My EP Is Finally Out and I'm Excited...And Worried.

As the title states, my solo acoustic EP "Long Story Short" has been released. It has been a goal of mine my entire life to put out an album for public consumption, and I'm proud of it. I recorded everything totally live because that is how I envisioned it. My idea from the start was to write a song, and record that song the very day it was written so I had no time to overthink it or question myself in any way. Could I have made the songs better by sitting on them and refining them? Maybe. But that also could have ruined them. There was just something about writing a song and recording it--finalizing it--all in one day that appealed to me. It was a challenge I put upon myself to write and record something worth listening to in a single evening.

The first song I wrote for this project (I didn't know it was even going to be a project at the time) was "The Battle", the first song on the EP. It was autobiographical in many ways because I was that man a few years ago. I drank way too much, and subconsciously I knew that it could only lead to a very bad ending, but when one is down and completely out, one just doesn't care. I was going through a divorce, which--if anyone else has been through one--is one of the hardest things in life to get through, especially when children are involved. It was touch and go for me mentally for awhile, but I made it through. I pray that the man in the song does too.

People seemed to like that first song after I posted it, so I wrote another called "Flying" which also seemed to 'get over'. These were always the kinds of songs I wanted to write because I love ALL kinds of music. To me, music is emotion. There are wonderful songs in every genre. If you only like one kind of music, then you my friend, are missing out on so so much. EVERY genre has something to offer you, because music is not just something to fill up the silence; it is so much more.

After "Flying", my friend Evan texted and said I should write a murder ballad. That felt like a challenge, so the next night "The Burial of Curtis Penrod" was written and recorded. Evan then wrote and said "a few more and you can release an EP." I hadn't even considered that. I was just having fun writing outside of my perceived realm (which was rock rock rock at the time, having only been seen in public playing in rock bands). This was fun, intoxicating, and above all, therapeutic.

Over the next week, I wrote and recorded six songs that filled the bill. Then, I moved all the way from Minnesota back home to Kentucky after being away for over a decade. I knew I needed a seventh song to complete an EP, so I wrote and recorded in one day, the song "I Only Care" when I got settled in Kentucky.

So here we are, present tense. I have released this EP. The title says as much, but it also says that I'm worried. Why?

Because I have always been perceived as this "rock guy". I've only ever performed live in rock bands, even though I have always loved songs and artists from every genre. Folks are such elitists these days whether it comes to music, literature, religion, or politics. It's so sad to me. I have never cared what side of the political aisle one is on, or what God (if any) one does or does not believe in, or what color ones skin might be. None of that has ever mattered to me. I see so many people these days drawing conclusions and outright hating others for their beliefs. It is heartbreaking. I'm a simple musician. I write and play songs I like to play, but I still worry what others will think of me when I release them. Will they automatically hate me because I come out with a song in a genre they don't like? Will they choose to call me a 'poser' because I release an EP outside of my perceived realm?

I realize in the grand scheme of things that whatever opinions others may have of me is not important, but my psyche disagrees. It is a problem I am continually working on. Regardless, I am proud of "Long Story Short". It is like a weight off of my shoulders getting to write these songs. I love them all because a part of me is in each one. I am currently the happiest I have ever been, and while I know it won't last, I'm enjoying every minute of it.