Emotionally resonant alt-folk songs that emphasize lyrics and melody. . . ideally to be heard alone, in a car, at night.

12 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Folk Pop, ROCK: Acoustic



Details:
I am a singer and songwriter from Iowa City, IA. I like songs that emphasize craftsmanship, lyrics, and melody, so that's the kind of songs I try to write. I don't like affectation in vocals or production, so I tried to present these songs straightforwardly, but with style nonetheless. Though each song stands on its own, the twelve are intended to hang together as a whole. The CD works best, I think, if you can listen to it from first to last in one sitting. . . that's the intended emotional and musical arc, anyway.

Patrick Brickell produced all the tracks, and really found a way to capitalize on the diversity of styles found in the songs, but at the same time to capture the common elements that relate them one to another. What are those common elements? A certain vocabulary, I think, found in the lyrics, for sure, but also in the perspective and structure of the songs, and in the world they conjure up. What kind of world? One in which people struggle with their desires and their pasts, stave off regret, seek redemption, find love, come to terms. The characters who inhabit these songs strive to be humble, and brave, and kind, but know from experience it's no easy task. They need help; they need grace; they need forgiveness. Sometimes they find it and sometimes they don't.

Rarely do I run across a CD that I simply fall in love with: Cheri Knight's Northeast Kingdom, Ron Sexsmith's Blue Boy, Bob Dylan's Love and Theft. Some others, but not that many. My fondest wish is that Drawn from Memory might catch hold of a listener and slip its way into their interior landscape and come to reside there as something sturdy and dependable that they can rely on when they need a particular kind of musical fix.

Incidentally, the old photos are of some of my ancesters. The baby on the back cover is my dad. That's his uncle Pres holding the gun. Dad appears again inside, holding a shotgun, looking like the High Sheriff of Hangtown. The lovely girl on the cover is my grandmother, Virginia. The talented and wonderful Becky Peterson did all the design and artwork, for which I am eternally grateful. She managed a look and feel that complements and deepens the tenor of the songs inside.

I'm indebted to all the many talented and caring people who helped me on this project, and to everyone who takes time to listen.