1 YEAR

October 28, 2016

A year ago last night I released my debut album, "Chicago." After a year of hard work, fundraising, writing and recording, the project was complete. Surrounded by my family and friends and I performed all of the new music to a packed house at Petra's Bar in Charlotte. It was a night I will never forget.

Towards the middle of the recording process my producer began to urge me to think into "what's next?" It's a hard thing to grasp when you're neck deep in a project. A year out from my debut release a lot has happened, including a move to Chicago. My live show has changed with the focus being on my original music rather than bar entertainment. I've gotten some airplay on some independent radio stations and been featured on various podcasts throughout the web. It's been a good year.

It's been fun to track some my album sales. My record has been sold in Europe, Asia, South America and North America. Several people have been kind enough to send me pictures of them holding my record which is a small thing but it's pretty cool to see. It's been a blast to take this record and perform it live. I don't always have a full band with me so I have to find ways to communicate these stories with just my voice and my acoustic guitar.

"What's Next?" is a hard question to answer. Even though the record is out there is still lots of work to be done. Shows to be played, new songs to be written, and even more recording. In 2017 I'll be doing some touring so be sure to check back here for dates. If this journey has taught me anything it's that nobody does anything great on their own . I'm continually thankful for the wonderful folks who coached me through this project, invested in me, inspired me, produced me, played on my record, and supported me along the way - THANK YOU!

Here is a look back:

My album making an appearance in Brasil!

Art Garfunkel writes a note to his younger self.

October 21, 2016

Check out this wonderful video of Art Garfunkel as he reads a letter he wrote to his younger self. Powerful insight for any human. Have a wonderful weekend everyone! - xoxo

How I Wrote it: "Chicago"

October 14, 2016

The last song on my record is titled "Chicago." It's a very minimalist track featuring myself on acoustic guitar, vocals and electric piano. I do a lot of performances where it is just me and an acoustic guitar and I wanted a song on record that captured that vibe. Of all the songs on the record this is the 'newest' song - in fact I finished writing it the night before my last day in the studio.

I started writing "Chicago" towards the end of the recording process. It was a fairly fast song to write. I finished it the night before my last day in the studio. I remember making a quick demo of the song on my iPhone and I e-mailed it to my producer along with the lyrics I had written. This was about 10pm. The next morning around 9:30am I was back in the studio. Carey liked the song and made me record it right then. It was an awesome experience to literally go from the writing process to the recording process in a matter of hours. This didn't give me a whole lot of time to rehearse the tune very much or overthink it - this helped maintain the raw vibe I was going for.

The tune itself is perhaps the most autobiographical track on the record. It's no secret that several years ago I found myself relocating to Chicago for a relationship. Ultimately, the relationship did not work out but I was left with a great affinity for the city. Having moved back to North Carolina I found myself missing Chicago and made the decision to return - this time on my own terms. This almost prophetic element of the tune is another reason that sets it apart.

So often as a songwriter I tend to feel very transparent, but I think it's the real honest writing that people notice. Sometimes I'll get to this song in my live show and skip over it because it just feels too personal. At the same time, putting my insecurities aside and going for it is something that an audience almost always responds to.

Check out the track below: