… I’ll be in a recording studio making a new record for the first time since 2013.

No, I’m not going back into the “music business” again. I just … feel like  I need to keep putting this vibration into the world, because several people have said it is healing for them. And I think it will be healing for me, too, this time.

When I set out to make my way in music I never had the intention of Michael Jackson-level success. I didn’t even want that. I wanted Leo Kottke-level success. And for a while I did alright. But the person that I trusted to “manage” my career didn’t understand what I wanted, and I wasn’t able to explain it in a way he could grasp, and things only went so far before they fell apart. And all things considered, that was probably okay. Looking back, there would never have been enough money coming in to support a family, and the two forces tearing me in half – steady income vs creative expression – would have torn me to shreds.

There are myriad “well, if this other thing could have happened” scenarios I could beat myself over the head with, and I have done enough of that for two lifetimes, but at this point in my life I have better things to do.

So why now? After all these years letting this go, why now?

Well, after all these years, I have managed to write so many songs that I could pick a collection that hung together thematically very well, and select only the very best of those songs, and end up with a robust collection that I could be extremely happy with and proud of. That’s a lot of songs. There were close to 50 to choose from, and I narrowed them down by subject and feel and vibe to about 26, and then I picked the ones that really sparkled. There are 10, and one of those still might not make it into the final collection. Yes, I’m being that picky.

Also, I have a better understanding now of what I truly need to be comfortable, successful, and happy in the recording process. I know how I want to approach things. I am putting self-care first, for me and my creative partners, Christine Moad (bass) and Ryan Rumery (drums and co-producer).* This is the core recording session, the rhythm section, and we’re doing it all together, at the same time, in the same space. We’re limiting our time to a few hours a day over three days. We’re having daily “Band Moms” (Laura Kraemer and Michael Crow) joining us to remind us to hydrate, bring us snacks and lunch, and help us remember to breathe and stretch when our energies start to flag. We’ve had limited rehearsal time together, so it’s all going to be fresh when we go in. We all love all of the songs and don’t feel like any of them are filler or compromises. We’re letting a recording engineer do his job and simply being musicians and focusing on the groove and the feel.

I never got to do it like this before. I endured a lot of less-than-ideal conditions, and time was always in short supply, mandating chaotic marathon sessions that wore me down to a powder. Some sessions (in the long ago) included some straight-up abuse. So taking back control over the process by getting what I need instead of doing what I am told, is going to allow me to transmute a lot of pain and fear and shame.

Music = Magic is one of my favorite ideas, and in this case, it is all  true. Things have gelled magically, we have had little miracles happen left and right.

I’m  calling the collection The Light You Can’t See In the Day. It seems appropriate.

A lot of the songs take place under a moonless sky, or a half-empty moon. The Dark is not something to be afraid of, it’s a welcoming, protective presence. It reveals secrets that disappear in the harsh noonlight of the ordinary days. It exposes paths that aren’t obvious until the shadows are just right. This thread weaves through this collection of songs like a trail of starlight, which also can’t be seen in the harsh light of day.

I’m excited and scared and hopeful and ready for it to be a fait accompli. I have spent the past several weeks practicing like crazy. This week, I am practicing like sane. Next week, we will be capturing these waves in digital space and making them real so they can be heard by as many people as want to hear them. Stay tuned for updates, and maybe even a sneak preview or two!

*I jokingly refer to us as the Maiden, the Drummer, and the Crone.

Creative passion is one of the most healing emotions you can have. Need help finding your groove? SoundWorks can help get you in tune.