Album Notes

Here's my story. I started writing songs when I was in college. I was a kid then, and did things for the sake of doing them - everything was an open door. Almost all of the songs I wrote then reflect that.

I graduated and stumbled around the country, living in some pretty interesting areas including hermit-like in the forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains and grizzly-like in the rough hills of Jackson, Wyoming. The songs I wrote during that time differed from the songs I wrote in college in the sense that I was no longer a meek adolescent but part of "the world" - reality had changed from a sweet-sounding violin to, at times, a screaming siren (in my ear). The songs I wrote during that time illustrate my change.

After my time in Jackson, I got serious and decided not to let life be something that was "beyond" me but stand up and try to live in a way that reflected what I thought to be true. I've recently started writing songs in the sense that they're not songs I need to write but songs I choose to write.

"Perfectly Imperfect" is a song I wrote while I was inspired by a friend. We were hard at work putting together a film project of his, and his tenacious attention towards that which was real rubbed off on me – I wrote this song about not necessarily what was pretty in a relationship, but what was most true. I hope you can find the beauty in this song’s reality. Thanks for your ears.

Mark Gothard