I’m very surprised that this record finally exists and that I am proud of it. What often happens is you put out a record and hate it. All you hear are the things wrong with it. So this time I did all I could to rewrite the songs, record things properly, and make a record correctly. I hope I remain proud of it. I hope you enjoy it.

So what is this record about? It is the first in a series of three related to my time in law school. The songs themselves aren’t necessarily about law or studies, but they are the songs I wrote during this period of my life, and I have sorted them into approximate years. All of them take their name from a legal term.

An “Answer” is your response when someone sues you. You are served a complaint, and then you have a certain number of days to respond with an answer (I don’t remember how many days, because I wasn’t a very good law student). So I found this to be an appropriate term for this record. I have entered into a conflict of sorts with myself. I feel that my life has been in a holding pattern for the last three years, and I’m unsure of how to return to pursuing my passion. This is my attempt to answer myself and keep myself moving towards the future I would rather have. But as it happens, you never really find the answer, thus the burning documents on this record’s cover.

There is also a callback to my previous record, “Where there’s Smoke there’s Fire,” a record I released under a pseudonym. The cover for that album was a rather boring picture I took of smoke in my backyard when my dad made a bonfire. That was the smoke, the cover of this record features fire. That being said, I consider this my first record. In high school I made a record under my real name, but I don’t claim ownership of it now because a) it is not very good and b) it was made by an entirely different human being, a child in fact. I hope this is a sufficient first effort as I try to start anew.

In brief explanation of the songs: “Waiting” was an experiment in writing a folk song with personal lyrics. I had always written folk songs about trains and other stereotypical subjects with which I was unfamiliar, but this time I actually tapped into a real emotion and wrote about the feeling of waiting for everything to work out. “She’s Listening” was a stitching together of two song ideas I had years ago, before I realized these two concepts were the same song. I attempted to emulate soul and the styles of music that the song references, and I feel that I have never written anything like it before. “Bluebirds” is a song I wrote two years before law school began, rather extemporaneously before my sister’s 20th birthday. In the subsequent years the song came to mean more to me and I rewrote some of the verses, updating it for this record. “Godspeed” was based on a news clip I saw in the CNN 60s documentary discussing the space race, in which they said “Godspeed, John Glenn.” I was struck by the sense of achievement in reaching space, but the isolation that must occur in a literal vacuum. “Certainty” was written on my first trip to Nashville, right before I went to Third Man Records. It was specifically intended to be recorded in the record booth, but unfortunately that record did not turn out well, so I’ve re-recorded it here. “Wildfire” was written in a Facebook Live video to share with people how I write songs, and has gone through many instrumental permutations. “Automation” was a simple song written during one of my many days of drudgery in my first year. “When the Gavel’s Coming Down” was written as a Southern Rock song, and I believe it has retained some of that spirit. “Turnaround” was written years ago, but I lacked the skills to record it myself. It was one of my first transitions from writing stereotypical folk songs to writing ones with actual personal significance. And finally, “Leaving” was written quietly in my bedroom, trying to avoid detection of my constant guitar playing. I think it sets up where the following record in this series will venture next, and starts to depart from the more entrenched folk style of this record.

And now, many thanks are in order: First, to my parents for their constant support through what has been the most difficult years of my life. To my sister for being my best friend and joining me in a musical partnership for our band Gerkey. To my friends, the “lunch bunch,” for being the best part of this whole process (particular thanks to Katie Phillips for tolerating the recording of this record in our house and to Gabe Justus for lending me his bass in the long term). To Rachel Gerald and her support of me during my time in law school. To the Rook and Pawn and all the people there for being a haven and providing the best job I’ve ever had. To the UGA MBUS program for teaching me how to do most of this several years ago. To Tyler Key for being the first person to tell me I was a good songwriter and always inviting me to share a bill. To all of my bandmates from Summer Sonics, what a long time ago that was. To Bryant at the Caledonia Lounge for giving me and my various bands a place to play for the last seven years. To Jeffrey Vernon for his support and skill as the best drumming guitarist around. To Ian Morrison for his input and dependability as a bassist.