Welcome to the central hub and starting point for your tour of Alone for a While.
Though you’ll be taken to each day’s content directly via the email you provided at the start, you can always come back here by clicking “home” above.
As each day’s content becomes available, you’ll be able to click through the menu at the top to navigate between the days.
picture this:
the amber glow of ambient light in a dingy dive,
the faint tinkling of ice in cheap glassware,
the paisley-haze of smoke drifting in from the patio outside…
you’re lonely, but not entirely alone-
and just then, you hear a familiar tune from the jukebox…
You’re in for a weeklong immersive journey through the songs and stories
of my newest solo-acoustic song collection, Alone for a While.
You’re about to receive the album for free
alongside tons of exclusive bonus content,
and the backstory behind all the songs.
What’s coming:
About the album…
Alone for a While narratively covers a period of my life where I wasn't making the best choices, but they felt right at the time.
Haven't we all been there?
Sometimes spending time with people that aren't good for us feels better than being alone.
Sometimes we do things that aren't great for our health, but they make us feel more present.
Inspired by the pervasive solitude throughout my community and the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, I reflected on a dark and solitary period of my life many years before - where I had a lot of fun, but also made a lot of mistakes.
Thus, Alone for a While was born: a retrospective collection of standards and original tunes that emotionally span a specific era of my 20s where I would do just about anything to avoid being alone with myself, often to my own detriment.
It's something of a modern-day Shavian "Pygmalion" story, told through both songs from the past, as well as new songs that merely hearken to a bygone era...
BOTTOMS
UP
Why a drink menu?
Have you ever had a "Cheers?" By that I mean, a "spot," a haunt, a second home you'd go to, where, even if the people there weren't friends exactly, you'd be welcomed, noticed, missed?
Where upon walking in you felt a sense of comforting familiarity, that even the counter was a pal that had been through difficult phases of life with you?
During this stretch of my life which I'm documenting here on this album, I had a "Cheers." This was a desolately lonely period where I sought out the amber glow of a dimly lit bar nightly down the street, because knowing I'd end up there gave that day an end-point to look forward to.
Sure, in my solitary sadness I was often looking for that sweet taste of oblivion that happens sometimes when you have a few too many, but more than that, there was always some little scent of excitement in the air... like... anything could happen. Maybe it wasn't the healthiest coping mechanism, but it was something of a lifeline to me then.
To help engage more of your senses during this experience, and to honor that part of my journey, I'll offer a daily suggestion of an adult beverage that I feel accompanies that day's theme. (I'll also include a virgin version or other beverage recommendation for those of you who don't partake.)
On the intro page (just click "get started" below), I've put together a "stock the bar" list for both of these so you can have whatever you need at hand for that day if you choose to embark on that part of the adventure. It's totally optional of course, but would be a fun way to immerse if you feel like it.
LIBATION SHOPPING LIST
Below you’ll find a list to check your bar or beverage cabinet against. I’ve tried to “recycle” some of the ingredients so you don’t need to spend a fortune to make a week’s worth of varied, yet delicious cocktails.
Some cocktails will be super simple, and some a little fancier.
I’ll provide a basic recipe each day for you to follow, but feel free to let the ingredients and theme of the day spark your creativity.
I’m not giving amounts in this shopping list, because if you want to have more than one of each type of cocktail, that would be hard for me to guess what amounts you’d need.
Even small amounts of all of these ingredients should cover you. You know yourself better than I do, though, so make any adjustments as you see fit.
You’ll find two columns with all the necessary ingredients for either the “adult” or “virgin” versions of the cocktails/mocktails for the week. Underneath each item, I’ll let you know what brand I usually go home with (in italics) - but feel free to grab whatever looks/sounds good to you while you’re shopping and whatever your budget allows for. This is definitely an area where, if you can splurge, you should 😈
Of course - using whatever you have on hand is absolutely theme-appropriate, too! Drink some beer or spiked seltzer on days where the cocktail is fizzy, drink wine on days where the cocktails are flat. It won’t be exactly the same, but who cares!? It’s all fun.
If you’re one of those unlucky souls that has to really consider the making of ice and buying of ice because you have an old refrigerator (I have known this pain, can you tell?) - do yourself a favor and stock up! It will make your cocktail hours a way better experience. (Texas Tip - did you know you can buy bags of those small crushy “pearls” of in-house ice from the Sonic drive-in?) Grab some at the “wateria,” at the grocer, or make some ahead of time and store it in a clean container for the week - trust me!
(Do I need to say it? Drink responsibly!)
