The Record
These songs started with me moving to a small town on the coast of Rhode Island, called Westerly. I’ve drawn inspiration from walking on quiet streets at 9pm, long breaks along the riverbanks counting cormorants, and wintery monday night open mics. It’s taken a few years, but they’re finally coming to life for my debut full-band Americana album.
This page is where I’ll share field notes from the process... studio days, songwriting moments, and the small details that shape a record.
Gathering the Songs
The songs are uploaded to a cloud... I’ve been working back and forth with a friend to arrange the songs. What’s coming out of this collaboration is incredible. Hearing bass for the first time on my song Reread, hit me right in the gut. Another fun thing I learned is that Casey’s Song has a fun variation in time signatures that I had no clue about. It has something to do with the way I pick the guitar... when we play it live we go 6/7 to 3/4 at some point. The way I count along to it is swaying.
Ways to Support
If these songs have meant something to you, there are a few ways to help bring this record into the world:
Progress
Field Notes
Receiving a $5,000 Grant
A recording grant from the Levitate Foundation made this journey feel real. I’ve started listening differently to artists, listening to full records from beginning to end, and trying different arrangements with my band.
Listening for a Sound
I’m writing from Chicago, IL in my sisters apartment looking over the United Center. The heat warning issued in Boston has followed me here. They skyline has an unsettling haze. I’m listening to the changes in the landscape around me when temperatures rise. I hear sirens, then silence. I notice the absence of wind rustling about makes me cringe. There are sounds that I miss from the city. Like the whir of the L, people chatting on the sidewalks, music blaring from car radios, and bicycle wheels clicking as each spoke snags a loose brake wire.