Original Songs (scroll down for cover versions)
“Impossible to Count the Cost.” My mother lived on a farm in East Lothian (Scotland). The farmer who worked the land was a good friend to us. He was not the owner, but his family had been tenant farmers for many generations. A few years ago, the absentee owner decided to sell the farm to a multinational corporation from Europe instead of selling it to our friend, the tenant farmer. After losing his home and his livelihood, our friend the farmer took his own life. This song asks us to consider who owns the land, how that came to pass, and what happens when land is owned by people who live elsewhere. It’s called “Impossible to Count the Cost.” You can purchase a download of the song here.
“Demon in my Basement.” I wrote this song about the defects of character that we keep hidden so that others can’t see them. Eventually, of course, they’re bound to pop back up. Maybe we fall in love with people who have complementary defects of character! So you can think of this one as a love song…
“Soft Morning.” My mother died during Covid, and I couldn’t get back to Scotland for the funeral. We had a zoom funeral instead which, because of the time difference, ended at 7am in the morning in Michigan. After the funeral, I walked out onto the Petoskey breakwater to get some air. It was what we in Scotland call a “soft morning” with only a hint of breeze and the air like a warm caress. I’ve tried to capture the feeling of that morning in this song. You can purchase a download of “Soft Morning” here.
“Hills of Achnacarnan.” Achnacarnan was a family farm on Loch Fyne, near Tarbert, in Argyll, Scotland. My family visited year after year when I was young, and the landscape became lodged deeply in my bones. Summers were endless, the hills were infinite, and the shores of Loch Fyne were a magical land of rock pools, sand, and starfish. I’ve returned to Loch Fyne many times over the years and, yes, the magic comes back every time.
“Car Snacks.” When I moved to the USA from Scotland back in the 1980s, I’d never owned a car. Just motorcycles. So I bought the largest car I could find – a 1974 Pontiac LeMans Sports Coupe. Man, I loved that car. This song describes how sometimes the simplest of pleasures (like driving our first car) get eroded over time, and we forget how to enjoy the simple things. You can purchase a download of this song here.
“Midnight on the Forest Floor.” I wrote Midnight on the Forest Floor when I was working at the University of Michigan Biological Station, near Pellston, MI. I love the forests of Michigan (and of Scotland, my homeland). In this song, forests serve as a metaphor for the circle of life, from birth through adulthood to aging (and, yes, death). But forests are places of eternal regrowth and regeneration, with a deep history that we can feel in our bones if we take the time to stop, rest, and breathe deeply. You can purchase a download of this song here.
“Tourist Town.” I was visiting Venice with friends, and wrote this song after a conversation we had while walking along a canal that had been filled in for development. Venice is beautiful, even as it sinks into the bay and battles the army of tourists (like me) who visit each year. The trip reminded me that, no matter where we live, we’re all just passing through as tourists.
Cover Versions
“This Can’t Be Love / Straighten Up & Fly Right.” Rogers & Hart / Nat King Cole. This Can’t Be Love is a song from the musical, “Boys of Syracuse” by Rogers and Hart. That musical was based on William Shakespeare’s “A Comedy of Errors.” I’m playing it here with a wee bit of Nat King Cole’s “Straighten Up & Fly Right” in the middle.
“Whiter Shade of Pale.” One of my father’s favorite songs and a Procol Harum classic
“Spencer the Rover.” This is a traditional folk song from the British Isles that tells the story of a man who, down on his luck, left his home and family in search of his fortune. Of course, he came to realize that he’d left his greatest treasure back at home. The version I play here is close to one played by the late, great John Martyn, one of my musical heroes.
“May You Never.” A short clip of one of my favorite John Martyn songs.
“Wish You Were Here.” I love this Pink Floyd song. Here’s just a snippet from a recent concert at the Northern Michigan Antique Flywheelers Festival. There’s quite a lot of background noise, but hopefully you can hear that I’m using a looper pedal to play one part of the song, then playing a solo over that. It’s great fun to play this.
“Stray Cat Strut.” Here’s a clip of the Stray Cats classic, “Stray Cat Strut” from the same concert at the Flywheelers Festival. This song always reminds me of my great friend David Phillips, who is sadly no longer with us. This one’s for you, Humble Dave.