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“These are great songs… all of them. A breath of fresh Telluride air.”

— Lloyd Maines, Producer

Songwriting Notes (Click on the song Titles for Lyric Sheets):

Wagon Town Lane > I wrote this song for my father after a visit to southern Illinois to look for the old log cabin where he was born. He grew up on Wagon Town Lane. That was a road between Goreville, Illinois and a now forgotten place called Wagon Town. His mother fell in love with the boy who delivered ice by wagon team and the rest is history. We visited an old cemetery where many of his ancestors were laid to rest. The old church was gone, but his stories live on…. I love you, Pop!

Box Canyon Blues > This song is for anyone who has ever lived and/or worked in the Telluride. It can get a little claustrophobic there sometimes and it’s easy for the blues to creep up on you… Not an easy place to live for the proletariat. This song is for you all!

Pretty > I wrote this at the old cabin on the Current River in the Ozarks where I woodshedded and worked on my musician chops for a couple of winters. Started picking with some of the hillbillies down there and have made some lasting friendships. Originally it was kind of a boring country song, but then I decided to try and spice it up and it worked! Got my idea for the solo from a Truefire course by Johnny Hiland… Thanks Johnny!

Wood, Wire & Whiskey > I hit a rough patch one Christmas season when everything seemed to be going wrong and I sat down with a guitar and coughed up this song. It did make me feel better… I wanted it to be a song for songwriters…. When you’re going through Hell… Keep going!!!

Me and Calliope > A nod to all the struggling writers out there. Calliope is the Muse of Epic Poetry, a daughter of Zeus and is said to be the mother of the Sirens. She might have even been the muse for the Iliad and the Odyssey. Kerouac was a big inspiration to me as a kid, and there are also references to Bukowski and Richard Brautigan in the song… The war of art…. Bukoswki published a book titled “Betting on the Muse”… Ole Hank would be the first to tell you, “you bet on Calliope, you’re gonna get bruised…”

Can’t Say No (to Nashville) > Well… it’s true, isn’t it? I grew up on Hee-Haw and the Beverly Hillbillies and I miss the good ole days…. “From feedin’ critters & jalopy cars to cement ponds and movie stars”… nuff said.

Dust > Wrote this song one night while I was working at the Dugout Ranch in Indian Creek, Utah. They got an old dump they call the “Boneyard” and I heard coyotes out there howling one night. This song is dedicated to my outlaw cowboy poet buddy Topher Dalrymple who took me out chasing cows on horseback there one fine fall day that I will never forget…

Paradise > This song is about all the shitty little mining and railroad towns in the Rockies that we are unfortunately loving to death. They are disappearing one by one, just like the old timers who settled them and the rugged independent lifestyle they embraced. It’s not always an easy life, but it’s worth it to live in God’s Country. Please, ‘just leave this long-haired country boy alone’ along with our shitty little mountain towns! All the stories are true… It’s a tribute to all of those we’ve lost and dedicated to little Rico.

999,000 Angels > I have a friend Angelica, who was really my first real fan and she was always blessing people with “10,000 angels” and one night I thought “why so few?” And so, I decided I’d write a song for her. We can all use a little more Grace in our lives…

Waiting, Hoping, Praying… > Well… this was my Covid song. During the lockdown I decided it was finally time to write myself a prison song…. The chorus is inspired by the old courthouse where I live. The old jail is still in the basement and you can see the names of its many guests scrawled in the old brick wall down there. Struggled with the ending a bit… I was told the original ending was ‘too morbid’ but I finally got it worked out into a happy ending…. Thanks Eileen, for sending me back to the drawing board! Ultimately, it’s a song about impermanence…. We’re all just trying to leave a mark somewhere…