I released my last record, ‘Lessons the Hard Way’, in November of 2019.  After what we have all been through in 2020/2021, that feels like a hundred  years ago. That record took 4 years to make, while touring, making other records, working, moving states, living life. This record was written real time during the events of 2020, and was finished in under a year. Each of us recording remotely for half of it, and then getting to finish together, masked and distanced. Weird way to make a record, but definitely bonding.

This record is an absolute response to pandemic, systemic racial inequality and strife, isolation, mental health, loss, and struggle.  It is also a testament to gratitude, love, community, unity, the universe, and faith in whatever it is that gets you through.

‘St. Cecilia’ is an anthem for the agnostic, (like me), that finding faith in something, anything, is better than steering the boat completely alone. 

‘Beside you (I see Stars)’ is for my love, Katie. Life isn’t always easy, but having her to travel it with makes it infinitely better. 

‘I See You’ was commissioned by Albuquerque’s Tricklock Theater Company, in April 2020, to address the issues of the moment. Isolated from each other, and wanting to be together to fight for racial equality and systemic change, and also to celebrate Pride week, and art, and life together. It was message. Even if we can’t be together, I see you. This song broke the writers block I was in, and started this record rolling.

‘Crescent Line’ is a historical look at systemic racism. The main character is trying a geographic change, in hopes of finding a better life. A move that has, more often than not, been met by the same struggles of work inequality, unequal justice, and racism, just in a different place.

Just before the lock downs began, my family suffered a loss to suicide that shook us to our core. So we entered this already shell shocked and dazed. My path walking through this became the song ‘Better’. 

‘The Mountain’ is an ode to our Sandia mountains here in Albuquerque. The Mountain has been here longer than us, and will be here long after we are gone. It’s about perspective, and it’s a meditation on solidity, and perseverance. Be like the mountain for the people around you.

‘Keep the Lights On’ is about the struggle I, and most of us, went through to stay remotely positive during the events of 2020. It’s also about perspective, life is short, and we do carry personal responsibility to do what we think is right, to take the action to be the person we long to be, and to not get carried into the fear and negativity that surrounds us. 

‘Albuquerque’ is about the struggles I went through moving back here, after being gone for 18+ years. Being here again awoke the angry young man that left here in a trail of trouble. Although I worked hard to be a different person while I was gone, that man was still here, and I had to face him. (It’s all good now, btw).

‘Whatever Gets Us Through’ is an observation on all the things we grabbed on to in order to survive the weird new reality we entered. I bought a lot of sneakers, worked on my truck obsessively, watched a ton of TV, got really interested in Ireland, and my heritage, and disappeared into my phone for hours. I found lots of distractions from the meditation mat, exercise, and my normal practices that keep me going. So, at some point I had to distill it down to what really works, what serves me best, what is good for me. I also had to acknowledge that I needed those other things for a while, to make it. They got me through, we all have those things. I realized we need to continue to evaluate their usefulness, and if we still need them. 

She’s Not for You’ is a groovy take on a Willie Nelson song, because we ALWAYS need Willie.