About Sideview

About the Project with Tune Descriptions

I'm about as surprised as anyone that I made an instrumental CD. For the past year and a half I have toured, mostly throughout North America, with David Francey of Canada. I serve as his instrumental arranger and accompanist with strings and voice. Prior to this life change, I identified more as a singer-songwriter, but in this new role, folks on the road have been asking for a recording of my guitar playing -- so here it is. At first it made "good business sense" to make this recording, but as the project developed I came to love the idea of featuring purely instrumental works of mine. There's something potently rewarding about offering up wordless works that listeners can apply their own meanings to. I'm very proud of this collection as a representation of my hands and my heart. Feel free to send me your own reflections on any of the pieces or any other comments or questions about this work.
01 Beholding - (guitar duet) Composed at the Francey-Girdler home between work sessions with David. I tend to be a very early riser and many mornings I would sit alone in the dining room of their home quietly pulling strings while thinking about the events and forces that took me down this path. Beholding began in that fashion and became a quiet, almost daily anthem for many months on the road.
02 Slow River - (solo guitar) Inspired by our first visit to what would become our new home on a lovely, slow river in Newmarket, New Hampshire. It's named "The Lamprey" which doesn't do justice to its beauty. For me this can be a literal piece conveying the river flow, but it also portrays a philosophy about the nature of growing and flowing through these lives of ours.
03 Drylongso - (solo guitar) also called “For Buddy,” a tribute to a mentor of mine, my college choral director, Cleveland "Buddy" Howard, with the title term coming from my dear friends Raetha and Annie at the Drylongso Coffeehouse from years ago.
04 Road to Elphin - (octave mandolin, guitar) I composed this while pacing around in my living room with a bouzouki in my hands hours before I was to drive 10 hours to Elphin, Ontario to meet with David for the first time to explore the possibility of working together. This is a hymn of sorts for me.
05 Sideview - (solo guitar) the title piece representing all the sideviews in my life – from working as David’s “sideman” to the thousands of scenes and fragments of places that come in flashes and snapshots out the window of a plane or a van while traveling across North America.
06 Newfoundland – (solo guitar) an old composition of mine inspired by my maternal homeland - the flow of water and human industry.
07 Westover – (mountain dulcimer, mandolin) a tribute to my wife, Liz's amazing family. The Westovers, headed by Harold (aka "Wes") and Allene - built medieval and renaissance period musical instruments as well as more contemporary folk instruments. Liz made the dulcimer for me as a surprise in 1974 as a birthday present. I proposed marriage on that day, apparently quite fond of hand-crafted instruments and the maker. This tune first came to me in the 1970s inspired by some dances of the Renaissance. It seems fitting to use it in tribute for these remarkable people. Wes was one of my biggest, most demonstrative fans and about the best listener I've met. All the Westovers welcomed me with great heart from the beginning.
08 Barley Dreams – (solo guitar) another old piece of mine that was born from watching our first baby – English Springer Spaniel, Barley, running frantically and yipping in the midst of a dream. I still wonder what dogs' dreams are like -- without language as we know it, how do their dreams come to them -- all visual? olfactory?... there's clearly some big stuff happening in there. I'd sure be reluctant to make an appearance in one.
09 Owl's Head – (solo guitar) aka “Clark Island” inspired by a wild kayak paddle in the Atlantic with friends and our son Ben, twelve at the time, paddling like mad with a smile on his face as shield against strong current and fierce wind.
10 Chance and Choice – (solo guitar) Liz gave me this title - a tribute to our son’s courageous friend, Tony, who was lost at age 12 to cancer. He was one of the most courageous people I've ever met, as is our son, who visited him throughout his illness. I parked this tune for years after its composition but resurrected it when the city of New York suffered the 9/11 tragedy. So I offer it up for Tony and NY. Its first title was "To NY" (get it?) -- too preciously clever and visual perhaps, but it's how I remembered it. Liz came up with its current title as an album title suggestion which I grabbed up for this piece as it has deeper meaning for me.
11 Common Weight – (solo guitar) about the common burden shared by all people – the weight of living that connects us. An old piece of mine, reborn and reshaped on the tour.
12 Ultrasound – (solo guitar) I composed this in 1984 after seeing a sonagram image of our son, Ben. Hard to put that feeling into words -- but there was a joy and a reverence that I poured into this tune.
13 Yellowknife – (solo guitar) an old piece rejuvenated and built upon after David and I visited Yellowknife in the Northwest Territory. It reminds me of the spirit of those who settled there and choose to make their lives together in such a starkly beautiful and rugged place.
14 Dulcianna – (solo dulcimer) composed especially for Liz for Valentine’s Day 2008 on the dulcimer she made me. Seasoned through time and sweet sounding – like our marriage. Sounds Hallmarkian... but it's true.

