Every year it seems I end up with a new "professional bio" that tries to tell you who I am and what I do. I figured this time I'd like to just try it myself. If I don't know the story, then nobody does, eh?
-The Beginning-
Central, Illinois, late 70's. I was born into a musical family. My mom plays the piano and clarinet, my dad plays the trumpet. I grew up with music all around me, albeit not the styles I tend to love. When I first heard bands like Pearl Jam and U2 in the early 90's, I felt two distinct things deep inside: There were other people who thought and felt like me, and I wanted to be a part of the making of that kind of music.
I got involved in YoungLife in high school, a Christian ministry for kids that age, and ended up playing guitar (poorly) at their weekly meetings. They were singing Beatles, Tom Petty, R.E.M., Van Morrison... All these great songs. Without consciously realizing it, I was getting an amazing musical education. I soaked those songs into my bloodstream and quickly began trying to write my own.
My childhood best friend, Mark Lockett, is an amazingly musical person, the things he can do on guitar have mystified me since I was 12. I begged him to teach me and a few years later (after a concert by a very young and collegiate Jars of Clay) we started our first band. After high school we ended up in Nashville in a legitimate band of our own, The Normals.
-The Normals-
The Normals made three records, the last two of which were made with a definitive band (Cason Cooley, B.J. Aberle, Mike Taquino, Mark and me) and were produced by the legendary Malcolm Burn (Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Peter Gabriel). We recorded in big, old houses and were really taught how to connect our skills and abilities to our passion and person. In short, we learned how to stop playing notes and start making music.
It was a definitive time for me.
We learned too late that something like compromise might actually not always be a bad thing. As we started marriages our financial needs outweighed what we could do with the band and we were decided to lay it to rest. This was also a definitive time for me, but not in a good way.
At that point, I was 23 years old, newly married and unemployed. And more than a little bitter about what had happened with the Normals. I was grateful, though, when Caedmon's Call asked me to fill in with them on an upcoming tour, as their former guitarist/vocalist had just left.
-Caedmon's Call-
What began as a substitute position ended up my main gig for six years. I ended up becoming a lead writer and producer of two of their albums, and got to really focus on the electric guitar since I was only singing lead some of the time. I traveled with them to India and Ecuador, and played hundreds and hundreds of shows with them. They're like family to me now and I'm so grateful for the years I spent with them. It's been a huge honor getting to be a part of their story.
-Solo-
All throughout my Caedmon's tenure I was also writing and recording solo albums. My first, Photographs, was released in 2003. It was a lyrical, story-song kind of record. Rainy nights, long drives kind of record. It was followed the next year by a short EP, recorded on the road, titled Souvenirs and Postcards. And then next was my rock record, The Morning.
By this time I had also started recording and producing other artists and opened a studio in my basement called The Velvet Eagle. We made a lot of great records down there, before my family started growing and I shut it down. I ended up getting to work at Sputnik Sound, an amazing studio here in Nashville run by Mitch Dane and Vance Powell. Those guys are incredible and I got to watch, listen and learn from them for two inspiring years.
During that period I created my Letters to the Editor EPs, over two consecutive summers. I asked folks here on my website to send in song ideas and I would write the tunes based on what they sent. So fun. I made quite specific rules to keep the recordings simple and creative, and ended up with some of my favorite songs in my catalog. What an honor it was to get to write specifically for and with the people who actually listen.
-Currently-
This past year I moved into my own new studio, in the Pentavarit building, around the corner from Sputnik Sound. It's great to have my own dedicated space to create and welcome artists into. In this room I finished my latest project, Choosing Sides. Probably my most pop/rock record, a lot of the songs deal with being a husband and a father to two beautiful little girls.
I don't travel as much as I used to, I want to be here with my family as much as I'm able, but I still do occasionally. Touring with Andrew Peterson, solo, or with other artists in my community still happens every now and then. I love the daily ritual of going to the studio and playing, singing, writing all day every day. I feel I'm performing and creating at a higher level now than ever, just because I'm able to do it more consistently.
Being an artist when you're in your early 20s feels like a late-night, romantic ideal. Like the movies, you know? But really, it's not like that at all. I have breakfast with my kids, go to the studio, work as hard as I can from 9 to 6, then come home and have dinner with my family.
Sometimes making music is magical and otherworldly, but only as the fruit of practice, hard work, respect and more hard work. To be able to do this with both quality and longevity, I need to be a regular person, and to make my art subservient to the greater callings of my heart. So the music is about more than just itself.
So, there's me in a rather large nutshell. I think I may have forgotten to say a few other things, but you'll probably figure them out as you click around the site. Thanks for reading this, for supporting me and my community of artist friends. I'm incredibly grateful to get to do this for a living, and I don't take it for granted.
Thank you.