In the late spring of 1989, with a head full of exciting college radio, I pushed open the door to a tiny shop on Islington Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, ironically named the Guitar Warehouse.  I spoke to the owner Rod for a bit, ogled and fondled various six strings hanging on the wall, forked over $75 and walked out with a well-used Hondo strat.  It was an absolutely terrible guitar (“piece of shite” my Brit friends would say), but it was sparkly candy apple red, and to me, a Stratocaster.  Bands like Husker Du, the Cure, and a range of punk/new wave/industrial types were in my head, and I was going to learn how to play.

And then Bob Mould’s Workbook happened.  I walked into Newbury Comics in Boston, and that CD was on the counter, so I asked the desk jockey about it, and he was all praise for about 5 minutes. Would not stop talking.  I got that disc home and was stunned by a beautiful acoustic 12-string instrumental that kicked it off.  “What is this?” From a founder of the seminal punk rock band Husker Du?

He started touring that album, and I got a chance to see him at NightStage in Cambridge in the fall.  Just him, an acoustic twelve string, a blue strat, and a stool.  To a packed club, he explained “I’m going to be sitting down all night, and you’ll probably be more comfortable if you do too.” And we all did.  Welcome to my first folk show.  Sitting on the grungy floor of a Cambridge nightclub, ass to elbow with hundreds of sweaty kids, enthralled with a guy telling stories that I only knew from high energy punk records played at warp speed.  I was hooked.

Fast forward almost 30 years, and I’d been in and out of various original and cover bands, playing electric guitar and bass primarily, but always noodling on the side with an acoustic guitar just for fun and for campfires.  I got lured into watching a good friend’s band rehearse – Stu had been working on a country cover band with some outstanding musicians, and he invited me down on a Thursday night to have a few beers and watch them rehearse.  I had no idea about country music, and knew only one or two of the songs, but musically they were killing it. Then they launched into “Super 8” by Jason Isbell – and I was like what the f#ck is that???!!!  There are two long stories that come out of this now…

First, turns out the “beers and watch us rehearse” was code for, we need a second guitar player, are you interested?  Duped? Yes.  Interested?  Hell yes. After learning a few of their songs and giving it a go at a rehearsal, we all deemed it a good fit, and I became the second guitar player in Whiskey Horse.  A brilliant chance to play with some super guys, great musicians, and learn how to play country music.

Second, the lead singer Jon turned me on to more Jason Isbell, and this is where the story really goes.  Isbell’s album Southeastern is full of amazingly well-crafted, beautiful acoustic guitar-driven songs, with incredible stories and storytelling.  This turned me upside down, and I dove quickly into his catalog, the Drive-By Truckers, and started learning more about acoustic folk, and trying to play his songs.

My second “duping” in this story is that my friend Jon introduced me to a friend of his, a Berklee College of Music professor named Scarlet Keys.  Jon knew I was interested in songwriting, but more importantly at that time in vocal lessons, so I signed up for a lesson with Scarlet that I thought was going to teach me how to sing Jason Isbell songs.

Wrong.

Out of the gate, Scarlet wanted to talk about what I had written, could I play one right there and then, and then we’d work it.  Terrified, I played a song I had recently started, and I got to learn about song writing critiques.  Scarlet was amazingly gracious and encouraging and helpful, and we had two in-person lessons together before that thing called COVID hit. 

My band couldn’t play out.  Nobody could go out. Nothing was in person.  Scarlet pivoted to online group classes through Zoom, and I got to continue my songwriting journey with a bunch of new virtual friends.  I got exposed to all different songwriting genres, styles, instrumentation, podcasts, books, so for me, this was a chance to really learn and work with a new songwriting community where I had new opportunities to learn everywhere I chose to look.

So here I am.  Putting the finishing touches on a new 5-song E.P. with all original songs. Playing open mics every chance I get.  Plotting how to open for some of my favorite local bands.  Learning how to be a solo acoustic performer.  And I know one thing.

I am a songwriter.