Bio
The Damage (2009)
“The Damage” the title, came to me while on tour somewhere in north Georgia. I knew not only would it make a good song title, but a great rock album title. The phrase “Before the damage sets in” echos the tone for the bulk of the songs… which find me visiting again with themes that frequent my writing: heartbreak, loss, deception, and unanswerable questions. It’s interesting to me that when presenting these ideas in the arena of country music, they fit right into the core of what classic country was built upon…”Your Cheatin Heart”, ”The Last Word in Lonesome is ME”, etc, etc. However, sounding these ideas again and again in the “rock” realm, can, at times, come off a little redundant with one angst driven song after another (ala the 90’s right?) Well, last time i checked, I grew up in the 90’s. So with that said….this record apologizes for nothing.
This album is a long time in the making. Early song demos started going to Paul and Leon soon after Table Salt was released. By the time we hit pre-production the songs had piled up… some days it was a double-album while other days it was an album and an EP. When the smoke cleared these 54 minutes were still standing.
The general purpose here was guitar driven rock. Ok…so then why the slow song first? The idea here is for “Bitter Kisses” and “The Worst Mistake” to serve like both bookends and a sonic prologue and epilogue. I understand that 14 tracks is a heavy dose, so with that in mind we also included some “light at the end of the tunnel” moments. These are presented in pop songs like “Malorie,” “Your Secret Too,” and “Death of Me.”
The goal was to keep it as loud as we could without ever losing sight of the song. Some things shined from the moment tracking began while others didn’t rise to the top until mixing commenced. Once again, Leon coached and refined an album from the pencil sketches all the way to the gallery.
MILEMARKER (2008)
In between moving from New York City to Nashville, i found time to record a lot of music in two different studios in my home state Pennsylvania. Another city, another chapter. I knew that once i got to Nashville there would be plenty of new songs that would arise from my new surroundings. But, just like they say never enter a gunfight without a gun…i wanted to make sure i was coming with the strongest catalog of songs i could have. So where exactly did they come from? Well…
After deciding to leave NYC, I spent over a month traveling throughout the country. It was kind of like one big “lost weekend” that included extended stays in LA and Texas…strange motels and rest stops filled with people, who just like me, were trying to “find” something. The idea of “Coming or Going” seems to always be happening. Whether its a life changing event or something as simple as going to work everyday, the average person is always in transit….trying get somewhere. Emotionally, physically, mentally in transit. And whether you like it or not….or whether you are ready for it, each journey, each chapter will have an end.
The songs for “Milemarker” were written in 3 consecutive days. I finally came home, opened the notebook, and one by one they came to life. Almost every song finds its character “in-transit” and tackling something in the present that has been defined by decisions made in the past. The way the character handles the situation will greatly alter the course that he/she is presently on. Each song is a glimpse into these situations. Some end well, most do not, and the rest are for you to decide.
I felt like i had a very cohesive collection of a certain “kind” of songs. Knowing i was coming to Nashville, I really wanted to put new focus on the folk/country-esq side of my writing. Basically, after “Table Salt” i saw two very different paths that could be explored musically and as an artist…so,it made sense to make a whole album of one of them. I went to Producer Hank Ahrensfield and presented this new collection, 10 of which would become Milemarker.
TABLE SALT (2006)
My first “solo” record. I’ve been playing in bands and writing songs for a long time, although this was the first record with just my name on it. Authors always say that it took them their whole life to write that first book. I won’t go as far to say that about Table Salt, but my approach to writing hit a certain stride with these songs. Outside influences all become pieces of the puzzle that make a person up. I looked at my songs and asked the question “What am I really saying?” When I answered this question, the songs started taking on a more introspective identity. Introducing characters, putting them in places and situations, starting in one place with the first verse and following them all the way to the outro.
Now i can look back and call it my “New York” record. I wrote or finished the majority of the songs when i first moved there. I can always walk by this bar in Soho and remember that “So, So, Sorry” was written on a napkin there. I released it and launched first little solo tour with a CD party at Caffe Vivaldi on Jones St in the Village. The picture on the cover was taken on a rooftop on the Upper East Side…during like a 102 degree heatwave nonetheless.
As for the sound…mostly everything was cut live and loose. There is a sort of desperation in a lot of the characters in the songs so i wanted the sound to have that loose feeling. While the voice of the songs tend to stay in the same realm, the style and approach hits a couple different places with some sprawling rock songs and quiet acoustic tunes. As a producer, Leon Karpovich always finds a way to get the core of the ideas down without sacrificing anything. That is the sound of this record.