“My Own Mistakes” is a song cycle, composed of material beginning before my children were born and ending with me realizing that I was the oldest man at the Thanksgiving table.  There’s nothing like having children to help us understand our own childhoods better, and I hope these songs convey some of the joys, fears, struggles and redemptions that I’ve found along the way.
 
Memory Line - written shortly after my father passed away, it’s a reflection on the passage of time and the memories that are triggered in daily life.
 
Near Life Experiences - the anxieties and anticipations of an expectant father.  Featuring my son Ben’s fetal heartbeat, recorded at the midwife’s office.
 
Baby Blues - if a baby could sing the blues, this might be what came out.  Featuring the virtuosity of Kevin Barry on electric guitar.
 
Walkin’ With the Boy - when my children learned to walk, it opened up a whole new world for them and for me.  One of the biggest joys of parenting was walking in the woods with them.
 
Wait A Minute - “ I wanna make my own mistakes”.  This song is a reflection on how often we ignore the advice of our elders. Written in the mid-80’s around the time my friends started having babies.
 
Look Cool - teenage boy angst, written in my late 20’s, when the memories were still fresh.
 
Curious - a song about how confusing our sexuality can be.  We start from an innocent place, and it gets more difficult from there.
 
Mystery Strings - sometimes I’m amazed that we survive long enough to have children. “We ain’t owed anything in life”.
 
Can You Forgive - forgiving our parents can be the hardest thing.
 
Fledglings - a song about saying goodbye to one's children as they grow up and leave the home.
 
Tell Me A Story - a humorous reflection on early relationships; “Time is a great deceiver and I like it that way”.
 
Tall Tree - written when I realized that I’m the oldest man at the Thanksgiving table, this song is an appreciation of the men who came before me and the families they helped raise.