I really love the family & friends I got to work with on the album. Having done almost everything by myself for the last 2 albums, it was a fun, refreshing challenge to invite more people into it. And there’s only so much you can fit into the liner notes…. So here’s the band (in alphabetical order):
Alex Winters - brother and longtime friend. Alex has seen me at my crappiest and has taken a crap on the floor during my birthday party. Alex is a multi-talented multi-instrumentalist, holds the Winters family record for the dinosaur puzzle (28.67 sec), and is currently conquering nursing school. Alex lent his bass skills – upright and electric – as well as lending his thoughtful patience when we were part-building together.
Blake Studdard - musical companion and deep-hearted man. Blake is also a man of many disciplines - handy with computers, phototography, graphic design, drawing, guitar and drums of many kinds. Blake looks too cool for school, but he’s as kind and authentic as they come.
Brady Smith - former neighbor, local musician and sweet like a cuddly pit bull. Brady is a guitar pedal pyrotechnician, who can create symphonies and simple lines of sounds wherever the music calls for it. If your pedal needs a doctor, a mod, or a friend take it to the Brades. And if your face needs a rock, go see Brady with Gentle Ghost.
Brian Payne - left-handed lutist and musical confidante. Brian only played on one song, but his influence dots this album like freckles on a redhead. I can only hope that future projects bring about more collaboration. Brian is a talented songwriter in his own right, and previously served as co-founder and songwriter for Xanadu, a Tulsa band that garnered the win in a Tulsa-wide Battle of the Bands. Look out for forthcoming music from this singer & poet.
Evan French - smooth on the outside, thick like a novel. Evan does pretty much everything you would think you would do if you were cool. He thrashes & finesses drums, takes beautiful photographs, pilots airplanes, climbs Redwoods, runs lights for Explosions in the Sky, videographs, drives Oklahoma to Alaska & back, etc. Catch him if you can – he’s a golden butterfly.
Kelly Arndt - adventurer, romantic and fellow (A)mbivertNFP. Kelly didn’t actually play on the album, but will be playing at the album release party. A man with passion in his voice and his strums, Kelly is carving out the shape of his heart & sound song by song. Also, his manliness is about as hard to restrain as his beard. He is bad-a.
Lane Winters - wife and muse. No one has championed this album, waited for it, prayed over it or exercised more patience over it than Lane. She has persevered in love and has allowed the songs to steep in the enriching water of marriage. Twelve of the 14 tracks on the album were, at least in part, influenced by Lane’s presence in my life. And while this album doesn’t bear the mark of her voice or instrumentation near as much as either of us would like, we’re not dead yet…. I love this woman, and I’m honored to be in harmony with her.
Philip Rice - a heart that beats a steady 4/4. Phil and I were in a band together once. Though we realized that we chasing two different songbirds, we both enjoy the chance to get them together for bird play dates. Philip is a dreamer and a doer, and you can’t get close to him without feeling the wake. May the play dates be more numerous in days to come.
Wilhelm Koenig - brother-in-law and percussionist extraordinaire. Will has played for more bands than he could probably count. This has been our first chance to play together in our nearly 5 years of being related, and it has been too long. His straight-laced appearance belies his kid-like humor, thoughtful attention to detail and accessorized one-man percussion ensemble. His hands are on fire.
