Here's how this all happened

The idea of doing live comedy became a real pursuit around 2022. It's something I'd always kind of dreamed of doing and for whatever reason after the events of 2020 it took hold of me in ways that I had to take action on it. I wrote some comedic songs and thought about how I could turn them into some kind of stand-up routine. I had jokes worked out that would weave between the songs and I had ideas for crowd work that would keep it from being just music-comedy. I was fortunate enough to perform this set a couple of times to reasonably receptive crowds. It wasn't a slam-dunk, but it was enough of a win that I could see a path forward. As time went on, I'd write new material now and again and in 2025 I decided that I'd do a 45 minute show that I could film and record to release as my own special. I researched venues and spoke to comedian friends about opening for me; while it wasn't all figured out, it was coming together...there was just one small problem - I didn't like it. The stress of doing a pure-comedy show terrified me once it started to come together, so I changed course. I decided to just record the songs for a comedy-rock album. The idea being that the songs could be stand-alone good enough that even once you heard the joke, you'd still be interested in hearing them again. Some musical comedians do this, but most do-not; the songs are strictly vehicles for the punchlines.

At this point I consulted with Bractune about how I'd go about doing this kind of record. He'd co-written some of the material with me and I always value his input, so he helped me come to the decision that I should hire outside drummers and just get the best players possible. He helped me assemble a list of probable candidates. The obvious question is "why not just have Bractune do it?" ...well that came up immediately and it just seemed like we might fall into our typical patterns and we didn't want my solo-comedy record to sound like The Bitter Elegance. The plan was to start recording in April 2026.

The next day I when I woke up I was filled with melancholy about the record. It was SO MUCH FUN just talking with Bractune about it that I really just wanted him to be the drummer, and the idea of hiring outside people really terrified me. I was also concerned that anyone I hire is not going to tell me when my ideas suck, and I always welcome and need those outside opinions. The whole thing is supposed to sound fun, so why not just navigate around the possible pitfalls and have him do it? I called and asked him and he agreed instantly. 

The Bitter Elegance released our latest album on Nov 7th, 2025. We did two sold-out shows to celebrate but afterwards we hit a wall. 6 albums in 9 years is a pretty intense pace and Elizabeth said she needed a break. The band still exists, but for the time being we'd be on hiatus. This moved up the timeline for my comedy-solo-record.

Exactly one month later, I had a stroke.

Part of my recovery was to sing...a lot! The type of brain-damage I have is greatly improved by connecting the melodic sense of the right-side, to the linguistic side on the left. All of this singing inspired me to work on my originals. I also learned that I am capable of having full-on panic attacks. The main thing that kept them from assaulting me was diving into music - when I'd write, record, and produce, the focus was so great that the rest of the world disappeared. Bractune and I started tracking drums about a week after I was released from the hospital.

Once we had a few songs in place, I realized that the "song" part was far more important to me than the "comedy" part and with this realization I abandoned many of the planned tracks. 

I felt my comedian persona never quite landed correctly if you weren't in the room with me. I had some pretty raunchy material and the joke really was that my material was making fun of the attitudes it was presenting, but my dry delivery had me concerned that people just hearing these without the connective-tissue of my routine would just think I'm a filthy-jerk.

At this point the record took a turn and I started writing from my authentic point-of-view, using humor to tell a real story rather than as a joke for my alter-ego comedian.

This is my 22nd release as an artist, but it's the first one where I am actually THE artist. I've always viewed myself more as the audio-craftsman; I write for the voice (literally and figuratively) of the singer and create soundscapes and layers from a more technical side than an artistic one. I guess you could argue that there is art in all of that, but ultimately I'm servicing a vision that doesn't need to be a mirror of me.

So here we are - not really a solo album (Bractune is all over it as a player, writer, and co-conspirator), and while I think every song has wit as a main feature, it isn't comedy. I enjoyed the hell out of doing this, and actually enjoyed singing for the first time in my adult life. I suspect this will not be a one-and-done - I have already booked additional shows and will announce them when appropriate. Thanks for listening and reading - please have the best day ever!