Craig J. Hansen

I am happy to announce that there is now an audiobook version of my first novel, The Skeleton Train. It is available on Amazon via Audible. You can listen to a free sample online.

This is unapologetically an old-fashioned country song. When I think of the country music I like best, it’s music that tells a story about somebody’s life, usually their pain. After all, at its best, country music is roots music, the music of the people who work hard and often have hard lives. Well, at least…

This is a song about a relationship that has weathered some storms, but perhaps to everyone’s surprise, it still stands strong. This is another one of my songs that does not seem to fit neatly into any genre. But that doesn’t bother me, as long as people enjoy the music. This was a fun one…

OK, I live in a small town. Well, it’s not that small, just under 20,000 people. But we are part of a much larger metropolitan area that is approaching 4 million people. I sometimes think about living in the urban center and I think there is much to say for it. So this song is…

The song is about long distance relationships, whether for a short time or something that’s just central to how it works. The narrator in the song thinks about change in the passing of time and how some change is inevitable if people are separated. I guess I’d call this a country song, but maybe it’s…

Here’s another one of my historical tragedy songs. I’m not sure why I like these as topics, but I certainly do! This song describes a real event, the deadliest wildfire in US history. I say in the lyrics that 2000 died. The official death count is just over 1000, but estimates made in modern times…

This is a straightforward electric blues song. I played in a blues band, inspired by Chicago electric blues, for a number of years. It was a really fun band, and a good one.  For this song, I wanted a live feel. I recorded each part straight through, with no edits of any individual sections, which…

Single Release: The Gate This is a rock instrumental, which owes something to King Crimson, Metallica, and Queen, although it cannot hold a candle to any of them. Nonetheless, it was fun to record, as I like to explore lead guitar. As for the title, I am seeing this song as part of a concept…

Well, I might as well be direct. This song is about how your existence can be snuffed out in a second. The first verse refers to things that might happen to you and the second verse are the things you might bring on yourself. The refrain, one bad day, refers to that day when you cease to be, although that…

This is a song about non-conformity. The lyrics might be a little obtuse, and perhaps I should have called the song something like, “The Eccentric.” The speaker is someone who follows their own course and is largely immune to much of the peer pressure and doomsday babble that surrounds them.  I suppose it’s a bit…