April 1st, 2019 was life-altering.

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After years of plowing infertile ground in Nashville, I left Music City.

Like the pioneers of early American history, I along with my mother-manager and our tour dog "Riley," set out in our Toyota RAV4 caravan to plot a different path forward seeking our expectation on the road.

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Having attended an Americana Music event in 2018, I had been advised by a radio promoter to "go out" and "play everywhere." Whether that was the sound advice of a caring industry professional or simply a way to get rid of another "up-and-comer," I do not know.

But, I can tell you that it had impact.

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On April 1st, we put all of our belongings into storage and drove into the unknown with only one cornerstone gig on the books: a 43-day stint performing with Smoky Mountain Tunes & Tales in Gatlinburg, TN.

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My skills were sharpened by the regularity of performing and my shyness began to die away allowing showmanship to grow. One opportunity in one state led to an opportunity in another state and eventually an entire year passed living on the road.

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Between 2019 and 2023, our travels added consequential experiences to my memory bank, not to mention how much skill and growth was attained as a performing artist.​

 

We'd experienced the Badlands of North Dakota, and the old emerald shores of Ireland. We nearly drove into the waters of Lake Okeechobee on a night-flight (scary!) and we saw swamps, bayous, and sugar cane fields, We traced the mountain roads of Appalachia, and drove along the blowing prairie grasses and through the growing fields.

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The road was enchanting and we were aroused by the prospect of every new adventure!

 

At the end of 2023, we made the decision to get off of the road.

As you may imagine, having no home address and sleeping in hotel rooms, car-camping in Walmart parking lots and campgrounds gets a might wearisome. The backlog of already-booked performances from the Covid era made booking an obstacle for me in the year of 2023. And while that year had it its high points, too, all of these factors made it necessary to look for a place to call "home" for a while. 

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When you get off the road, it's hard to actually "get off."

I termed the phenomenon of being off the road physically, but still revving internally, "road-lag." We took an apartment in the foothills of Signal Mountain, Chattanooga, Tennessee, and convalesced for a year.

As my senses began to reawaken and my creativity flourished again, I wrote songs about the our time on the road.​

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There have been many "road song" albums written, but I believe this album will raise the roof!