About the album: “Until We See”
Until We See was about 3 years in the making. I found myself struggling to find my voice in the ever growing ocean of the music world. Singer/songwriters are in every bar and cafe across the country and I, like all musicians, wanted not just to add another drop into this ocean but to be unique, to offer something of value both lyrically and musically. This desire became an obsession and stunted my growth and ability to enjoy the songs I had been given. I would write a song but as it progressed I would compare myself with other artists that have impressed me and either found it to be well short of that standard or to be just another imitation. The graveyard of this albums unused material and alternate takes and mixes is immense.
The turning point, if there ever is an isolated moment in which we can shift directions, came when my good friend and musical collaborator Howie Lauer sat me down and said, “If you want to record this album you need to take a step back from it. Let other people decide whether it is worth listening to or not…you have never even given yourself a chance”. That conversation took me to a new place mentally, the place where I could commit myself to the completion of the project.
Of course, as a musician, there also needs to be a sense of satisfaction that comes with creation. I began writing and recording still struggling with the nagging doubts as to the worth of the music and having to actively lay aside my self-imposed regulations. In the summer of 2003 I re-met the woman who is now my wife. I had known her for many years and been attracted to her but time and distance had separated us. Maybe I should say that I met her for the first time in the way that I will see her for the rest of my life. I fell in love…but what does this have to do with the album? “Love covers a multitude of sins.” The potency of this truth began to be realized in every area of my life. In love, I released grace to my own music and was able to enter in and enjoy the process of writing and recording.
I have dedicated this album to my wife, Fiona, because of the freedom that came to me when she entered my life. I could have just as easily dedicated it to the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit as I know that He is the source of freedom and all good things.
Until We See is a collection of songs about finding my way sometimes with the light of truth sometimes on my own through the dark. The heart of the album is best summed up in these lines from the first track…
“Now I return through the darkness, stumbling over ground I never knew But for the beacon in the distance I would be lost But for the light in your window I’d wander the fields of an unforgiving love”
Calcutta
so far away from the dust, above the sea below the sky
where words loose their meaning and my heart stands
naked in the failing light
gold turns to red, the blue sky ignites
left alone with my soul on a wire,
the west alive in fire
i’ve been alone for days uncounted cause i buried you in my fears
now in the days last breath there’s no sound to take me away from here
gold turns to rust, the blues sky ignites
left alone with my soul on a wire, the west dying in fire
though it’s not too late
though it’s not too late
the sun is setting quickly
i must extract every beating of my heart, was it real was it true
and i return through the darkness, stumbling over ground i never knew
but for the beacon in the distance i would be lost
but for the light in your window, i’d wander the
fields of an unforgiving love
but for the light in your window