This solo singer-songwriter project began in February 2013. Before that time, with only a few minor exceptions, I had only played out my originals with two lovely ladies I still count as friends in a band we called MapleDream. We had parted ways, as bands often do, just a month before, and I was left with a stack of originals that, with a few exceptions, lacked solo guitar arrangements.

I am a cellist by training, not a guitarist, so I knew that if I were to get these songs to work on solo guitar, I needed help. I was looking for someone who is excellent at both guitar and arranging, whom I trusted to make my songs sound great, and who I knew would be brutally honest. I immediately thought of my friend Greg Newlon. I can confirm that working with Greg requires a thick skin (which I confess is not my forte), as he left no holds barred in his critique of the chording, lyrics, structure, meter, and thematics of nearly all of my songs. In other words, he was just what I needed. He also apparently has a high opinion of my potential as a guitarist, as more than a few of the arrangements he created for my songs have taken me nearly a year to play convincingly, and I practice a lot.

I can say that he had a hand in making several of my songs far better than they were before. He even re-wrote the bridge to “Leave It Alone,” which officially makes us co-writers. There are some songs, however, that he had nothing to do with: some I didn’t show him because I knew he’d hate them, and some I’m still playing the way I want to despite his counsel otherwise. This is another way of saying that if you don’t like something about one of my songs, it’s probably not his fault.

Thanks for thinking about joining me on March 15 for my debut as a solo singer-songwriter. I hope to see you there.