CDs and EPs

Nine-Mile Hill

The untimely passing of both my brother and my good friend and audio engineer, Eric Larson, served as a catalyst to shake up my comfort zone in so many ways—especially creatively.  A quest for musical changes landed me at Blane Sloan’s wonderful Eagle Rock Studios in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Blane’s “big bear” enthusiasm, engineering savvy, and genuine interest in my songs were all the fuel that I needed to launch into a new album project.

The move to Eagle Rock has been a happy experience. Without any real intent in mind, the songs coming out of these sessions have overtones of rock, gospel, pop, and roots music. We’ve had chiming mandolins and wild guitar solos (courtesy of Blane and Dimi Disanti), B-3 organ, banjo, and even a fiddle here and there finding their way onto these tracks. The songs, which include “Nine-Mile Hill,” “One Small Corner of the World,” and “Falling in Love is Easy (Being in Love is Hard),” have sparkled with first-rate performances from David Ziems (banjo), Susan Clark (vocals), and one of my all time favorite drummers, Dennis Painter. (Denny, Blane, and I have this musical wave length that is sometimes scary.)

One evening, while listening to some basic tracks I’d just laid down, studio engineer Roger Baker, in his ever-droll manner, remarked that, “your songs are like little symphonies.” I’m not sure what to make of that, but I really like the analogy (although it ain’t exactly Mozart).