The Here & Back Again

Okay, it’s old news by now, I travel to Colorado a few times a year to practice and record with the Brian David Collins band and sound engineer Darren Radach at Stout Studios. Every album is different, and every album is the same, all about expressing the heart and where it is at a particular time in life.

The new record, Here and Back Again, is an exception to this. Half the tracks from this record are songs written in the long past, even as early as 2004!

In 2022 and the earlier months of 2023, I was having trouble writing new material I felt was worth recording. I wanted to continue recording so in those days I thought I would compile a record of songs from the past that had never had their chance on a record.

In April of 2023, something miraculous happened! I began getting new song ideas, ones that had substance, ones that were worth pursuing. The first to be written is the single from the record, Never Stop Reaching Out, track 1. This goes back to my BDC roots of writing love songs for my wife Dana. Then came Source Of freedom, After The Fall, Stop Breaking Down and Please Here Me Now.

All the new songs seemed to be about healing and rediscovery of the youthful magic of life. I got on the phone with Tom and sent him the ideas for the songs. Excitement for the record grew. The other half of the record, Can’t Speak, written in 2004, Keep Living On Strong, Fit to Be Tied and the title track, Here and Back Again, were all songs from the past.

I named the album after the final track, Here and Back Again, because it seemed like a perfect fit to my process of traveling back to my old home, Back Again, to record original music with the people I love and trust. In my opinion it’s love and trust that makes great music.

So here I am, with a new blog and a new album, and if you’re still reading,

I love you too!!