I compose jagged textures, jarring juxtapositions, and repeated figures that sound strange and yet uncannily familiar. The repetition in my music comes in part from American Minimalism, but it is not particularly consonant or soothing. The post-Minimalist John Adams wrote A Short Ride in a Fast Machine; my music can be machine-like, but it's not a sleek, purring "fast machine." Instead, it's a hatchback with a sputtering engine, or a toy robot that's fallen after running into a wall.

My latest notated works have combined classical music and rock, a genre with which I have a long history as the singer and guitarist of the indie band Fox Japan. I also currently sing in the synth-pop duo Oblivz. I created Popgrammar, an online course for pop and rock songwriters hoping to learn music theory.

I taught music composition and theory for several years at a small liberal-arts college in Ohio. I also previously worked as a sportswriter.

I'm currently a professional poker player in Los Angeles, and I chronicle my life in poker on my podcast, Third Man Walking.

charliewilmoth at yahoo.com