I have been writing songs since I was 14. Hundreds of them by myself and with trusted friends. I do it for my own pleasure. Yes, I’ve played them out with bands. I did the Asbury Park, NJ scene when I was much too young for that. But for the most part these are creations done at home. Just demos of ideas I have had. I’ve have no illusions about what they are and what I get out of them. It’s just another avenue of expression.
Sunset In Asbury Park
Yes, I know the risk of writing a song about Asbury Park, NJ. Some other guys have done a really good job of that. But I grew up on the Jersey Shore and it is my home turf. Asbury Park has played an essential, often confounding, role in my life.
The seeds of this song came via text sent from my lifelong friend and musical confidant George Robson IV while stuck at a railroad crossing. The “sunset” in question is Sunset Avenue in Asbury Park. The text sounded like a chorus to me. And so it was.
Twilight (cover)
Obviously not my songwriting.
The social media team for The Band asked followers to #covertheband. So I did.
There’s no point in trying to imitate the masters like Robbie Robertson so I went my own route with a newly arranged version of “Twilight.” This one is just for fun.
Hard Dirt Road
The protagonist looks back on their rural youth and years of rebellion, where the difficult path was the most alluring. “Easy isn’t better every time” is the mantra of a life filled with challenges, both unavoidable and self-inflicted.
Blackwater
Blackwater is meditation on fear as a motivator of those who seek power for the sake of power.