My friend Chip Johnson produces all these new songs - here he is playing one of his own tunes at Alpine Red studio! Filmed by Jon Lawlor. We'll be doing some of these videos soon! 

“That’s the best revenge of all: happiness.”

Get it here!

This was a fun one. Had some friends/fans sing along again. Thanks to Chris, Ben, Doug, John, James, Jerry, Scott and Vin! Also Alan McEwen of The Grandsons is on trumpet! And of course Chip Johnson!

Enjoy and please tell other people!

Here are the lyrics:

City Of Refuge

Is that the sound of weeping or the sound of rejoicing i hear?
Is that the sound of weeping or the sound of rejoicing i hear?
In this carnival of chaos and confusion I can't hear so clear

I smell death on the wind - I see the blood red moon on the rise
Death on the wind - blood red moon's on the rise
I don't know how to interpret these portents, wonders and signs

How long till we come to...
How long till we come to...
The city of refuge?

Haven't slept for days I got sandpaper eyes
Haven't slept for days I got sandpaper eyes
Is that you i see or just some deep disguise?

Blood running in the streets just eight miles from my house tonight
Blood of innocents in the streets just eight miles from my house tonight
All I wanna do - find my baby - hold her tight

How long till we come to...
How long till we come to...
The city of refuge?

We made it thru the valley gonna wade across this river of pain
We made it thru the valley of shadows gonna wade across this river of pain
We're gonna be all new honey - never going back again!

How long till we come to...
How long till we come to...
The city of refuge?

For all you completists out there (and there are a few!) I changed the cover for "No Time For Fear".

Something doesn't feel right about this song. I can't put my finger on it. I know there is some good stuff in the lyrics and it's worth refining and keeping. I felt like it was "finished" for a while. Maybe I wasn't 100% gung ho about it, but I performed it live and recorded a version of it. It's really hard to have an objective, fresh perspective on a song when you've lived with it for so long and rewritten it countless times. Maybe I'm too "inside"? Maybe I'm being to precious about it? Maybe the whole thing is garbage? Maybe the chorus, the heart of it isn't moving me like it should?

I keep a sort of mental list of my song catalog. I try to do the Leonard Cohen gut check and make sure they are watertight lyrically, etc, according to my instinct. I want to keep every song I write at the top of that list and keep trying to outdo myself. What would be the first song I'd play if someone asked me to play one song? What songs am I psyched about playing live?

I'm trying to update it according to my sensibilities today but maybe I should just set it aside and try and salvage a verse or something later?

I've been working on this one for a couple years and the last few weeks especially. It's one of the "older" songs from this batch so that too makes it tricky as well - it's not something I'd necessarily write today.

I'm going to keep working at it and will keep you posted!