The Age of Progress?

I have spent the last three hours working through my various notes on mixing and finalizing a 3rd record. It is both a feeling of accomplishment and of sadness. You see, I have always ended up playing music with very dear friends. That's just the way it has worked out. Over 20 years or more, my musicians have been some of my closest friends. Of course, life happens and they come and go. I never take it too well when they leave and I end up lost for a little while. This last time, a lot of changes happened all at once and things got sacked for a few years. I have continued to play on my own - sometimes with other good friends; but chemistry is of the essence and it doesn't just happen. You can't force it.

Over these past few weeks, I have worked on this recording and I sit and listen to the music we made. I am proud of these songs. They represent some of my best - I think. And I am proud of my dear friends - John Crowder and Jordan Burris who played and sang and added to the "vibe" that seems to become "my" music. Crowder played the biggest role over a span of 10 years. That is a long time to play music with someone. Our voices blended well. We loved one another dearly as human beings and as musicians. Jordan wasn't around as long; but he's a great, great singer and a great guitar picker. We, too, shared a kismet that is not found often between musicians.

Things happen and folks move on. John and Jordan have gone off to Oklahoma and east Tennessee respectively. This left me here in Nashville to pick up the pieces and move ahead. Strangely - as I was trying to do just that - my life changed and I was forced (or did I force myself) to focus a little harder on raising my teenage daughters and getting them prepared for the world as young adults. In the back of my mind, though, I knew that I had been left with a bunch of recordings that I would eventually finish up and put out.

In the next several weeks, I will release "Sorrow and Joy". It will be an internet-based download offered for free to anyone that cares to take a listen. My goal in doing this is to generate interest again in this music and do some live work. I hope that you, dear listener, will pass it along to your friends and families. I hope you put it on your ipod. I hope you post it to your blogs.

Over these last few years, I have learned that life is short and should be enjoyed. I am tired of paying the tax man for those last two records. I am tired of dealing with "product" in the physical sense of the term. In searching for an alternate way to get my music out to those that might be interested, I am finding that my gut was right all along....make it free.

I can't promise that future offerings will follow this same model, but this one is very special to me and to anyone that enjoyed the Nashville-era of my bands. People tell me often that they miss the old music we were making and I tell them that I do, too. Unfortunately, there will never be another version of that band as good as it was; but we are left with these recordings to enjoy and bring it all back home.

Stay tuned for information in the next few weeks about where it will be available and the link(s) for the free download.

I look forward to it and I hope you do, too.

rs