(MUSIC ADDED) You’re Never Moving Forward if You’re Always Looking Back #Constellations #Lyra #Orpheus #Eurydice #Loss #Song

I haven’t had the chance to record a demo of this song yet, but to stick to my weekly post format, I’m releasing the lyrics to “Lyra” now, with the intention of adding the music later. Like many of these songs, I’ve wanted to avoid the obvious retelling of the classic mythological tales that these … More (MUSIC ADDED) You’re Never Moving Forward if You’re Always Looking Back #Constellations #Lyra #Orpheus #Eurydice #Loss #Song

Beware, O Braggarts: Scorpius’s Lesson for Modern Times #Constellations #Orion #Scorpius #Song #Hear #See

Unlike what you see above, perhaps the most recognizable constellation in the evening sky over Western Pennsylvania is Orion. His myth inspired the first in this series of constellation songs FIVE YEARS AGO! While his belt may be one of the easiest things to identify in the evening sky, both the lyrics and music for … More Beware, O Braggarts: Scorpius’s Lesson for Modern Times #Constellations #Orion #Scorpius #Song #Hear #See

A Hurricane’s Warning: Found Poetry Turned Song #Hurricane #Found Poetry #Song

Years ago, I earned some extra cash by working in the periodical section of the campus library while attending Grove City College. One quiet afternoon, I read an article in one of the newspapers we carried about Hurricane Marilyn that “wreaked havoc in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico” back on September 15-16, 1995. … More A Hurricane’s Warning: Found Poetry Turned Song #Hurricane #Found Poetry #Song

The Ballad of Hank: Inspired by Federico García Lorca #Songs #NPM22

As a freshman in college, I found the poetry of Federico García Lorca inspiring (be sure to follow the hyperlink to read some of García Lorca’s work). I remember trying to imitate the style of the famed Spanish poet, without any real success. However, one of the poems found its way onto the album I … More The Ballad of Hank: Inspired by Federico García Lorca #Songs #NPM22

The Lesson from the Lesser: Ursa Minor #Constellation #Songs #Stars

Rather than add a few more photo poems today (I may add some later this week), I turn to the newest song in my constellation series. It’s been six months since I last wrote something musically, a sad commentary on the pace and priorities of my life from a creative perspective. It’s not that I … More The Lesson from the Lesser: Ursa Minor #Constellation #Songs #Stars

Hey Scrooge! Imagining The Beatles Christmas Carol

What if John, Paul, George, and Ringo provided the soundtrack for a musical revival of Charles Dickens’s immortal A Christmas Carol? Thanks to The Muppets, we already have at least one spectacular musical version of Dickens’s classic, and I’ve even seen one staged in Pittsburgh. But as I wrapped up our study of the novella … More Hey Scrooge! Imagining The Beatles Christmas Carol

Coming Home

Christmas reminds me just how much I’m not at home. Strangers now own the house where I grew up outside of Philadelphia. Five years ago, my parents sold it and moved to central Pennsylvania to live closer to my sister. Shortly thereafter my mother passed away. As much as I enjoy visiting my family there … More Coming Home