Guitar recital when I was 10 or
so! I’d picked up a guitar because my mom had an acoustic around the house when
I was young, then started taking lessons. I never really took off until I got
an electric guitar for Christmas one year. Not long after that, a buddy of mine
in high school was working on some songs that he needed help finishing. I
helped him, and it opened up the whole world of songwriting for me.
You are inspired by all things western. What musical artists have inspired you over the years?
Several of my biggest
influences were actually Bob Dylan, The Band, Van Morrison, and Townes Van
Zandt. I return to them over and over again. And of course, Pet Sounds by The
Beach Boys, and all things Beatles. And I grew up listening to classic rock and
grunge, along with Marshall Tucker Band, a band my dad loved.
Your first single, Outlaw’s Farewell is about Billy the Kid’s last night. A beautiful ballad, by the way. How did you find that information? Were you inspired by the work of James Charles Roy?
Thank you! It actually came
from an article in the great Old West magazine “True West” about an interview
with a friend (maybe girlfriend?) of the Kid, Paulita Maxwell, sister to Pete
Maxwell. I had been working on a ballad partially inspired by Sam Peckinpah’s “Pat
Garrett and Billy the Kid” and grew up loving Young Guns since I was an 80s
kid. In the article, it mentions the Kid’s final words, overheard by Paulita,
as “Quien es son esos afuera?” which translates to “who are those men outside?”
When I read those words, they fit perfectly for the ending of my ballad, and
that’s how it came about.
Have you read other books about ‘the Kid’ such as the one by fellow Texan, W. C. Jameson? If so, is there something about Billy that fascinates you, or is it Western history in general?
I have not read Jameson’s book,
but have read Robert Utley’s excellent history, “Billy the Kid: A Short and
Violent Life.” And I’ve been fascinated with Billy since I grew up with a dad
who loved the Old West, and took me hunting when I was very young. We used to
bird hunt in an old caliche pit in South Texas, and it always reminded me of
the set from Young Guns.
But Western history in general does fascinate me, especially Native American history. I’m also fascinated with the idea of untangling the legend from the facts of Old West events, and how those myths get started. John Sayles’ great movie “Lonestar” was a big influence on me loving that murky grey area between fact and fiction in our perception of the Old West, and being fascinated by that borderland of the west where so many diverse races and characters intersected. I feel like the US as a country is still dealing with the legacy of the West, so for me it’s always ripe with stories.
The album is entitled, What Keeps the Heart Afloat. Where did the title come from?
It comes from one of my
favorite lines on the album, in the song “Dennis,” about Beach Boy drummer
Dennis Wilson: “What makes a man go under and what keeps the heart afloat?” The
songs on the album are my attempt to answer that question.
The Pandemic put a lot of things on hold, including this album, yet you were working a lot behind the scenes. Was there anything that may have came out differently, because of the extra time you had to finesse?
Well, I got laid off from my
job during the pandemic, and then thankfully found a better paying job that
allowed me to hire a promoter! So, in that sense, I was able to give it a
better shot than I would have pre-pandemic. The album was finished right as the
pandemic started, so it did put the album on hiatus until I was able to put
money back into completing the promo side of it.
What do you love most about What Keeps the Heart Afloat?
I love that it’s uncluttered.
It’s mostly me and my guitar, and so I feel like the songs are expressed more
directly. Producer Mason Shirley and I tried to keep it as natural as possible.
Our barometer was “would this sound good around a campfire?” So many
singer-songwriters release albums that are dense with overdubs and
overproduction. I wanted to stay away from that, and I think it comes through
in the songs. Plus, these are some of my favorite songs I’ve written.
Do you think this ‘western’ vein is your signature or is there more waiting for a turn?
I think I’ll always return to
the West in songs because I find it so fascinating, but there’s also other
elements on this album too. So we’ll see, I’ve already got a handful of songs
ready for another album, both West-themed and regular old story songs.
I look forward to reviewing the album tomorrow. In the mean time, here's a video of one of the songs from the album:
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