Album Notes

I was born in Newfoundland, Canada. My mom was a nurse and my dad a food service manager. We moved around a lot, from California to New England, where I ended up attending high school and swimming on the swim team. I still love swimming, it's one of my favorite things, although it's a bit tough to belong to a pool here in New York. There is an abandoned pool in my neighborhood though, and it is the biggest pool I have ever seen. It has lots of graffiti in it now, but unfortunately, no water.

Anyway, I live in Brooklyn, very close to beautiful park. They keep the lights on late at night there, so you can walk around and watch people playing soccer and throwing frisbees and walking their dogs. Sometimes a large group of people will get together and play kickball with a humongous beach ball. They asked me if I wanted to play once, but I was wearing these flappy little flip flops and I was afraid I would hurt my toes on the ball. Plus I had some soy ice cream with me and it was melting so I couldn't stay.

From my apartment, I can look out the kitchen window into the back yard and watch lots of birds. I have seen woodpeckers, doves, pigeons, starlings, sparrows, cardinals, mockingbirds, and even a kestrel. The other day I even saw a parakeet! I have heard stories about wild parakeets living under the bridges here in the city, but I didn't know if this one was wild or what so I stuck out my hand and he let me touch him on the wing before he flew away. I thought maybe he was hungry so I tried to throw him some sunflower seeds but he was not interested. He flew up to a telephone wire and started preening his feathers instead.

About music: I didn't start playing guitar until I was 27, which is quite old, I'm told, but it feels okay to me. I think I was always just gearing up for it from the start. Occasionally I am frustrated by my lack of formal training, but I think it also makes my playing a little more interesting in ways, and also a bit more of an adventure. I have always loved poetry, and went to grad school for a while to study it, but dropped out when I discovered how much fun it is to write songs.

I play at Art Land Bar a lot, which is sort of a community center for me and the other people who hang out there- I also like to perform on the subway platform, mostly on the L train, and I have never had a better audience! There is certainly something magical about it.

Thanks for supporting my art.