For Cocktails:
gin
aviation
blackberry or raspberry liqueur
chambord
champagne/prosecco
la marca or mionetto
(you’ll want enough for two “cocktail hours” on non-adjacent days)
bourbon
bulleit
vodka
tito’s
grapefruit juice
tonic
(enough for one “cocktail hour”)
plain-flavored sparkling water
san pellegrino
(can you ever have too much?)
simple syrup
diy or store bought
lemons or lemon juice
items to garnish or embellish flavor:
fresh mint
lemons
limes
blackberries or raspberries
bitters angostura
For Mocktails:
pomegranate juice
sparkling apple cider
(optional champagne substitute)
a smoky or spicy black tea
a super spicy cinnamon would be 🔥
(choose decaf if you’ll be drinking at night)
lemons or lemon juice
grapefruit juice
tonic
(enough for one “cocktail hour”)
plain-flavored sparkling water
san pellegrino
(can you ever have too much?)
grenadine
simple syrup
diy or store bought
items to garnish or embellish flavor:
fresh mint
whole juniper berries (just a few’s enough)
lemons
limes
blackberries or raspberries
bitters* angostura
*(there’s technically alcohol in bitters, but very little. If you can hang with it, go for it!)
EXPERIENCE Q&A
How will I receive the album?
Beginning on the day you enter the “journey,” you will receive daily emails each morning distributing that day’s song(s). Most days you will be sent just one song (and its corresponding bonus content), but on others you will receive several. You’ll receive only one email per day, with a secret link that will take you to that day’s track(s).
All the single delivered tracks will be available for immediate download during “the experience.” There will also be a way for you to listen to each day’s audio directly from your web browser if you prefer not to download anything. On the final day, you will receive a complete version of the album to download if you wish.
Do I need a desktop computer to participate?
No- you will be able to view, listen to, read, and watch all the content delivered to you on any mobile device so long as you have some kind of mobile service connection! Many of the components are also available for download (to your computer and/or mobile device), so you can keep them or review them later even without service (like audio files). If you do like to use your desktop computer, it’ll look great there, too!
How many days will it take until I receive all the album tracks?
The entire journey will take 7 total days.
All 12 tracks will be delivered to you throughout the week, with the final track (and complete album download) landing in your inbox on the final day.
In what format will the album be delivered?
Both mp3 as well as wav files will be available for you to download throughout the experience, as well as at the end.
Why should I bother with this when I can listen to it anywhere (streaming services, etc)?
Remember how you used to grab a record from the music shop, open it up, look at the artwork, and read all the liner notes? You’d put the physical copy in its player, set it to start, and have a whole active experience with it?
Whether you remember those days well or have only heard about them, I’d like to try to help replicate something of that magic for you this week.
If you know me at all, it’ll come as no surprise that I have a penchant for the past. With this collection of songs in particular including so many songs from before 1960 (all the cover songs on this album were published before 1957!), I felt particularly called to craft a more “vintage” listening experience for this album - of course not without the aid of some modern technology!
For instance, there were many songs I would have loved to include for thematic reasons on this collection, but there was not enough time (literally- I filled the vinyl copy to the maximum duration😬). So over the next week, you’ll be getting access to other songs and bonus material that support the primary offering, but that might not have otherwise seen the light of day.
I’ve always tried to be accessible and transparent with the folks who support my art. I don’t consider them “fans,” and, honestly, those who’ve kept the most in touch over the years have become like family to me! Anything I can do to make a musical experience special, magical, engaging, and worth their(/your!) time is not only an opportunity I relish, but also one that I don’t take lightly.
This has been the first non-holiday-themed album I’ve put together (aside from 2018’s Orange Days on Lemon Street: Acoustic Anniversary Edition) and released independently, so this presented a chance to embrace the idea of finally creating a “concept album,” and to use these songs to tell that true story - just as they presented themselves in my real life!
Most of the time, living as a full-time musician is pretty similar to having any other job (trust me, I’ve had a few!), but there are moments here and there that feel almost supernatural, transcendent, as though you’re living in a film and there’s a fantastic music supervisor overseeing the soundtrack to all these crucial moments of your life. I loved the idea of trying to relate a story about a period of my life like this, to try and recreate or retell the tale with that same ethereal magic.
Making music has always been the method I’ve been able to use through trying times to express myself, to connect, to try to make sense of this sometimes rough world we all have to navigate. My hope is that through moments and experiences like this, maybe I can help someone feel less alone…
Whether you’re currently in the throes of longing to belong, or have put some hard times behind you, I’d love for us to share our common experience together through these songs.
Some of it will be a little sad, but there will be plenty of fun, too…
Can’t wait to hear what you think…