December 17, 2018
In Line for a Smile
This album exists because of Creative BC. I hadn’t even planned on recording & releasing a solo album in 2018.
Lion Bear Fox was busy touring, I was in the midst of the ongoing battle to balance a career in music and maintain a healthy family life, and things were rolling out as I had planned. But my plans never work out…
We got the news that Creative BC had given us a grant to record a full length album, so I got to work. I knew Zak Cohen, who owns and operates the Woodshop, where LBF had recorded before, and we seemed to have some musical common ground.
I sent Zak about 20 songs, and we conversed about which ones to record… We both agreed that I had done the ‘stripped down’ thing for a few albums now, and it was time to roll out a big-sounding record, with great players. We recorded over 12 days in June, and it was to be my favourite recording experience to date. Whether that’s because I’m old enough to enjoy it, mature enough to properly collaborate, or humble enough to know my own musical limitations – I dunno.
The songs are all love letters to those I’ve known, places I’ve existed or people I’ve been. It’s a snapshot of a soon-to-be middle-aged man trying to beat the blues; trying with all his might to not grow up. I’m rambling… I view it as the high-water mark of my career so far. It’s the most ‘me’ I’ve ever sounded.
Key Tracks:
“In Line For a Smile” – I wanted a 70’s California, Jackson Browne / Fleetwood Mac kind of vibe for this one, and I think we accomplished that. The entire album is based around this title track.
“This House is Not For Sale” – I wrote this after the sale of my Grandparents’ house, which I took hard. My Grandpa Bob was a huge influence on my stage persona especially, and when he passed away in 2016, I kind of experienced this emotional auto-pilot period in which this song was initially conceived. It doesn’t matter how many years we get with the people & places we love the most – sometimes it feels like it’s never enough.
“Too Tired For Love” – Sure, it’s a single, but it’s got some of my favourite lines I’ve ever written. A reminder that in our ultra-connected state, we’re all actually disconnected – more than ever before. “I forgot who I thought I was…”
