Along with playing for, well, a really long time in rock and blues bands, I also played for about 15 years in an acoustic band that did a mix of Irish, bluegrass, and whatever we wanted. I do love Irish music. I am not a traditionalist, although I appreciate those who are. As the song explains, I might have a bit of Irish in me, but it’s probably pretty remote. …
Read more →I wrote this song right around Thanksgiving time. I am incredibly thankful for many, many things, including the very fortunate life I’ve had. Not everyone is so lucky of course. And in the 17th century, people fled Europe to essentially invade a new land. They were trying to find safety and opportunity. And since that time, all…
Read more →The song is an instrumental with a variety of guitar voices. It almost has a western movie theme at the start and then slips into something a bit jazzier. Fun to record! The song is available on all streaming services, and if you do not have a music service, you can access the song on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oXm6HqoGHZs
Read more →Some of my favorite songs are almost short stories, a narrative that gives insight into a life. In this song, I tried something like that. I do write fiction as well, and this was kind of a flash fiction song. It’s about a guy, a hard-working guy, looking for a partner. And his first try…
Read more →Love is complicated. At least it is for the people in the song. They have a strong attraction but they don’t always get along that well. For the chorus, I picture a chorus line from an old Hollywood musical, high stepping and singing along. I don’t know why I like the image, but the lyrics…
Read more →One summer evening, I was out with the dog when I could hear a live country band off in the distance. All I could really pick up was the bass line and the general feel of the song. I kind of took that general fee and made up my own song, quite different than the one I heard but true to the energy of the…
Read more →One side of my family grew up very poor. The other side was middle class. I’ve taken a little creative license, but this song is from the perspective of the poor side of the family, from someone growing up in that neighborhood and never leaving it. I’ve created this as a country song and I got to use my Johnny Cash…
Read more →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.
Read more →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…
Read more →This is a gentle, simple instrumental. It reminds me of a wildflower, not pretentious, but evocative in its own way. A gentian is a prairie wildflower. Sometimes these simple songs are the most difficult to record. The song is available on all streaming services, and if you do not have a music service, you can…
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