About the Project with Tune Descriptions

I'm about as surprised as anyone that I made an instrumental CD. For the past year and a half I have toured, mostly throughout North America, with David Francey of Canada. I serve as his instrumental arranger and accompanist with strings and voice. Prior to this life change, I identified more as a singer-songwriter, but in this new role, folks on the road have been asking for a recording of my guitar playing -- so here it is. At first it made "good business sense" to make this recording, but as the project developed I came to love the idea of featuring purely instrumental works of mine. There's something potently rewarding about offering up wordless works that listeners can apply their own meanings to. I'm very proud of this collection as a representation of my hands and my heart. Feel free to send me your own reflections on any of the pieces or any other comments or questions about this work.

01 Beholding - (guitar duet) Composed at the Francey-Girdler home between work sessions with David. I tend to be a very early riser and many mornings I would sit alone in the dining room of their home quietly pulling strings while thinking about the events and forces that took me down this path. Beholding began in that fashion and became a quiet, almost daily anthem for many months on the road.

02 Slow River - (solo guitar) Inspired by our first visit to what would become our new home on a lovely, slow river in Newmarket, New Hampshire. It's named "The Lamprey" which doesn't do justice to its beauty. For me this can be a literal piece conveying the river flow, but it also portrays a philosophy about the nature of growing and flowing through these lives of ours.

03 Drylongso - (solo guitar) also called “For Buddy,” a tribute to a mentor of mine, my college choral director, Cleveland "Buddy" Howard, with the title term coming from my dear friends Raetha and Annie at the Drylongso Coffeehouse from years ago.

04 Road to Elphin - (octave mandolin, guitar) I composed this while pacing around in my living room with a bouzouki in my hands hours before I was to drive 10 hours to Elphin, Ontario to meet with David for the first time to explore the possibility of working together. This is a hymn of sorts for me.

05 Sideview - (solo guitar) the title piece representing all the sideviews in my life – from working as David’s “sideman” to the thousands of scenes and fragments of places that come in flashes and snapshots out the window of a plane or a van while traveling across North America.

06 Newfoundland – (solo guitar) an old composition of mine inspired by my maternal homeland - the flow of water and human industry.

07 Westover – (mountain dulcimer, mandolin) a tribute to my wife, Liz's amazing family. The Westovers, headed by Harold (aka "Wes") and Allene - built medieval and renaissance period musical instruments as well as more contemporary folk instruments. Liz made the dulcimer for me as a surprise in 1974 as a birthday present. I proposed marriage on that day, apparently quite fond of hand-crafted instruments and the maker. This tune first came to me in the 1970s inspired by some dances of the Renaissance. It seems fitting to use it in tribute for these remarkable people. Wes was one of my biggest, most demonstrative fans and about the best listener I've met. All the Westovers welcomed me with great heart from the beginning.

08 Barley Dreams – (solo guitar) another old piece of mine that was born from watching our first baby – English Springer Spaniel, Barley, running frantically and yipping in the midst of a dream. I still wonder what dogs' dreams are like -- without language as we know it, how do their dreams come to them -- all visual? olfactory?... there's clearly some big stuff happening in there. I'd sure be reluctant to make an appearance in one.

09 Owl's Head – (solo guitar) aka “Clark Island” inspired by a wild kayak paddle in the Atlantic with friends and our son Ben, twelve at the time, paddling like mad with a smile on his face as shield against strong current and fierce wind.

10 Chance and Choice – (solo guitar) Liz gave me this title - a tribute to our son’s courageous friend, Tony, who was lost at age 12 to cancer. He was one of the most courageous people I've ever met, as is our son, who visited him throughout his illness. I parked this tune for years after its composition but resurrected it when the city of New York suffered the 9/11 tragedy. So I offer it up for Tony and NY. Its first title was "To NY" (get it?) -- too preciously clever and visual perhaps, but it's how I remembered it. Liz came up with its current title as an album title suggestion which I grabbed up for this piece as it has deeper meaning for me.

11 Common Weight – (solo guitar) about the common burden shared by all people – the weight of living that connects us. An old piece of mine, reborn and reshaped on the tour.

12 Ultrasound – (solo guitar) I composed this in 1984 after seeing a sonagram image of our son, Ben. Hard to put that feeling into words -- but there was a joy and a reverence that I poured into this tune.

13 Yellowknife – (solo guitar) an old piece rejuvenated and built upon after David and I visited Yellowknife in the Northwest Territory. It reminds me of the spirit of those who settled there and choose to make their lives together in such a starkly beautiful and rugged place.

14 Dulcianna – (solo dulcimer) composed especially for Liz for Valentine’s Day 2008 on the dulcimer she made me. Seasoned through time and sweet sounding – like our marriage. Sounds Hallmarkian... but it's true.