Love Songs Etc

LIVE & IN-PERSON July 24 - Union, WA • Peace Love & Union Saltwater Songwriters Festival March 20, 2027 - Vashon Island, WA • Vashon Center for the Arts Tickets go on sale on Black Friday My break from Substack began back in March. I expect to resume posting new material in the next couple of months. Until then, I’ve got some reruns in the cue. PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION PAYMENTS REMAIN PAUSED For my fabulous premium subscribers, payments remain paused.

LIVE & IN-PERSON July 24 - Union, WA • Peace Love & Union Saltwater Songwriters Festival March 20, 2027 - Vashon Island, WA • Vashon Center for the Arts Tickets go on sale on Black Friday My break from Substack began exactly four months ago today. I expect to resume posting new material in the next couple of months. Until then, I’ve got some reruns in the cue. PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION PAYMENTS REMAIN PAUSED For my fabulous premium subscribers, payments remain paused.

With Elaine at VCA, March 2025. Photo by Lance Mercer. Vashon Center for the Arts announced its 26/27 season. And guess who’s returning to the stunning venue? That’s right. Yours truly! Elaine Summers and I will return to VCA on March 20, 2027. Tickets will go on sale for the general public on Friday, January 15. Premium subscribers to this newsletter will get early bird access on Wednesday, January 13. VCA is currently seeking sponsors for my show.

PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION PAYMENTS REMAIN PAUSED For my fabulous premium subscribers, payments remain paused. Your next payment will be delayed for however long my break lasts. The break began on March 13, and I expect to get back to posting regularly sometime in June or early July. My break from Substack continues as I take a breather after completing the score for the film Supermassive. I handed in the last of the final mixes Thursday night.

I’ve been steadily cranking out Substack posts for three years and change. I’ve shared 163 posts and dozens of rarities. It’s time to hit the pause button. After several weeks of pre-production, the real work is about to begin on the score for the feature film Supermassive. I’ll be pouring every ounce of energy I have into this project, and rather than phone it in here, I’ve decided to take Love Songs Etc off my plate for a while.

To check out previous Studio Diary posts, visit my ‘archive’ page. After several weeks of pre-production, it’s exhilarating to be slapping bits of paint on the canvas for the score of the film Supermassive. I’m grateful for all the time I've had to let ideas germinate. I’ve enjoyed exploring the various directions I can take our main theme. Originally written on piano in 6/8 time, I’ve found the piece to be extremely malleable.

Some serious studio dorking ensues as I'm joined by Martin Feveyear to dial piano and drum sounds. As I compose the score for a feature film, I am documenting my progress in short, bite-sized posts. At least that’s the idea. Lord knows I can be long-winded when it comes to all things studio—and creativity in general—so brevity may not be in the cards. We’ll see how it goes. Photo by Dr. Oge.

I’ve decided to hit pause on my series of posts chronicling the touring cycle behind my 1994 debut, Necktie Second. I’m tired of livin’ in the past, man! While I’ve enjoyed dusting off the old memory banks and sharing my recollections from the mid-nineties, I’m ready for a change of pace. It’s time to switch gears and share what’s going on in the here and now. Today, I launch a new series of posts called Studio Diary.

Continuing my multi-part series on the year-and-a-half-long touring cycle behind my debut album Necktie Second. To catch up, check out these previous posts. Tour Pt. 1 (Northeast) • Tour Pt. 2 (Midwest) • Tour Pt. 3 (West Coast) Growing up in the Northwest, I always had a romantic notion of California. Los Angeles had the glamour of Hollywood and the allure of the big-time record business, and San Francisco had its well-documented history as the epicenter of counterculture.

It’s Bandcamp Friday, where they waive their fee and 100% goes to the artist. We got shirts! We got posters! We got a coffee mug! We got the 2xLP deluxe reissue of my 1994 debut, Necktie Second! We got my latest album, Fade Away Blue! Premium subscribers always enjoy a discount in the Bandcamp store. Through the end of the weekend, I’ve increased the discount from the usual 15% to 30%. Visit my ‘rarities’ page to grab the discount code.