You Can Shine a Flashlight
Dena and I co-wrote You Can Shine a Flashlight back in 2012. Somewhere earlier in her spiritual journey, she had coined a phrase, "You can shine a flashlight, but not a flashdark..." While talking with a friend who was sharing about their fear of darkness and evil...
Anniversary
Happy Anniversary Dena and I celebrated our 12th year wedding anniversary this week on December 19th. I am truly blessed to be in partnership with a conscious, compassionate woman who is aware and spiritually evolving. One thing I have learned over the past 12 years...
Let Go
Song Spotlight: Let Go I referred to this new song, in passing, as part of a blog post this past October. The song is called Let Go. I was inspired to write it after hearing Iris DeMent perform at the Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom. For me, letting go is...
Singing through the Heart of Winter
On Retreat in Preparation for Winter Over the first weekend of December, Dena and I attended one of our favorite experiences called Singing Through the Heart of Winter. This annual end of year retreat brings together a number of friendly folks from our greater NorCal...
Gratitude
This week, I thought it would be a good idea to celebrate gratitude with a song written by one of my favorite children's songwriters/performers, Raffi. It's called Thanks a Lot. I appreciate the meditative quality to the singing and guitar playing. It's a simple chant...
Shift Happens
New Song Spotlight: Shift Happens I began writing this song, Shift Happens, a few years ago. It was inspired by something Dena wrote on a Daily Napkin that used the phrase, "Shift Happens." The title is a play on words and, yes, we all know how the original phrase...
Musical Adventures
Studio Adventures I hit the studio last weekend with a new creative thought. One of my tunes, Breaking the Chains, felt incomplete somehow. This was even after recording multiple tracks for it: lead vocal, harmony vocal, acoustic rhythm guitar, electric rhythm guitar,...
Meadowlark Goes to the New Co-op
"In mid-October, I took Meadowlark to the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new location of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op (SNFC) at 2820 'R' Street. For information on the new store, click here. I've been an active SNFC member over 35 years since the Fall of 1981...
The “Other” Hallelujah
Another Hallelujah Earlier this month, I found a powerful live version of the song, Hallelujah, written by Leonard Cohen. It was sung by a Toronto pop choral group that calls themselves Choir! Choir! Choir! I was deeply moved by the emotional and powerful expression...
No Changing the Truth
No Changing the Truth - An Homage No Changing the Truth came through my creative jukebox over five years ago. It has since become my homage to the great American folk songwriter, Bob Dylan. Just to be clear, I don't consider it a parody of Dylan's style or a...
Vocals Abounding…
At the end of September, I had some of my fellow music lovers and singers come into the studio for a vocal recording session. First, my wife, Dena, and Jeralynn Strong added their vocals to It Ain't Natural. This is a fun country-rock tune that we wrote together three...
The God Line
The God Line was written about three years ago. I took the writing from one of Dena's Daily Napkins and shaped it into a song. Dena and I have co-written a number of songs over the last five years or so and this is one of my favorites. Click here to read the original...