And now a bio that takes longer to read than listening to the album. Woop! :-D

I played in a garage band in high school; kind of. We never had a drummer. My 2 best bro’s and I would get together and play. Our name was fantastic: Johnny Payphone and the Beef Sandwiches. We had a handful of originals, and covered some of our favorite bands (Blink, TBS, the Ataris, etc.). Eventually we stopped and went our separate ways, but I fondly remember that brief period of being a part of something. As years went by I would dream of playing music, but never felt like I had anything to say or contribute to the world. It festered. Life felt empty. I did what I thought I was supposed to do. One day I looked in the mirror and did not recognize the person I had become. My dreams were on hold… for what? I started to play music again, but was terrified of writing a song. What if it sucked? So, in order to give myself the push I needed, I decided to write a song and make it intentionally suck (which became Make it Suck, surprise!). There. It was done. And it sucked. And the world kept turning. I was still breathing. Not quite as traumatic as my fears wanted me to believe. Pieces of songs started to emerge, and then came together. Another few years went by and I was sitting on a handful of songs. During that time I watched a documentary called “Trying it at Home” about DIY punk (youtu.be/0YXig689shg) as well as “Never Get Tired,” another documentary about one of my favorite bands: Bomb the Music Industry (www.nofuturefilms.com). I would watch them and feel inspired, then remind myself of my severe lack of any musical talent and talk myself out of it. Then watch them again and repeat.

In February 2020 I decided to start taking steps to do something about this dream and purchased a Focusrite Scarlett Solo (110), an SM57 microphone (99), headphones (80) and later received an AKG-P220 condenser microphone as a gift. I started playing around with GarageBand and doing some recording. Being able to write a song while recording it was a mindblower. “Testing the Waters” was created that way. It was new and exciting, but quickly I realized I was naive and NOT a natural. After years of listening to DIY music it was easy for me to ignore the imperfections; which is part of the reason why I love DIY music so much. The passion despite the imperfections. The vulnerability. The shoddy recording, screechy off-key vocals, and unpolished mix. I did not turn to music so I could jam my square peg into a round hole and conform to a bunch of musical rules based on what is popular. I was drawn to music because it was a blank canvas to do whatever I wanted. To play and sing out-of-key because I am a regular person just like you, and you, too, are able to create regardless of our inexperience. We are attracted to passion, honesty, and vulnerability. Will it be for everyone? Of course not (especially not real musicians), but it will resonate with those that need to hear it the most. Those that are longing to connect about the shared struggles of life.

Even though I accepted my innocence I still wanted to get better, so I signed up for some courses through Recording Revolution and began investing as much time as I could into it. Initially it was getting solo songs recorded, but at some point I reconnected with some friends who were in a band with my brother. After college he moved away and I took his place playing bass. We decided to try and record some of our songs. Months went by recording, mixing, being discouraged by how much it sucked, repeat. I got burnt out and decided to switch focus to the solo songs I had written. Write some new songs. Mixing. Discouraged by its suck. Back to the band. Mixing. Discouraged by its suck. Back to solo. Write some new songs. All of the while learning more.

In April of 2021 I was still very self-conscious of what I was working on, but I stumbled on a website called Song Fight! (songfight.org) Essentially it is a continuous songwriting competition with no real reward / prize / trophy beyond a simple announcement. They post a song title on the site and a due date, usually 7-10 days. Anyone can write a song and submit it. A couple days later all of the submissions are posted. Anyone can listen to the songs and vote. It seemed like the perfect way to get over the fear of actually releasing something. It was fun and exhilarating. The time constraint was actually EXTREMELY helpful for me. Knowing that I did not have a lot of time forced me to go with my gut and pursue whatever idea I had. “Three Quarters” was written and submitted on 5/27, and it is a song I am extremely happy with. The version on this EP is slightly updated.

Back to the band. Mixing. Discouraged by its suck. Back to solo. Mixing. Discouraged by its suck. Back to the band. Mixing. Songs start to actually sound good to me… wtf!? We legitimately get 5 songs we’re totally happy with and I realize I am still sitting on 13+ songs that I would love to share. Back to solo. I decide to make it less insurmountable and select 4 songs for an EP with the intent of releasing the rest later. Record “I wrote this song in high school; it doesn’t have a name.” which is a song I wrote in high school. For some reason it always stuck with me. That song practically wrote itself. The chords just happened and the lyrics all flowed out. I kept picturing this couple dancing and for some reason they knew it might be their last dance. That some decision had to be made that would either split them up, or bring them together. It still feels so vivid. I take 2 weeks to listen to and make updates pretty much everyday. Happy with the songs.

This is an introduction. A safe introduction. The next part of the story is where things get personal. What do I have to lose? Nothing crazy here except for me putting myself out there and testing the waters, but it’s not about me, it’s about encouraging you to step outside of your comfort zone and start taking steps toward doing what you’ve always known in your heart you wanted to do. Just show up. Make it suck. Do the work.