This album is the culmination of a 17 year dream. I started out ironically, as a seventeen year old kid with zero musical talent or experience, and by that I do mean ZERO... But I had lyrics, really good ones. Consequently, at that time in 1998, my soul was struck with an intense calling to become a musician. Given my lack of talent, this made no sense, but it became an instantaneous burning desire that has never wavered, not even for a day... I felt that my words had to be heard and I knew that music was the most effective way to reach the masses... A daunting task indeed, I knew that the only way toward success was to learn how to speak the universal language of music... I took this as a serious responsibility.That said, any progress I initially made, started incredibly slow. With no clear cut way of achieving this dream, I consumed a heavy dose of music and song lyrics daily. Music in any form and writing lyrics was my favorite thing to do (other than being outside in nature) and in many ways, the two aspects seemed like one to me. Music and Nature... But at this point, any progress was only mental as I began to dream my musical existence into reality. It is so IMPORTANT to dream... Meanwhile, thru my freshman year of college (2000-01) I crept closer to my dream by embarrassing myself attempting to sing. What was pitch anyway? At least I was trying, I guess, lol. I think to many, it appeared to be a lost cause,"this kid cannot sing!" was the general conclusion. Eventually, and painfully, I did equip myself with a limited understanding of music. However, at this point, my singing was not yet acceptable or consistent, and I still couldn't play guitar fluently, though I was trying... Undeterred, I took college classes, music comp 206, singing 101, and 201... I was becoming ok... But clearly still dreaming!In 2003 my first legitimate band was formed. We were decent, and had reasons to be optimistic. Our songs were good, everything was improving for a while, except that the one problem tended to remain... The singer had some noticeable limitations... That was me of course, and unfortunately that became my early identity as a musician: a not very good singer... In time, I slid over to bass and that was a very fruitful decision. In the big picture, this was a brilliant move, as I thoroughly enjoyed bass, and in the process learned so much more about how music works. At this point, I started to get it: Rootnotes! Keys! It was making sense! I was becoming and feeling integral to the song, because as a bass player, I was! We Played for about 2 years before the wheels came off the group for various reasons. It was a good, fun, learning experience. I absolutely loved creating songs, both lyrically and musically! Everyone noticed my ability as a lyricist, and then eventually I earned respect as a bassist too, but It was safe to say that my dreams and reality were still worlds apart. On my own I took independent singing lessons, and this helped considerably, though it still wasn't coming natural to me, the talent just wasn't happening like I had hoped... Despite this, I remained steadfast in my dreams. By 2005, college was over, and as much as I didn't like the idea of it, I took a corporate job as a landscape yard foreman at JDL in Taylor, MI... My horticulture career was just beginning as the band faded, and at this time I dedicated myself to the guitar for the first extended period at the late blooming age of 24. Also for the first time, I started composing my lyrics with MY chord progressions. It was a very natural pairing, and before long I had enough songs to keep me busy at night. Over the next couple of years, I did in fact become an aspiring musician. I started to realize more and more, how everything is connected. Playing guitar and bass trained my ear, and once my ear could differentiate tones as feelings, the universe started to open up, musically...In 2007, I reunited with my cousin and former band mate, Brett Hoerner. We inspired and encouraged each other. We wrote a bunch of songs! Really good ones, and we just grew and grew musically. My voice had finally started to show some growth as well. I was still just ok in my opinion, but I started to feel some payoff for all the hard work, dedication, and time I had spent on this musical ambition. For the first time perhaps, the potentiality of my dreams seemed within reason. I just had to simply keep doing what I was doing. Keep playing, keep singing, keep dreaming. Spend the time IN music. And I did...In 2012, after 5 MORE years of steady musical growth and losing my Mom to brain cancer (in 2009), I set my sights on a winter sojourn to the Southwest US. I'd never been there before, but the time had come to explore and grow. I never could have imagined how much I would end up growing in those 3 months on the road, both culturally and musically... My Taylor guitar and I bounced from national parks to open mic nights all across the Southwest! From Big Bend and Terlingua down by Mexico, up to the Guadeloupe Mountains, then to Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands, Saguaro, Joshua tree, Yosemite, Zion, Santa Fe, and back to Big Bend and Terlingua for an extended stay! I just camped at national parks and googled open mic nights and went and did em. Even if I didn't feel like it. I sensed opportunity everywhere - there was no stigma of the long, hard, musical road I traveled. Just new faces, beautiful places, and new songs popping up like seeds in fertile ground! (This trip is illustrated in the song"Saguaro Queen").On the road I met MANY musicians, and was fortunate that my good energy brought forth many lessons from them. I learned a lot, as I started to realize some tremendous growth. I was a sponge to every note I heard... I was 30 years young, and did my very first open mic night at La Kiva in Terlingua, TX. Just north of the Mexican border. I sang for myself, and I sang for my Mom, whom on her death bed, I had told her I was going to become a singer... It was the last time I saw her laugh:) Shes been my inspiration ever since. To take the love she put into me, and put that love back into the world around me. And I have...Upon my return to my hometown, I felt triumphant! Some weight had been lifted. I was finally who I had dreamed of becoming. I was finally me, the musician! That said, It didn't take long for me to fall in love with a gal who became my wife. I had no idea what I was going to do with my life at this summer crossroads in 2012, but in the three years since, I started my own successful landscape business, I got married and started a beautiful family, and among other things, I wrote and recorded this album... I honed the songs for two years, and then last December (14') I started recording. My expectations were high. I believed in myself and my ideas and visions just as I always had, but then the blessings started rolling in! The stars aligned as the musicians that play on this album (Chadd Mattison, Brett Hoerner, Megan Meyer, Jessica Enderle, and others) took my very well written acoustic songs and enhanced them in a way I had not imagined! The final product:"The stars I stripe" now awaits your ears. your mind, and your heart. I look forward to you joining my musical journey! Thank you for taking the time to learn about me, Peace and love to you, and I hope these words find you well! Have a good one!