Q: Tell us about your music. Who are your influences?

A: My music has always leaned towards the hard rock genre, but it's only in the past few years that I feel I've really started to find my own "voice" as a song-writer.

As a kid growing up, I was influenced by a lot of heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Queensryche. But I was also heavily influenced by The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Billy Joel and Elton John. I think my music reflects all of that. It's much more acoustically-based than anything I've done before, and I feel much more connected to it than anything I've ever done.

I hope I can affect one person with my music, the way all of my influences have affected me.

Q: You're a Broadway actor. Why not make a Broadway CD?

A: I am a Broadway actor, that's true. But the way I got to Broadway was playing in rock and roll bands. I've already made a Broadway album: the cast recording of RENT, and I'm about to make another for AIDA.

My passion has always been for recording my own music. There's very little theater music that really turns me on, and the stuff that does is very special to me and I wouldn't want to try and do it any better.

Q: Would you rather act or play music?

A: I would rather play music than do just about anything else. Acting is something that I enjoy, and I'm glad I get a chance to do it. But it's not my love, and if it were a choice between the two, there would be no question.

I have grown to respect the craft of acting immensely in the past few years.

I didn't start out that way, but having worked with some of the most talented and generous people out there, I see the beauty and dedication that goes into doing it well.

I am fortunate enough in my life right now that I get to do both. I hope I continue to get to do projects that excite me as much as what I've done so far.

Q: What do you think of the music scene today?

A: The music scene today is a very strange place. After the alternative/grunge wave that took over the country died out, so did kids' taste for gloom. The backlash of that is teenybopper boy and girl bands and a lot of one-hit wonders.

The music scene is very cyclical, and every decade we see the same things happen: music starts out really pure and honest, and then that burns off and we get pre-packaged, pre-fabricated music that we don't have to think about.

But as it's happened numerous times before, all that's popular now will change and the real talent will survive. And the country will be ready for the truth again.

Q: Why did you sign with Sh-K-Boom instead of a major label?

A: I've decided to go with an independent label rather than a major because major labels don't seem to understand what I want to do. They think because I'm a Broadway actor then I should be doing something else... what that is, I don't know. They want control over me and my music. Major record labels are about business and not about music.