I’ve returned to the series of constellation songs I began working on a few years ago. I had stalled out on Ursa Major, finding the Greek myth less than inspiring. There’s only so much of Zeus being a lusty deity one can stomach. On revisiting the constellation itself, I found the fact that the twoContinue reading “Ursa Major – Constellations Vol. 2”
Category Archives: songs
Appreciating Where We Are
This morning, March appeared to be moving out like a lion rather than a lamb. As I sat drinking my coffee before heading up to my room for a day of distance learning, my greatest joy was watching my nearly seven-year-old son running around outside gathering the fallen branches and collecting any toy debris blowingContinue reading “Appreciating Where We Are”
Advice from Sir Walter Scott: It’s Time to Stop Pretending
Last night I came into The Observatory (what we fondly call the great room of our addition) to find Aidan and Ethney watching Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe, starring Ciarán Hinds. I have fond memories of the older boys watching this classic film years ago, but last night, it struck me as especially timely. I hadContinue reading “Advice from Sir Walter Scott: It’s Time to Stop Pretending”
Make Some Time for Tea
A few years ago, my wife, children and I put together a family Christmas album as a gift to our families, complete with original songs, popular covers, and literature readings by my daughter and young sons. Heavily inspired my musicians such as Branches out of California, Sleeping at Last, and The Muppets Christmas with JohnContinue reading “Make Some Time for Tea”
The Gardens of the Grave
Driving out to pick up my weekly order of organic whole milk and grass-fed beef this afternoon, I was struck by the relevance of a song I recorded back in 2012 with my sons for our Full Fathom Five EP: “Gardens of the Grave.” In a time when I have intentionally limited my consumption ofContinue reading “The Gardens of the Grave”
For Such a Time as This: “God Who Hears”
Years ago, my eldest sons and I began recording a series of songs that was meant to follow up our Full Fathom Five EP. My good friend, Jeff, who has run sound for many of our concerts, invited us to his basement to lay down the tracks in a more professional manner and away fromContinue reading “For Such a Time as This: “God Who Hears””
For Such a Time as This: “Casting Off”
None of us willingly chooses to live life without safety and happiness. Those ideas permeate our very Declaration of Independence. Only fools, anarchists, or sadomasochists would welcome perpetual danger, fear, and sorrow. And yet, setting up safety and happiness as the sole pillars for living are weak constructs at best. I’ve commented on this veryContinue reading “For Such a Time as This: “Casting Off””
For Such a Time as This: “Ballad for the Obdurate”
Obdurate (adj): stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing, hardened in feelings; resistant to persuasion or softening influences https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obdurate Let’s be honest. We all have the propensity to choose the narrative we want to believe and refuse to consider other perspectives. But what concerns me is the growing trend to remove access to any dissenting point of view.Continue reading “For Such a Time as This: “Ballad for the Obdurate””
For Such a Time as This: “Let’s Away”
The timeless nature of literature never ceases to amaze me. How is it that writers from centuries past and different cultures can so clearly understand me and prophetically address the struggles of our time? It’s actually quite simple: we’re all human and there are universal struggles that continue to play out throughout history. The epicContinue reading “For Such a Time as This: “Let’s Away””
“Ballad of the Ideal Citizen”
Years ago I came upon W. H. Auden’s poem “The Unknown Citizen” in preparation for my AP English Literature course. I had been an Auden fan ever since I read “Musee des Beaux Arts” (another worthy read). Ironically, though I teach “Musee” nearly every year in at least one of my courses, I have rarelyContinue reading ““Ballad of the Ideal Citizen””
