1. You still do

2. halfway to the edge

3. vitamin D in the shade

4. ignoring the feeling

5. union Pacific Getaway Car

6. Honeycomb Sun

7. pictures in the photobooth with a stranger

8. Catch my Groove

I believe that our best days are still ahead of us.
The highest highs are rooted in rediscovery and creation, rather than pure nostalgia.

The joy of hearing your parent’s favorite song, the one they’d sing in the kitchen while they cooked rice and beans, deepens when you revisit the entire album. Now, at their age when it was released, you experience the music through the filter of your own life, finding something both familiar and entirely new.

Though I grew up with many musical genres, my adult life as a musician has drawn me ever closer to the smooth west coast sounds of the mid 70’s– where session players, big band jazz influences, and the indulgence of the era churned out nonstop, radio-ready singles and tinted the LA River a decadent pinot noir purple.

I never quite related to the gritty, grungy sentiments of “Rock n Roll”. What sets my soul on fire are the intricate arrangements, brass counterpoint, and meticulous productions of Steely Dan, Little Feat, and Wings. Though I can’t help but laugh—those artists, brilliant in execution, hilariously lacked self-awareness. Maybe time just amplifies the cheesiness of it all.

From my cozy little home studio in North Carolina, I aim to build a similar castle out of sweet Santa Monica sand, but I choose to chuckle at its attempted grandiosity and how seriously I commit to its creation– before the next wave of ideas, like Hokusai himself, brings it crashing down. Because if I’m not laughing at myself, I know I haven't fully processed whatever I’m going through. 

-JM