wellsish: biography
  • 1962 - Born in New York City on March 4
  • 1964 - Brother Joshua Patrick born in NYC
  • 1966 - Family moved to Culver City in Los Angeles
  • 1967 - Moved to Venice
  • 1967 - Brother David Thomas Matthew born
  • Witnessed one of the epicenter's of the late sixties cultural revolution, with such positive highlights as seeing the original Jefferson Airplane play a free concert on the beach, hanging out at my mom's head shop on Venice Beach, seeing members of the Doors hanging out, and the less positive side of the times in the form of Hell's Angels knife fights
  • 1968 - Parents divorced
  • Attended Play Mountain Place/Modern Play School, an alternative school modeled after A.S. Neill's Summerhill in England
  • 1971 - First attended public school at the tender age of 9
  • Began public school academically behind peers but I embraced the more structured environment and soon caught up
  • Spent time living in Rapid City, South Dakota and Twin Falls, Idaho, while stepfather Cody Connor broke into radio business
  • 1980 - 1982 - Became disillusioned with school, graduated early from Olympic continuation high school
  • Traveled across the US by car with Cody, ran out of money in Tampa, Florida, worked as day laborer laying sod in blistering sun until we had enough money to make it to Miami
  • Spent a week in Miami in the summer, bored, bid farewell to Cody, hitchhiked through the deep south to New York to visit family
  • Boarded a Greyhound bus bound for Seattle to visit best friend Nick Kiritz and his mom Miriamma Carson
  • Spent late summer in Seattle and then hitchhiked down west coast back to LA - I always knew that I would end up back in Seattle
  • Became interested in playing music, bought drums thinking that I could play with friends who seemed to have all the instruments except drums - Never played drums, but friends appreciated using them!
  • Eventually sold drums and bought first electric bass guitar - Discovered a natural curiosity for and joy in playing bass
  • Locked myself away in Barbara Avedon's house, learned how to play Led Zeppelin bass lines and eventually became a competent bassist
  • Hung out in Manhattan Beach, CA, with Nick Kiritz and other friends and formed first band called Page 22
  • First introduction to post-punk music of XTC, Police, English Beat, Talking Heads, Joe Jackson, King Crimson and many other bands
  • Working at Pioneer Bakery cheese department with good friend Martha Uribe - John Lennon killed
  • Met lifelong friend Eben Eldridge at Pioneer Bakery, with whom I'd eventually form the post-funk group Plutoboy in Seattle
  • Met Marlin Hathaway during the one day that he also worked at Pioneer, who would eventually move back to Seattle before I would end up moving there
  • Took classes at Santa Monica College
  • Joined Lance Tan's cover band and began learning songs by the Romantics, Clash, Elvis Costello, Duran Duran, etc - became disillusioned with playing cover songs and yearned to join original band
  • 1983 - Marlin convinces me to move to Seattle and form a band with him, so I pack one suitcase, my bass and an amplifier, get on a train headed for Seattle in September at the ripe young age of 21
  • Formed Bad Credit with Marlin, Jill Cunningham and Jason Finn
  • Met many lifelong friends during this period of time, including Cynthia McClain, Jerry Corso, Michelle Dent, Mark Raftis, Pamela Aube, Tasha Bassett, and many others
  • 1984 - Music classes at Seattle Central Community College - no degree
  • 1985 - Played in Bad Credit for one year and then joined The Walkabouts
  • Started my housecleaning business, income and flexible schedule help get me through many years of touring and living hand-to-mouth
  • First tour down the west coast, back to LA with The Walkabouts!
  • 1986 - First of many Seattle Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival appearances
  • Recorded first album with Walkabouts called "Weights and Rivers" which was never commercially released
  • 1987 - First Walkabouts single, "Linda Evans/Cyclone" released
  • 1988 - Debut full-length album "See Beautiful Rattlesnake Gardens" released by Popllama Records
  • 1989 - "Cataract" album released on Sub Pop Records
  • Worked at Sub Pop in sales for a short spell (covering for Daniel House)
  • Many more US tours booked by yours truly
  • Walks begin touring Europe
  • 1990 - "Rag & Bone" EP released on Sub Pop - more touring
  • Recorded "Scavenger" album with Boston based producer Gary Smith (Pixies, Throwing Muses, etc.)
  • Surprise visit to the recording studio by Brian Eno and he plays on the album!
  • 1991 - "Scavenger" released in US by Sub Pop and in Europe by Sub Pop Europe, AKA Glitterhouse Records
  • Dear friend Pamela asks me to be her daughter Samara's god-father
  • Recorded/toured for many more albums with Walkabouts, including "New West Motel," "Setting The Woods on Fire," and "Satisfied Mind."
  • 1995 - "Devil's Road" last album I record with Walks, produced by Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave), released by Virgin Records, Germany
  • Formed Plutoboy with Eben Eldridge, Terri Moeller, Maurice Caldwell jr. and Lawrence Norman
  • 1996 - Last show with Walkabouts in October
  • 1997 - Plutoboy breaks up
  • Met Sarah Palmer while she was working at Grover/Thurston art gallery - love at first sight!!!
  • Opened the Asteroid Cafe with Marlin Hathaway and Jason Finn
  • Joined the band Dodi with friends and awesome musician/performer's Archie O'Connor, James Palmer, Andy Davenhall and Peter Spotts
  • 1998 - Niece Rhiannon Wells born on January 14!
  • Left Asteroid Cafe
  • 1999 - Began working at Amazon.com Music as independent music editor and marketing specialist
  • Dissolved housecleaning business to focus on new career in online music marketing
  • Sarah and I are married in September, family members and friends come from all around the country and the world to celebrate! To see more photos of the wedding, click here.
  • 2000 - Dodi releases eponymous CD
  • Cats Coco and Bandit adopt Sarah and Michael as their new servants, how could we have ever lived without them? :)
  • Quit Amazon to launch digital music department for national broadband ISP Speakeasy Network
  • New-found love for skiing, spent 40th birthday in Italian Alps skiing with friend Jerry Corso
  • 2002 - Back to night school at North Seattle Community College - gonna finally get that degree!
  • Sarah is pregnant in August!
  • 2003 - Left Speakeasy in January
  • Recorded and played a couple of live shows with Whiting Tennis and the Scholars
  • wellsish.com web site is launched
  • Daughter Eva Miriam Palmer Wells born on May 7, 11:33 am, at home
  • Rejoined The Walkabouts for European tour
  • 2004 - Joined HomeStreet Bank [$2 Billion in assets] as e-Marketing Manager
  • Recorded new album Acetylene with The Walkabouts
  • 2005 - Sarah pregnant with our second child, due in November!
  • Toured Europe in September to promote Acetylene
  • Son Henry Wentworth Palmer Wells is born on November 18!
  • 2006 - Divested in Asteroid Cafe - Marlin moves restaurant to new and improved location
  • Joined Microsoft as Media Specialist for AdCenter search engine marketing platform in July

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