New Year's Resolutions

2026 is going to be a New Year - literally and figuratively. I’ve spent the last few years focusing on business gigs — i.e. gigs that pay well but are based more on cover songs in corporate or private settings. It was a means to an end for me. I, and many other musicians, had a really hard time during the government shutdowns related to COVID 19. I lost 50% of my income overnight, basically. This forced me to burn through any savings I had and also to incur more debt just to survive. In order to dig myself out of that hole, I refocused on the more financially lucrative aspects of music. While this was rewarding in a monetary sense, it created a spiritual deficit. I’ve always looked at music as an expression of our Godliness - our true creative nature. I have not been cultivating that as much as I could have.

Another issue was that my original music was a little more complex than I had been able to play in live settings. I was only a vocalist for most of my musical career. I learned piano late in life to become more self-sufficient and to improve my writing. It has been an uphill battle trying to gain proficiency on the instrument (while simultaneously singing). When I’d recorded music in the past, I’d always hired top-flight musicians to bring my music to life since I lacked the ability to do it on my own instrumentally. These last few years of performances and practice sessions have allowed me to become serviceable, at the very least, in these situations.

I have continued writing lots of new material, though, and am fairly proud of the progress I’ve made as a songwriter and performer. As a habitual self-deprecator, I’ll never feel great about either of these things but I now have enough confidence (or hubris) to put all that work into action. So, you can expect a lot more original music this year and more personal performances. I’m also planning on releasing some new recorded music, as well.

Thank you for your continued support. I hope to see you soon. I already have a bunch of new venues scheduled for 2026. Stay tuned.