My album, Earthly, is one year old. I want to take a moment to celebrate it — not because I want to be self-congratulatory, but because this album means so much to me; I want to carve out a little space in my heart (and on the internet) to reminisce and give thanks.

We’re [Gonna Be] Alright

I wrote the first two songs for Earthly in July of 2021, while I was at an Airbnb in rural Kansas. My dad had died a couple months prior, and I needed to spend some time in solitude to grieve, pray, and sort out my thoughts. That time in my life felt as though I was walking into a wilderness, and I couldn’t see two steps in front of me. However, the songs I wrote in that Airbnb — “You Won’t Ever Abandon Me” and “We’re Gonna Be Alright” — were filled with hope.

Now, as I look back on what happened after that, I can see that all of the songs on Earthly were written while I was in that wilderness, and by the time I released this album, I felt like I had finally found myself in greener pastures.

The prophecy foretold that we were gonna be alright, and indeed, we are.

Photo by Byron Jones, from my Albums Release Show, 9/2/23

Finding My Voice

Some of the Earthly songs took a little poking and prodding for me to record and release, and others forced me to dig deep for more courage.

For example, I wrote “Hard Time”, but immediately wrote it off as a song I’d never release, because I was too scared. Thankfully, I had good friends who encouraged me to record it and put it on the album. It stretched me emotionally to do it, but I am so glad I did, because ultimately, that decision signaled to myself that it’s okay for me to say how I feel. Even if it’s a breakup song, even if it might offend someone. My intention wasn’t to hurt anyone or to be offensive, but to give voice to the pain that I was used to bottling up inside of me.

In writing, recording, and releasing “Hard Time”, as well as “I Know Better” and “People Change”, I finally gave myself permission to truly feel what I feel, and actually say what I want to say.

Artistic Growth

I gave myself new experiences as an artist as I was trying to make Earthy the best it could be. For example, I reached out to a bigger artist than me (although not a household name by any stretch of the imagination), and invited him to collaborate on “Serenity” with me. He declined, by way of never responding to any more of my emails after we had one Zoom call.

It’s hard to put yourself in a vulnerable position like that, and it’s hard to get rejected. I felt probably more embarrassed than hurt, but only for a little bit; I like to laugh about it now. And as it turns out, I’m kind of glad he didn’t want to go through with it. I don’t think we were a good fit, and I love how “Serenity” turned out as it is.

By far my favorite new artistic experience, though, was making the transition from artist to artist/producer. I had been learning about the engineering and production process through working on my previous releases, but by the time we were working on “We’re Gonna Be Alright”, I was the one in the driver’s seat, doing all the engineering and editing myself. In fact, “We’re Gonna Be Alright” is the first song I produced in a proper studio (as opposed to my bedroom).

Photo by Josh Harper (Got Proof) at Golden Bear Studio

I am so thankful to Bryan Vanderpool for not only patiently answering the thousands of questions I’ve asked him over the years as I sought to learn about this world, but also for taking a chance on me by letting me sit in his chair at Golden Bear Studio — not only for my own music, but for others’ as well (see: Empty Smith, and keep an eye out for more artists soon!)

All The Photos

From the photo shoot I did with Liz Brown in Chicago, the photos Josh Harper took in the studio one night, and the photos that Byron Jones took at the release show, here are some of my favorites Earthly images:

All The Videos

Matt and I shot four Earthly music videos while we were on vacation in Estes Park, Colorado with the kids, and I love how they turned out. It’s hard to go wrong with shooting video in gorgeous Colorado. And Byron Jones shot some footage of a few songs at my Albums Release Show (one year ago today!).

Watch them here:

All The Quotes

Here are my favorite quotes from Earthly songs:

“It might have worked back when I was young, and dumb, and desperate
But now I’m old, and wise, and mad”
-I Know Better

“Juliet to your Romeo
Bonnie to your Clyde
But I felt more like France to your Napoleon
You wanna conquer and I don’t get why”
-Hard Time

“I find you fighting your instincts
You find me biting my tongue
Our connection is shifting, organic and living
These types of things bend and pull”
-People Change

“This world’s not as it ought to be
A principle I find bewildering
Yet I see a beacon of hope shining
A light in the land of the living”
-Hiding Place

“I hear the doorbell, it’s the snake oil man
And I’m not feeling too polite
I turn the porch light off while I look him in the eye
Sir, not tonight, no, not tonight”
-I Know Better

“Clouds flee the clear blue sky
A choir of songbirds sing
Everywhere are signs of life
’Cause life is a stubborn little thing”
-Life is Stronger

“What I’m trying to say is I’m just human
And just how strong do you think I am?
Oh, just how strong do you think I am?”
-Can I Just Be Weak

“I had a hard time getting over you
But it was a harder time when I was with you”
-Hard Time

Thank You!

Thank you so much for listening! Thank you for reading this blog post and indulging me as I celebrate this little mind-child of mine. I am so grateful that I get the opportunity to spend my time creating music, and it means the world to me that it finds an audience somewhere out there!

Happy Birthday, Earthly

Go Along

City of Glass