Graveyard Sessions

Listen to how a creek in Montana inspired me to write this song.

Check out the first episode from my album "Ol' Kentucky Light" about how and why I created the song "Silver Linings."  

Clem Chesterfield would always let you know he is a legend in his own right and based on that he has many stories to tell here in this episode. He talks about his Canadian origins, what brought him to making music and about his new album “Of Lures and Love.” available right now on all streaming platforms. I definitely recommend you take a listen to the album and the interview.

Rod is a Brooklyn based performing singer songwriter and recording artist who I met a couple years ago. He and I return to the worlds of our childhood in this episode to remember what brought us to music. Rod tells how he kept coming back to making music throughout his life. He plays one of his own songs Little Brother but even a surprise Kenny Rogers tune, both of which are wildly entertaining. 

Hear how a boy from northern Ontario found his way to Toronto through his love for making music, the rest of the world and eventually my neighbor on Wolfe Island, Canada. Teilhard is a multi-instrumentalist, a banjo maker and player and percusses endlessly for Wolfe Island Records. 

Dj4animals is a Brooklyn based designer who creates upcycled clothing and sneakers. Our conversation here follows the trajectory of our many conversations we have had in the past. We start with an in-depth discussion of Quentin Tarantino films to John DeLorean's cocaine habits, designers, architects and artists and how all these influences inform his work. We also discuss how the state of the world has changed both our lives to have more inspiration. Check this one out. Jp is a very special designer with a big  and charming heart for the world. 

One Legged Uncle is a very special collaboration between fellow musicians Jason Mercer and Teilhard Frost. They created an album last year that is centered around the banjo. The sounds that resulted are from Old Time to Afro-Pop to bluegrass and rhythm and more. Our conversation was wide but somehow felt focused. They don't know when the album is officially going to be released but I promise, it is worth the wait. 

Anthony and I go deep on life and art and the meaning of making things and being a person in today's world. He is a multi-media artist from Bed Stuy, Brooklyn in New York. He made the  photographs for my first album and we just finished the  images for my second album. I am really proud to say that I have worked with him but am even more honored that he is one of my best friends. Hope you enjoy.

Rich Tyo and I have a great conversation about the upcoming release of his debut album Inner Space/Outer Space on May 26. The topic of psychedelic healing sparked us into a spectrum of conversation on many things. Music, of course, how Rich started making music and how it is an important expression of his day job as a psychotherapist. 

The second half of my conversation with The Ropes we look deeply at the creative process and talk about how trust is a critical part of the creative collaborative process.

I know Hugh Christopher Brown, Pete Bowers and Jason Mercer because they played on my first album Revelation. But they are also the band The Ropes. In the first part of a two part conversation I have with them, they talk about how their lives on Wolfe Island converged to find each other as fellow musicians but then how a  grand piano brought their band The Ropes together, resulting in the release of their first self-titled album The Ropes. The second part of our conversation will be posted a week from today.  

Marcus and I have a conversation that winds through the streets of New York City, his recent collaborations with German eyewear designer Haffmans and Neuemeister and clothing designer Bod,  our favorite alternative  designer fashion,  as well as contemporary visual art and a  healthy dose of teasing which is always inevitable with us. I loved speaking with him  as I always do. He is a creative force to be reckoned with. 

Stephen West continually defies boundaries of what you ever believed knitting  could be outdoing himself over his ten year career with his vibrant designs and knitting patterns. Even if you have never picked up knitting needles, this conversation is one you'll enjoy because Stephen is so much fun. His joy for design and creating is so contagious you might find yourself knitting!

the LoftBlue (Chino) and I discuss music, life, performance, being present and love.

Laura Watt is a painter with whom I have been dialoguing most of my life about life, art, life, art, life, art, etc. and just good old B.S. She just opened her one woman show at the David Richard Gallery in Harlem, New York. In this interview, we range from the lofty heights of high Modernism to women's work, patience and becoming a nun. You can hear her interview on Spotify or iTunes and if you feel moved please follow, rate and/or subscribe. Those small acts help my show to reach more people. I hope you enjoy and thank you.

My first interview with another person (besides myself) on Graveyard Sessions is Hugh Christopher Brown (Chris), producer and singer songwriter as well as founder of Wolfe Island Records and the Pros and Cons program, a rehabilitative music production program throughout prisons in Canada. Chris and I met because he produced my album Revelation (Wolfe Island Records, 2020).

The title song Revelation has a connection to all the other songs on my album. This episode is an intense look at all of the ideas that gave me hope for so many years before I ever began making music.

Pomegranates, sweet and bittersweet, how ancient myths can illuminate our contemporary lives and even inspire us to invent new sounds based on old archetypes.

There are many reasons that 2020 was an unforgettable year. I think that the abundance of new music this year has also been unforgettable. A special edition for the podcast, it's the first 'best of' list for the Graveyard Sessions. It was really fun compiling and commenting on these songs that I am passionate about. It means so much to share them. Thanks for listening and have a beautiful holiday.

When my soul looks out at the highway...how spring time inspired me to write the Cold Side of Spring from my debut album Revelation.

In this episode I tell how this folk song became a funk song. I also, willingly and reluctantly, tell the story of the hookup that inspired me to write this song. I hope you'll take 20 minutes, have a cup of something and listen.

Heartbreak Garden is the first song I ever wrote. I talk about its evolution from a song in its initial state into its final produced version. I also talk about how I've learned to trust inspiration and write guided by the ineffable but very real channel that tells me what to write.

In this episode I explain how I wrote a song about a crazy woman, Akureyri, an ancient port town in Iceland where I have never visited, the unexpected genius of googling and the Captain's Walk. All of these things came together in one moment to inspire me to write the song. 

I dont think there is one formula that makes life great except for one: love. See how an impromptu lunch with an old friend inspired me to write the third song "The Conversation" on my debut album Revelation.

In this episode, I talk about how gray blue eyes, a holiday trip to Nashville and a Steve Earle fundraiser inspired me to write the second song on my debut album Revelation.

In this podcast I talk about how the sound of mourning doves lead me to hearing the lyrics and music for this song. I also tell the story of how three Texas musicians helped me create some of the verses.