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…

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…

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 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…

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…