Hello from a songwriter. At least I’m going to try to be.

I have had music around me for as long as I can remember. My mom inherited the family piano while my grandparents were still living, as she was the only one still interested in it once she and her siblings had grown up. I spent countless happy hours under the piano bench, listening to my mom work through Grieg, Chopin, Debussy, and others. Eventually it was my turn to start playing. I took lessons for six or seven years, set it aside for a brief 10-year dalliance with the trombone, and found my way back to it toward the end of college.

There were some rough spots, including a spectacularly ill-fated chapel service with sheet music and an overactive HVAC system, but I kept at it. And here I am, near as makes no difference to 30 years on from when I started my love affair with the piano, and music in general. And while I’ve had, and continue to have, scores of incredible opportunities throughout the years with my band (Hi, boys!), a general dissatisfaction grows within me. If I had to guess, I think it’s because it’s been 10+ years since I’ve even tried to write a song.

In those 10 years, a lot has happened to keep me from it, but the further I get away from that last song, the less and less confident I become in my abilities to construct a song that isn’t a complete piece of garbage.

The early songs I wrote were long, torturous affairs with two-minute intros, multiple verses, instrumental bridges, codas, etc., etc. I have grown to appreciate the songwriters who can say a lot with a little. But I am petrified to try to be one of those people. I put two chords together, identify another artist who’s done it and I stop, convinced everyone else will hear the resemblance and brand me an unoriginal hack. This happens often, and it has now taken the form of the thought I have nothing worth saying (or composing). So I haven’t.

I’m not under any illusion that what I’m going to write is going to be this profound, Dylan-esque collection of work. I’d be happy just to write something I can listen to more than once. That’s going to take work. But I’m done just sitting on the sidelines. (Note to self: avoid cliches as much as possible).

So here we go.