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My Year as a My Day
For my regular readers, this article might look like a needlessly lengthy puff piece about an artist you've likely never heard of from a genre you probably don't care much about. And I'll admit it: On the surface, this article is mostly me gushing about the K-pop...
My Favorite Album of 2025 (So Far): Devastation Awaits by Out of Service
[The following blog post was adapted from my July 2025 newsletter. My monthly newsletters are jam-packed with encouragements, life stories, family photos, “you heard it here first” music news, recommendations, & more — plus an audio link each month for you to...
My Favorite Song of 2025 (So Far): “Maybe Tomorrow” by DAY6
[The following blog post was adapted from my July 2025 newsletter. My monthly newsletters are jam-packed with encouragements, life stories, family photos, “you heard it here first” music news, recommendations, & more — plus an audio link each month for you to...
Advice for Getting into Songwriting
Recently, a fan of my music reached out to me to ask: "I want to start writing and making music, but I honestly don't have a clue where to start. Any advice?" My response to him was thorough enough that I figured it might benefit other people, too. So, have YOU ever...
What Does Hospitality Mean To You?
(This blog post is adapted from my March 2025 newsletter. I send only one email each month, so you can trust that I will never spam you or bulk up your inbox; instead, my monthly newsletters are jam-packed with encouragements, life stories, family photos, “you heard...
Failed Resolutions & Becoming Who You Want to Be
(This blog post is adapted from my January 2025 newsletter. I send only one email each month, so you can trust that I will never spam you or bulk up your inbox; instead, my monthly newsletters are jam-packed with encouragements, life stories, family photos, "you heard...
What You Should Know About Vivian-i
This past August, I released a new project titled Vivian-i. It holds a special place in my heart, as well as a unique place in my discography, so I wanted to compile and share the most important details about it.
Why Do You Release So Much Music?
I’m writing this article as a way to explain why I’m releasing so much music, to explore whether it’s plausible for a songwriter to write this much new material on such a prolific basis, and whether the concept of “too much music” is fairly, evenly applied across all artists.
Enduring Hardships & “The Ride (Hold On To Me)”
Great Expectations "I don’t want to buckle beneath the weight / Of the vows I spent my whole life trying to make" This lyric, taken from the chorus of "The Ride (Hold On To Me)," was one of the first lines I wrote for the song, back in mid-2020 when the idea of...
Relient K Discography – Ranking and Reviews
[This article is repurposed from a post originally published in September 2021; but if you enjoy my thoughts on Relient K's music, you can hear more in a recent podcast episode that's only available by signing up for the Friends Club.] As tends to be the case with...
I’ve Been Here Before (A Reflection on Job Loss)
Back in 2015, I felt like I was on top of the world. I had landed a great office job straight out of college, starting work as a content editor for a financial advising firm merely one week after graduating with my bachelor's degree in May of 2014. This certainly...
“Settled in the Unsettled” – Story Behind the Song
“Settled in the Unsettled” is a special song, unlike anything else I’ve yet written. It has perhaps the highest bang-for-your-buck ratio within my discography, packing many memorable musical moments and interesting intellectual inquiries within less than three minutes. The composition leans into my classical and traditional influences, and it’s the first song I’ve released that sounds like it has already existed for many decades, as if it could’ve been released in the 1950’s.
“Middle Of My Words” – Story Behind the Song
“Middle of My Words” was written on the same day as multiple songs that I’ve already released: “Counsel,” “Lonely Saints,” and “Interrogate the Fantasy.” That day (April 4, 2018) was a special occasion, marking the end of an era in my life. A few weeks later, my brother Taylor would get married. I had just moved out of our apartment and he was getting ready to move out, too, after three years of us rooming together.
Introducing the Friends Club! (Short & Sweet Version)
Hello! This is the second of two posts about my new music venture, the Friends Club. This post summarizes the highlights from a lengthier article which thoroughly explores everything you could possibly want to know about the Friends Club, including why I created it,...
Introducing… the Friends Club!
At the start of 2024, I unveiled a new venture, titled the Friends Club, that could completely alter the trajectory of my music career. It’s designed to provide the greatest benefits possible to those who enjoy my music, while providing those who join with more music than ever before alongside opportunities to connect with me and other listeners. The article you are about to read goes into great detail about the intentions behind the Friends Club, its creation, its value, its platform, and its relationship to the rest of the music industry.