Month: October 2023

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12 years ago today: @vanessa_peters and I came to #Lucca to scout out a possible Italian base of operations. She was getting booked for enough European shows that it made sense to try to find an apartment where we could stash some backline and hang out part of the year, and maybe use VRBO (AirBnb didn’t yet exist) to help recoup some of the costs.

Life always comes at you sideways, though, and you have to be open to what appears in front of you. So when we got the opportunity to take on several apartments, we were like, yeah. And the rest is history.

This photo really takes me back. Here I’m riding a vintage bike with practically no brakes and a seat that fell off at the slightest provocation. If you had asked me then if I could imagine that one day I’d have sold my place in Dallas and relocated here permanently I’d have been like yeah right whatever. Crazy huh.

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I hope you’ll preorder “Flying on Instruments” (digital, CD, or limited edition blue vinyl) and get an immediate download of “Flood Zone” which won’t be otherwise available until later next spring.

This album was co-produced with @joereyesmusic and features @vanessa_peters’s Italian band @ciancaguitar (e gtr), @andrea_colicchia (bass), and @trappeo_mattone (piano). Additional strings were recorded by @buffij and her ace quartet. Mastering by @mcsnare.

It’s a beautiful folk/soft-rock album with a little extra nuance and space. As always Vanessa is in top form both in her songwriting and performances. There’s a lot of spontaneity which you can hear in the performances. Most of these were tracked live with minimal overdubs and no doubling or layering of instruments for a very honest and direct sound that puts Vanessa front and center. Special shout-out to @stagermicrophones which feature heavily in the drum and electric guitar tone.

Please visit the link in my bio to pre-order!