MAKING THE ALBUM Infinity Hotel:

 

Making the decision to create another album came before the “Welcome Home” (Album 2) was complete. I still had some older songs that weren’t recorded and a bunch of new songs that were begging me to be added to the new album, so what could I do? The first 2 Albums had 11 songs each, so I thought consistency. But after selecting 10 songs, there were still 2 that were vying for air time. After a brief struggle, I gave in and and just added them both. Luckily it turns out because Infinity Hotel (one of the 2) became the title track.

 

In August 2018, I sent Wyatt a list of 29 songs. By November 2018 they were whittled to 19, with a date set toward the end of January 2019 for recording sessions. I figured that would be plenty of time to clean up the loose ends and be ready. I forgot all about Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years and all that these holidays entail. Needless to say, the album prevailed because here it is. As in almost any endeavor the last couple of weeks and then days are a blur. Musical and lyrical changes were tweaked right up to the day of and including the day of recording.

 

As with past albums, I could not suppress all the doubts that bubble to the surface: are they the right songs? Are they polished enough? Do the lyrics tell the story? Does the music support the lyric story? Will it measure up to the past albums? ..etc, etc. In my experience, a song is never done. There’s always a word, a note, an inflection that points the listener closer to the experience.

 

Neither this album or my predecessor albums evolved without the talent, experience, and sensitivity of Wyatt, my producer and friend. Also a gifted singer songwriter he magically crafted the production of each song, including tweaks and changes to the lyrics and music throughout the process. In short he was affectionally referred to as my vocal nazi. He also added his background vocals to several songs. In no way does this praise diminish the talent and teamsmanship of my studio musicians and production engineers who Wyatt pulled together to create this album. Additional thanks go to my cowriters who had to actually pay attention to what I was trying to say and guide me to clarity. Jen Smith (singer songwriter with her husband Scott of Naked Blue) has been my graphic artist who has designed this album (and all the others). Her patience and creative talents have all come together again to conjure up another stellar album, and to make sure that the i’s and t’s were respectively dotted and crossed. Thanks to Candy Fernaux, my singer songwriter friend and past cowriter, for making her house my home for a week in Nashville during the making of this album.  Also, thanks to my mentors and my friends (you all know who you are). And of course, to my family who support my passion.

 

I did not conceive this album as one with a theme but rather as it has turned out more like the old expression “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue”. Without getting too sticky defining an old song, I loosely think of “old ones" as being around for more than a decade or so. I borrowed some themes and blue, of course, does not mean the color. Most of the songs need no preface as the lyrics and the tunes just place themselves quietly in your face. Yet, a few with my preface below allow you to visit with my thoughts as I wrote and edited them endlessly.

 

"Infinity Hotel" was inspired by a YouTube video entitled “A Universe From Nothing” by  L Krauss. I invite all to see if you can make the connection between the two. "Saddle Made of Lace" is a fantasy of any young man alone in nature, a bit bored, hoping that something exciting would happen…. and it does. I was lucky enough to attend college in southern Tennessee at The University of the South, Sewanee, TN, and while the story of how I got there is still untold in song, the fact is that going there was transformative for me. "Mountains of Southern Tennessee" is a reflection on that time. One of the many magical aspects of Sewanee was the practice of symbolically pulling a Sewanee Angel to travel with you and protect you as you left the “Domain” (the campus and environs of over 13,000 acres). Of course we had to release her when we came back to the “Domain”. The song “A Toast” is for my friend Bill from Texas, long since gone, and a classmate at Sewanee where I allude to many events we shared together. Since Sewanee was an Episcopal school, there were requirements for us to record our attendance at church services regularly. We affectionately called these "God Points”. “Chuck” is a remarkably talented singer songwriter friend I had just met and knew little about when I started writing this song. It was more my impression of the man rather than any facts. I knew he was going through some physical challenges so I came to him during one of our singer songwriter retreats and asked him to help me finish the song. He wrote the hard stuff I just couldn’t.

"My Guitar" came out of being late to just about everything, which I blamed on the guitar.

“Wind in the Willows” is one of the songs that came out of a retreat exercise in 10 minutes. I changed it to the 3rd person at the suggestion of my talented and thoughtful friend and musician, John Frink. 

 

Please enjoy my musical journey and may it bring you insights of your own.