First off, there are a lot of new subscribers since last time I wrote and if that's you I'd like to take a moment to say HEY! Welcome! Thanks for joining. I'm grateful you're here.

A Quick Note On What To Expect

I try to share the behind the scenes look at the life of an artist who takes his craft seriously who is also not afforded the ability to do it for a living. I think of making music as my vocation. My career just happens to be something else entirely. As such, I write emails in fits and starts, but over time they average out to 1 or 2 per month. I promise not to spam you, and my hope is that you find the stories, reflections, and journey interesting on some level.

Secondly, I'm currently making my next album Wilderness and am raising funds to cover the cost of recording, printing vinyl, and putting it out into the world. I set a very audacious goal of raising $25k because I want to do this work justice. I care deeply about craft and storytelling, and try to apply that care to all aspects of putting the music out. This goal enables doing things I've never been able to do before like making videos, marketing, and publicity - all things that help expand reach. Currently we've raised $6k, so there's still a fair bit of road to travel. You can be a part of putting Wilderness out into the world by heading the Wilderness page where you'll find a video of me explaining the concept and playing one of the songs.

Alas, let's talk about Grace.

Grace, an Introduction

On November 9th, 2025 my album Grace passed an unbelievable milestone - its 15th anniversary. A lot has happened in the fifteen years since its release. But what you may not realize is that a lot happened in the decade prior to its release that shaped it and made it what it is. I wanted to tell that story: how it was made, who the people are who influenced it and made it with me, and what it means to me now.

I didn't realize how much there was to tell and this story has become too long for a single email. So, I've decided to break it into four emails (plus this introduction) to hopefully make it more manageable for you.

As I set out to write this story, I assumed it would be fun act of remembering. And it has been. But in my digging and exploration of the depths of memory and experience I inadvertently unearthed a flaming Balrog of anxiety. A particularly nasty and intense one from the depths. I haven't experienced anxiety like this since my 20s. Not surprising, I suppose. These songs are inextricably bound to years of deeply formative experiences. They are also connected to a few deeply hurtful and traumatic ones. Only God knows the extent to which this particular demon has been lurking in my psyche all these years, and perhaps the purpose of writing this was to reveal it, to acknowledge it, to name it, and to shrink it by sitting with it in the presence of God. Dramatic as this sounds, recounting this story has been an act of connection, of gratitude for the people who I’ve been fortunate enough to share these experiences with, and truly the vast majority of these memories are fond ones.

Life is complicated. And in the midst of it, God is good to us. This is the story of Grace.

Chapter 1 will hit your inbox tomorrow. If it's been a minute since you've listened to Grace, perhaps now is a good time to revisit it. You can find it here.

Talk soon...