that linger on

that linger on

Go ahead, figure out just what it was that ruined it. You had it all but wanted more and pitched a fit and destiny would play along. The caveat: you get just what you want until you haven't got a single thing you need. And it's simple enough the feast has passed and now you hunger on.

And no, you can't go back and do it all again.

Mull it over, wake to sleep and sleep to wake Relive it again and again for pity's sake til you're screaming out your heartache song after song. You think, "you get it off your chest" until you see you've burned it in. Sealed for all the rest of your days within the riches past and scars that linger on.

And no, you can't go back and do it all again.

The old college roommates got together the weekend of Hurricane Joaquin. We celebrated John's "Bachelor Party" in our true nerd fashion! Ate delicious food, drank fine beverages, and played great video games. Really, being together just to have fun was the main event (not including the wedding). The weekend drew to a close and I found myself with Zak's ukulele in my hand, plucking out little ostinatos, as I processed the feelings spending rich time with old friends provides. As I looked back, years into the past, I ran the "what-if" gauntlet...and fell. I began to identify ways my introspection and projects had carried me forward while simultaneously binding me to a perception of myself and my experiences.

We return again to our Enslavement-Freedom continuum. In Each and Every Time our release, our letting go, grants us freedom. In that linger on, we are captured by the "what-ifs" that keep us from WHAT IS. Why do we struggle so wholeheartedly with a life that simply doesn't exist? Where is the line between processing our emotional struggles and allowing our hurt, loss, and/or regret to indwell our identities? How can we mediate our thoughts and feelings to heal that which needs healing, and dismiss that which needs dismissing? What moments linger on?

Special thanks to Zak, for letting me borrow his beautiful ukulele, pictured below, for this project.

Set-up for "that linger on" ukulele recording.

Sunrise

Today I share with you, "Sunrise". I love how the morning twilight builds so smoothly to the explosive brilliance of the sun climbing into the sky. I just bought my first guitar this past Tuesday--a Jackson JS-10 Dinky! It's a great and affordable instrument! I've toyed with the idea of buying an electric for years, but was able to borrow my cousin's beautiful Westone Rainbow and Fender Mustang to play through Garrett's B-52 half stack while living at Wentworth Studios. So there was no urgency. But, after being hounded by guitar textures in my head over the past weeks, the time had come. So backing up: in college, Jared and Zak were into this Icelandic group called, 

Sigur Rós

. They would fill the apartment with the lush sounds of steadily building string sections, guitars, and mystical vocals. And thus I fell in love with ambient post rock.

A few years later, my cousin, Melissa introduced me to

Tycho

. The synthesized elements enhanced the guitar elements. The electronic percussion helped create contrast with the live percussion. It was a steady groove with a rich atmosphere.

I fed on analyzing their orchestration and arrangement but more importantly, I LIKED HOW I FELT WHEN I LISTENED TO IT! I wanted to experience the creation of that kind of project. So I am pleased to share with you today, "Sunrise".

A Picture to go with the piece, Sunrise

Each and Every Time

Each and Every Time

When I would let it go I wouldn’t go without. In every song a gift beheld.

I was by your side each and every time.

And when I woke to see You gave it all to me, every moment each eternal bliss.

I was by your side each and every time.

This past summer was a time of transition for my life. As I planned how to launch into music composition and private recording engineering in a full-time capacity, I envisioned busy days working meticulously on my art and sharing constant threads of updates with interested followers on Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets. Passing Worth and it’s newly released full-length album, “Getting Over You” would experience continuous growth and exposure in popular and artistically rich circles. Miles to Go would release it’s second full-length album “Perspective” and soon after a song cycle entitled, “The Mystic Set”. All things would blossom! All things would blaze hot! I was answering what I felt (and still feel) as God’s calling and thusly anticipated God answering mine.

My new chapter began in July. For the first time in years, I rested. And much to my surprise, I found that I actually liked getting rest! It was different than sleeping however many (or few) hours available. With newfound time I could rejoin friends on an annual work week in Belington, WV, help Scottie and Marie paint their new home, and even watch Supernatural and Chopped with Moses and Jenny! Taking on writing and recording projects, I still managed to accomplish a portion of what I set out to do. But something was different. My “go-to” stressful and hyperactive workflow was becoming obsolete. And while I treasured the vigor and thrill of the days I employed it, I found a deeper fulfillment in slower, more reflective, and ultimately more focused work in this new phase.

In letting go of the need to “make it all work” and listening to the MUSIC (the REAL music ebbing in flowing all around and within us) I have been able to experience life, not just live it. I am finding that much of my new composition over the past months deals with the continuum between Enslavement and Freedom. In what ways are we held captive by our own expectations of reality? In what ways are we liberated?

I am happy to share with you today, Each and Every Time, which is a reflection on gratitude of provision within release.

This video was shot on the hurricane creek in Pelzer, SC at sunrise on December 3, 2015. Special thanks to Terry, Carla, David and Cecil.

Songwriter And Pianist Alex Davis Keys In On Two New Albums | Severna Park Voice

Severna Park native Alex Davis whet his performing appetite with a performance of Billy Joel’s “She’s Got A Way” during Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival in 2006, but at that point, he still had miles to go before reaching the status of full-time musician. Now, as the lead singer and keyboardist of two bands - Miles To Go and Passing Worth – that are set to release albums later this year, he is closer to making music his sole career.

Source: Songwriter And Pianist Alex Davis Keys In On Two New Albums | Severna Park Voice

A few weeks ago I got a phone call from Zach Sparks at the Severna Park Voice. He had found me through an old reverbnation page that is linked to an email I can't even access anymore; I hadn't even updated it to reflect that I lived in South Carolina. Well this worked out, because Zach was searching for local artists in Severna Park and stumbled onto me in this way. Zach was interested in interviewing me to talk about I had shifted from the solo act "Alex Davis" in 2008, to Passing Worth and Miles to Go that currently are working so hard on albums and tour planning. It's amazing how things like this happen. I had just given my letter of resignation for my full time job at Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church to pursue music in a full time capacity when he called. All that's to say, I can use all the support that comes my way.

I'm thankful for our meeting for many reasons. One, it was so refreshing to talk with someone who values the person-to-person interaction in a conversation, rather than a message thread. Two, it was great to talk with someone about the development of my relationship with my art and reflect on how it continues to become more meaningful to me on every level. And lastly, it was nice to feel like I'm doing something worth writing about, maybe people might even want to come to a show and hear what it is that has compelled me to take such a huge leap of faith from a full-time job and comfortable home-studio arrangement to a life on the road.

Ah heck, I can go on and on about it. Better off just pointing you to the words of Zach Sparks. Thanks so much, man!