A little more than twenty years ago, I started writing songs for my kids' birthdays. This was a way to give them something much more personal than a greeting card and even gave me the opportunity to offer the occasional bit of advice in the softest possible way. It was also a great way for me to stay connected to writing music. By this point, family and work filled nearly every waking moment, and I really couldn't justify taking time away from either thing to spend time in my
I recently had a landmark birthday. Which landmark is not particularly germane to this conversation. For this particular landmark birthday, my wife and children got me a rare Gibson Les Paul Robot Guitar. Some people dream of owning a Maserati. I've wanted a Les Paul since I was a teenager. Now here's the thing: I don't really play guitar. You will hear guitar parts in several of these songs, but those guitar parts come after many, many, many takes. When it comes to guitar pl
