I performed at the Heartland Cafe in Chicago last weekend as part of the Chicago Acoustic Underground Records Showcase there. I followed two other bands -- Sound Cinema (which features the awesome violin of Sarah Wong) and The Real Jane Martin (I've seen them perform before -- a year or two ago at Goose Island in Wrigleyville). My 45+ minute set was made up of 9 songs -- 8 of them are new songs that have yet to be properly recorded and I expect to be going into the studio before too much more of 2013 slips by...I'm trying to explore new styles and new topics for my songs.
Here are two examples from my show that represent this movement in my writing. "Summer Fire" I wrote during February Album Writing Month this year, but it has undergone some tweaks and some slight modifications to the music since then.
"Suddenly" I wrote within the past two weeks, and even since I performed it on Saturday I've been tweaking the lyrics and music. The story behind that song is that I found myself interested in the exploring the concept of relapse. I've witnessed more than my share in life of those who struggle with addiction and recovery and of course moments of relapse. I think this applies not only to drug abuse but to lots of things that we do to ourselves and to others that are not healthy.
I may perform one or both of these songs at the Chicago Songwriter Alliance gathering at the Tonic Room in Chicago in June, but mostly I'm just prepping my new music for my third album in three years (if all goes well and the stars and planets align). Thanks for your continued support and interest in my music!