Grateful…

We have moved on to the second phase of CD creation. The music part is easy, labor intensive and time consuming for sure, but we are musicians. It is what we do. CD production, on the other hand, different beast. The process moves from auditory to visual, and that is just not my strength. It is these moments that I realize how truly fortunate I am to have an amazing supporting cast, and they are all more than willing to help us.

Yesterday I contacted Scott Church to see if we could use one of his photos for the cover. In true SM fashion I reached out via Twitter. Here is his response:

To put this into context, Scott is famous. Dude travels all over the word conducting Photography Workshops, his art is hung in amazing galleries, he has 5 or 6 books to his credit, and photography is how he makes a living. He could have easily said no or charged me an exorbitant fee to use an image or lifted a fine art nose and not even responded, but this is the same Scott that was in the Gulf with me onboard the U.S.S. Tarawa, the same Scott that took me to my first coffeehouse and was there to support me the first time I did a poetry reading, the same Scott that gave me my first Kerouac.

But it doesn’t stop there…Corey Woodruff, former bandmate of mine and up-and-coming photographer. When we needed band photos, Corey stepped in, planned the shoot, and captured some amazing moments.

We certainly cannot forget Stephanie Tolle. Not only did she create our first logo and all of the images for our tour posters, she has also taken the best videos of the band and shot the coolest live images of us:

You’d think I would be done at this point, but NO! Enright’s girlfriend, Amanda is constantly helping us create fun and fresh handbills.

And it would be impossible to forget Nathan Hutchison who did the layout and design for my last 4 CDs.

Moments like these make me realize how truly fortunate I am.

Although I am not skilled in the visual arts, I am hopeful I can still make you see things, enjoy:

waking with manufactured images
creating a water ballet in grey matter

merging ancient images with modern stills
forming the movie that greeted cognition with smiles

embracing the sensation of you in my chest
breathing in unison as it was meant to be

Forget

I wrote last night. After some bar hopping and too many cocktails my newly sober mind was awake on the top down drive from downtown St. Louis to my little oasis in the Pete. For those that follow my blog (sincerely thank you if you do, ya’ll don’t comment much, but I watch my numbers, and as they increase it makes me feel like I am connecting with people, even if you choose to remain faceless) I am hoping that you can see a difference in the writing.

For the past several weeks my inspiration well has been dry and the muse was off seducing some other simple minded fool, eyes all glistening from sap and perceived love. In the desire to continually create, I have been borrowing inspiration and compelling the words to come out and play. Not last night, last night she was with me, fingers through hair, softly whispered lies of love. She impelled the words, made them keep me up until 3:00 when I could embrace the final line. She is a flirt, a whore, and as unfaithful as a barnyard bitch, but I love when she visits me.

I sincerely hope you enjoy:

Forget

Shot out of city like prisoner escaping pen
40/64 on-ramp final barbed fence before freedom
And freedom snake slithers above intoxicated dreams dripping from drunken lips
Inebriated breakups and breaking bottles now faint…distant
Delicate sounds embrace my mind
And all I want is to feel wind dry my body damp from thick air
And Summer’s sunshine kiss
All I want is to forget
The night
The day
The week
The Green Dragon sparring with the Captain
The moments between when I fell in love with you
And when I realized you would never love me
The time spent in dreams of your head on my belly
Its rise and fall closing tired eyes
My fingers found in soft strands hiding your nape
Its tender presence reserved for candlelight and whispered wants
But I can’t take my mind off of you

Before I close out, I have to mention the Pledge drive one more time. We are SO close, 70% of the way there, but we are running out of time. We only have 11 days to hit that mark or it was all for not. So please take a moment to pledge if you have not. Remember, you are not just giving us money, you are getting something for each level you pledge, whether you are just pre-ordering a CD (or multiple CDs, they will make awesome stocking stuffers, birthday gifts, anniversary presents...okay maybe not anniversary presents, but...) or signing up to roadtrip with the band, introduce us at a show, have us play at your house, etc. Also, there are TONS of exclusives that have been posted to the Pledge site, 22 updates total with 10 videos, 2 photos, 4 tracks, and lots of lyrics. AND, once we hit our target 25% of everything we raise goes to the American Cancer Society. So help us complete this awesome CD and give back to a great organization.