A marriage of folk-rock and acoustic-driven pop, reminiscent of the LA singer-songwriters

5 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Folk Rock, FOLK: Folk Pop



Details:
After a 4-year run playing keys and writing songs for The Shakers in the 80s, I had such a strong desire to get back to the basicsâthat place where I started as a songwriter. This meant going back to acoustic guitars, piano and organ, bass and drums. So, in a sense, âUndiscovered Heartsâ became a very retro album for meâsome say reminiscent of early Crosby, Stills, & Nash or Jackson Browne. I composed all the tracks on guitar and then arranged them for a simple rhythm section. That rhythm section became bassist Dave Henderson and drummer Andy Poling, two of Albuquerqueâs best session players.

Because I had stripped away the pop landscape of synthesizers and drum machines, I really focused on the content. âMadison Parkâ came to represent that specific place in all our lives that reminds us of the drama of growing up. âThe Last Night On Earth,â which has a stellar electric guitar performance courtesy of Mike Altomare, was one of those stories about couples deciding to live apart to test their love and commitment, and which seem (more often than not) to come to a sad end.
âSheilaâ is actually a song I wrote for The Shakers, and itâs the one rocker on the album. The end chorus and rideout define for me all that is fun about rock ân rollâstacked vocals, pounding electric guitar chords, and lots of attitude!

The close for this 5-song CD is kind of like a short story, only with music. With a love for spare songs like Stillsâ â4 + 20â and Paul Simonâs âKathyâs Song,â I was really inspired to write this song for one voice and one guitar, although we did add some subtle embellishments. This song received a John Lennon Songwriting award in 2001, in the category of folk.