At the time this ep launched, there were no parties, no live-streams, no friends, no nothing. I imagine I could have worked something out. Instead, I'm in a hotel room in Houston, Texas. I'm out on a job. Working with my hands is something I'm proud to do, and I appreciate the trade I learned from my dad, espeically now that I've been able to work it on my own terms for the better part of a decade.

While it's impossible to get everything done of a day, I believe the work I do connects me with the real world, and therefore makes for better songs, better poems. It is clear to me, especially after the events of last year, that the world is not as it seems online. It doesn't take much wandering and conversating to pick up on that. And, it's a hell of lot harder to be an asshole when you're standing in front of someone who holds a different opinion. In fact, it drives you toward empathy and compassion. 

Well, with that said, I'll turn back to the release of these three tunes. I decided, sitting in silence, that I might hit record and talk about how they came to be realeased together as Early Morning Songs. This isn't a tell-all, and it's likely as rambling a bit as what you've just read.

These songs came together in an unlikely way (story for another time). The idea of cold songs, early morning songs, is one I'd been carting around for more than a few North Idaho winters. Maybe something I was trying to articulate from all my winters growing up. I lived for a few years in the Southwest and spent some time in Hawaii. It just wasn't the same. I missed the struggle, elemental survival. Nothing warms me up quite like breaking into song, seeing my hot breath carry it out into the dense, cool space. There's a defiant quality about it. I like that. 

Here's the first of three recordings. The full EP will be available on June 4th, 2020. 

Check out the lyric video, like and subscribe, comments appreciated!

My daughter wrecked her first car, rolled it in a ditch. You know that part in the movie where someone comes into the room to and says, "You're daughter is fine, but she's been in an accident..."? That's exactly how it happened. So much so that I paused in the slow motion of the moment and thought, "Really, just like that, huh?". 

Nobody got hurt. She didn't damage anything more than a couple of trees. I think I knew about everyone on the fire department, most of the ambulance crew too. The sheriff's deputy that responded was a good guy, actually helped me roll the car back up onto the road. It was a best case scenario. 

Here I am, trying to get her car from our old place in Idaho to our new place in Montana (about 15 minutes down the road, just so happens to be a state line in the middle). She had it packed with all her things and we thought I'd make it without lighting on fire. We were right. No fire. I mean, it wanted to overheat. But, there weren't any flames. That's okay I guess. Preferable really (I was just reminded of an incident with some musical acquaintances of mine back in the day. Click here to see their poor van go up in a blaze of what is most definitely not glory).

Anyway. It was leaking enough that I couldn't keep it from overheating. It was good of her to pack her guitar. I decided to make the best possible use of my time sitting on the side of HWY 200, waiting for someone to notice I'd been gone an awful long time.

Here's a song that I meant to counter a certain presence in my mind. Hagridden, means tormented or worried, as if by a witch.