My friend Jack Pearson, a great musician and songwriter, introduced me to this idea in a song of his own. I took the inspiration and wrote this song. Willy Wonka (the fantastic and sorely missed Gene Wilder) used the phrase, which you can watch here. My wife Heather is the executive director of the Innovative …
On our most recent visit to Tanzania I was reminded of what I had heard about the importance of educating girls (as stated so well in the above quote.) We visited several educational settings which eventually inspired this song. It’s an advertisement, really, urging people who want to give money to consider this route to create …
I was in Austin at the Cenote Cafe I was searching for the best chai in Austin, which so far I’d say Cenote Cafe wins. But, as I parked behind the cafe, I saw this sign spray painted on a wall. It called for a song, and here it is. The Only Magic I watched a …
For over five years I’ve worked occasionally with the Oakwood Retirement Community to create intergenerational programs. I began by working with Sarah Sprague who started a wonderful project called Treasured Times designed to bring seniors and pre-school aged children together to engage in meaningful activities. Sarah asked me to work with her on some musical …
The first thing I learned is that Rotorua, a town that is at the center of Maori culture and is also the site of the training I am doing, smells. The seismic activity that New Zealand is known for has created thermal springs. Maori people used them to cook over, and tourists come here for …
Every year spring inspires me. One of these years I will take the whole month of May up at the cabin to just watch the slow beautiful progression of flowers and birds and sun. In the meantime, here are two small songs to celebrate the season. One is a zipper for young kids. The other is …
Galilee Baptist Church San Angelo I had the amazing opportunity to work with the choir at the Galilee Missionary Baptist Church. These wonderful singers kindly agreed to learn some songs I’ve written in a gospel style. I could only take those songs so far, and the changes and ideas they brought to the music …