You’re such a prolific artist. Are you someone who finds inspiration everywhere or do you put yourself in conducive environments to create?

I think inspiration can be found wherever you are; all of the cheesy platitudes are true. If it’s not outside then maybe the outside can help reveal what is inside. When I’m writing and ideating, I appreciate an environment that is removed from my normal day-to-day. With my instrumental album On Horseshoe Lake I was in Ely for a week while writing the main melodic ideas and some of the accompaniment parts.

I know many people who flipped for “Race Car Driver” when the song came out, me included. Is that a fun one to play?

Thanks for saying so. I remember hearing Mary Lucia on the Current react, “Well, there’s that.” So yeah, I think it caught people by surprise when compared to some of the music from the album that came before. It is fun to play live but not one we can whip out on a whim. Advance warning is appreciated.

You’ve written about your love of “Kiss” by Prince. Do you do it in concert? Do you have other purple faves?

Indeed I do. I don’t perform his music very often, but once in a while I might do “I Would Die 4 U” or “Kiss” or “Nothing Compares 2 U.” I really like “Seven” but one of my favorite deep cuts is a tune called “Morning Papers.” Sometimes I play “Little Red Corvette,” but some of those lyrics feel a little uncomfortable to sing in certain environments.

You went to college at St. Olaf. Does Northfield have an under-appreciated music scene?

It’s been a minute or two since I’ve really spent much time in Northfield, but I think there are a lot of opportunities for people to see music down there. You have to look a little bit for it sometimes, but between the colleges, newer breweries and wineries, it’s a lively scene. Also, The Northfield Arts guild presents concerts and bring in a lot of great songwriters from the Cities.

You have such a literary sensibility with your music. Did you do a lot of reading during the pandemic? 

I caught up with Phillip Pullman’s Book of Dust; a couple of novels from one of my favorite authors David Mitchell — The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet and Utopia Avenue; an anthology from Charles Bukowski, and a mystery called Deadline by Geoff Major, which included a passage from the Rogue Valley song The Wolves and the Ravens. I listened to some audio books too, but lately have been somewhat addicted to podcasts.

You had a year where you put out four full-length albums, which all fit together into one serialized work. That is Prince-like. What inspired such an ambitious feat?

Well, it was all released over one year, but it was put in motion over a couple of years. I haven’t been able to catch up since then. I think I could really put out more work if I was better about clocking into the studio on a regular basis. For the Rogue Valley Seasons albums, I just wanted to challenge myself and create a body of work which could be more patient and poetic than my previous work.

How did you maintain creative inspiration during Covid?

I don’t think I maintained it. I had to reconstruct it as it completely disintegrated. At the outset, I had a stretch where I really lost my sense of perspective and had to climb out from a dark place. The rope I grabbed onto to lift out was lowered by friends and family and people who listen to my music who really let me know I wasn’t alone. Then I just started chipping away at recording and writing and getting back into the swing of things. It has been a good time to take in the work of others and catch up on some older works, too.

I’ve always loved your song “Encierro,” which closes with the line, “May we all be blessed, may we all do our best.”  Does that represent your worldview pretty well?

Thank you, I think that recording turned out pretty well. It has a little flavor of the Zombies in there. I always want to remember my gratitude for this life and all of the opportunities that have been here in front of me. In times of depression it can be difficult to remember to “do our best.” We all need a little help.

You have a heady schedule of performing planned for this year. How does it feel to get out there again?

I’m entering a quieter time of the year. Some holiday stuff with the New Standards and a cozy little show at the Aster on December 19th. It’s been great though. The summer and autumn were very busy with lots of backyard and house shows. There were so many people just eager to gather together again and have music be a part of that.

What’s next for you?

I’ve still got a backlog of work to finish; a solo/choral album that needs some attention  and a Rogue Valley album that’s in the homestretch. There’s planning for 2022 and always a lot more organization I can do. I think the first thing I need to do is remember who I am and remember I am an artist and not to let myself drift too far into the mundane; I need to maintain that curiosity and continue to develop my voice and learn and keep growing.