Once upon a time there was a magical place on the outskirts of Birmingham, AL called Moonlight on the Mountain. Musicians from all over the world would visit and play intimate shows to audiences that were eager to listen. They also hosted a competitive open mic night; everyone that performed would rate their peers on qualities like; delivery, stage presence, song writing, originality, etc. The winner each night would be awarded the sum of the door charge, and be entered to compete into the bi-annual "Open Mic Night Grand Slam." The grand prize was 8 hours of studio time with Bud Brown at Higher Ground Studios in Bessemer, AL.

My first visit to Moonlight on the Mountain was in the Summer of 2017, when Alexa Rankin was crowned the victor of the Spring Series. I left that night with a dream and a fresh sense of determination; I was going to hone my ability to write & perform original songs, and win the "Winter 2018 Open Mic Night Grand Slam Series."

I attended every open mic night for the next six months; making incredible friends, hearing many well-crafted songs, and eventually qualifying for the bi-annual Grand Slam! When the big night came, I got really nervous. I realized that the assumptions I had made the night I saw Alexa Rankin were pretty erroneous; that it would be just as easy for me to "win the audience," and "blow them all away." I started to accept that I might not "win," and that the real prize was the relationships I had built along the way.

If I had a chance of winning at all, I thought, for my second song I would have to take a risk and improvise a song based on audience suggestions. "Mermaid," one audience member suggested, "cucumber" shouted another... so we invented a song about mermaid salad and how someday we may have to create GMOs that support the growth of gardens under the sea because of the potential for the sea levels to rise... and I won!

Thus this collection of early songs were documented.

When I first received the .wav files, I wasn't pleased with my performance... I didn't share the songs with anyone. But now, I look back on them with such fondness. After nearly 5 years of keeping them to myself, I'm happy to share these humble beginnings with you. They represent a very important era in my life and mark the first big strides in my life as a songwriter. I was so green- so excited- Bud showed me how to properly over/under the cables and encouraged me to try every weird idea- I was so curious and he was so generous with his time & studio space (surely those 8 hours turned into 10).