Loverboy's 'Get Lucky' is on the turntable as I type this, and that seems pretty appropriate, since I feel pretty damn fortunate to have had so many of you fine folks snatch up copies of my new solo record the minute it became available a couple of weeks back.
I'm not gonna lie, there was tremendous sense of trepidation, and some pretty severe anxiety attached to tackling a long-player without my merry band of cohorts in tow.
Budget concerns? You bet. Instead of doing a slew of shows, and socking away a percentage of the dough generated to cover the costs of studio time and all the other attendant costs associated with the production of a full-length album, I was gonna have to ante up my own coin to get this thing from zygote to actual hatchling. Not being independently wealthy, this was a hurdle… I'm still attempting to clear it, and probably will be for a while.
Possibly apathetic response to the whole concept? Sure. All I can do is round up the material I feel best represents me in this present day & age, songs that resonate with me right NOW, and hope the sincerity inherent in the ones I personally have the most attachment to is undeniably evident. I mean, let's face it, if you're a decent enough craftsman, it's pretty easy to string together a bunch of things that might find favor with people keen on past efforts, but as much as you may be pleasing those who crave their familiar flavors, if you've already served that dish a handful of times or more, you'd think it would be time to change the menu a bit. Sadly, this is a notion that occasionally backfires…or at the very least goes unappreciated by a few people who would probably rather the seasons didn't change either. I myself embrace a little evolution now and then, and generally approve when something changes from album to album besides the cover art. As such, I took a few liberties with this release, seeing as I only had myself to answer to.
The fact of the matter is, for every brief stretch of smooth sailing in the preceding year or so, there have been leagues of choppy water that threatened to upend the otherwise sturdy vessel I call my mind. A lot of the time I wondered if I was being tested, or just being jerked around for the amusement of some higher power. I'll probably never know, but it really doesn't matter to me since I'm still here, and I got a bunch of songs out of the deal that I really love, songs that hopefully some other folks will find a kinship with or solace in too.
OK then, with all that worry and confessional blather exorcised like so much pea soup, or a bladder on the rug, let's get to the business.
The album is available NOW on CD. Get it HERE!
or PRE-order it from iTunes and get it on Friday (11/4)
If you're worried that you might be one of those people that only eats cheeseburgers, and won't even think about sushi, here's a link to stream the whole thing in its entirety, so you can find out just what it is you MIGHT be missing.
Once you've satisfied your curiosity, and likely spent a modest sum, we can proceed with business regarding my day gig The Great Affairs, and our return to the live stage, right here in scenic downtown Nashville, TN, where we'll be supporting our good friends Stone Senate on Tuesday, November 29th at The High Watt(above Mercy Lounge/The Cannery Ballroom). This is a FREE show, and it kicks off early, so can come straight from work if you'd like. Doors are at 6:30, and we should be striking our initial downbeat at 7PM, followed by the SS boys around 8 or thereabouts. It's a party, so wear shiny shoes, and do your hair for once. Stuff like that pays off.
Oh yeah, and for everyone who's wondering whatever happened to that EP of covers we've been promising for the better part of a year now….well, it's almost done. We've booked The Switchyard for November 18th & 19th to get in there and wrap that nonsense up, so we can hopefully have it out shortly thereafter. 'Six Pack' is the name, and it's gonna feature our take on tunes from Thin Lizzy, Don Henley, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Cheap Trick, Fleetwood Mac, and Enuff Z'Nuff. One was a hit, and the rest should've been.
OK then…gotta run, but here's what's on the books beyond November, and what look to be our last shows for 2016:
FRI, DEC 2ND THE LOFT COLUMBUS, GA 9PM
SAT, DEC 3RD THE HUMMINGBIRD MACON, GA 10PM
FRI, DEC 9TH JOHN BROWN'S ON THE SQUARE MARION, IL 9PM
SAT, DEC 10TH THE CROWDED HOUSE MADISONVILLE, KY 8:30PM