningful projects I'm involved in is the Empathy Archive. Working alongside UC Riverside professor Anthony Jerry, PhD, I'm helping to develop a platform that aims to create a more empathic world, especially in educational and professional settings. It's a beautiful blend of technology and humanity, using first-person narratives to drive policy reform and serves as a tool for supporting tough conversations about important social issues.

DALL·E 2024-09-26 13.35.15 - Randy, a cloaked figure with his hood up and a scruffy beard,

The Unheard Melody: My ADHD Journey

As my career evolved, so did my understanding of myself. In 2022, I received a diagnosis that put many pieces of my life's puzzle into place: ADHD. Suddenly, the struggles I'd faced growing up - the fidgeting, the inattention, the feeling of always being behind in school, yet still highly intelligent - made sense.

This diagnosis was both a challenge and a gift.

It helped me understand why traditional learning methods had always felt like trying to play a guitar with oven mitts. But it also showed me that my brain's unique wiring was the source of my creativity, my ability to connect disparate ideas, and my drive to constantly learn and evolve (plus the whole hyper-focus superpower).

Post-diagnosis, I've developed strategies to harness this power while managing its challenges:

Mindfulness practices
Rigorous scheduling
Diet and eating patterns
And, surprisingly, heavy metal music to improve focus

Composing the Future: Personal Philosophy and Goals

As I look to the future, my life's composition is far from complete. My core beliefs serve as the bass line, steady and unwavering:

A deep commitment to personal agency and empowerment
Empathy as a guiding force in all interactions
A belief in the inherent equality and goodness of people
Recognition of music and technology as powerful tools for healing and connection
The use of creativity and logic to create and produce new things
To surround myself and my family with good people
And to always "leave it better than how you found it" (Lookin' at you, Earth)

As I continue my path, it includes:

Developing groundbreaking AI platforms
Continuing to write, sing, and create music
Expanding my tech education initiatives
Coaching aspiring software developers
Building companies and software
And, most importantly, creating a safe and inspiring world for my daughter and wife

As a self-described polymath (or perhaps it's just the ADHD talking), I continue to explore the intersections of music, technology, and human connection.

Whether I'm coding a new application, laying down vocals for a session, or writing grants for empathy-building projects, my goal remains the same: to create harmonies that resonate with the world around me, making it a little bit better, a little more connected, and a whole lot more interesting. Throw in a dash of compassion and a good helping of humor - that's how you make a Better Future Pie (add some peanut butter, of course)

In this life, I'm both the composer and a humble instrument, always listening for the next resonating note.