I spent the summer working on a gritty record about redemption, sobriety, peace and growing up with an artist named Alex. He is a relative newcomer to Nashville via Pittsburgh, and his songs effected me in a way I was not expecting.

We got to hire some really great players, and we used engineer Joel Lauver’s house in East Nashville for all the tracking. I love studios; but there is something unique, boastful and vibey about cutting a record in a house where cutting a record wasn’t part of the design. It’s a character thing, a challenge thing.

Alex writes amazing songs, and doesn’t hold back vocally; I compare him, at this stage, to a rougher Steve Earle. The tools of a long life and career are in place for Alex.

We didn’t labor over silly details here; we treated the Pro Tools like tape, we all cut our parts in full takes (I played a lot of guitar as well) and we stood around a microphone singing the 4 part harmonies. We all wanted something vintage in a modern era, and I believe we achieved that.

Kudos to Alex V, Joel Lauver who engineered, mixed, and played bass, Katie Trotta, TJ, Frank, Joshua Sales and everyone else who came in and played. What a great summer.

You can download the LP here.