Forget Me Not, Remembered
by ‘the Quiet One’ who was paying close attention
This week I want to share a remarkable effort by a good friend who has an incredible blog. Drew Layman, The Quiet One, is really paying attention. We chatted about my first record, Forget Me Not, which I referred to a couple of weeks ago in this newsletter. When he reached out to tell me he wanted to do a piece specifically on that, I was so excited because I had been reliving some of the experiences of making that record recently.
TQO did his homework ahead of time. Also he must be a hoarder because he was able to produce 2 more copies of FMN than I have in my possession, as well as the demo EP I had sent out to a few publications as a teaser since, as I mention in our interview, we didn’t have the actual copies of the record until the day of the release show.
Photo: Manjari Sharma, Design: Bill Gaines, Artwork & Painting: Ryan Kapp
If I made that record now it would be so different. But not because I want it to be different. It's just because, at that time, every single thing meant something. And it just all felt so heavy and personal… it made for each song to be its own little vignette. That's what I wanted for it. It was my first stab at really writing songs. I was changing a lot at that time, about how I saw the world… to receive songs for the first time in my life, because I'd been hanging out with so many songwriters suddenly, and really studying what they were doing. And then finding ways to take what I had learned and apply it to my own creativity. It was a really freeing time for me to find the access to creativity. I'd been wanting it for so long, but hadn't been able to put the formula together.
Design: Bill Gaines
So, at that time it was like whoosh, and it was really, really fun. I was getting a lot of stuff; I was getting it really organically, just downloading it on a walk through our neighborhood and in the shower, writing it down and making it; This was such an exciting time for me. I'm really happy with how it turned out. Because it really reflects that period of my life where I've figured out how I wanted to make music, not just as a fiddler in people's bands, but as my own artist.
Transcribed from MP interview with ‘The Quiet One’ Drew Layman
Please please please click the link and read (at the very least) TQO’s description of what transpired, see the photos he archived, read the album credits (I was impressed!) If you are still interested in more, we have a limited transcription of our 2 hour dialogue on the making of that record among other things attached to TQO’s lovely synopsis of that snapshot in time, around 2003-2006 in Columbus OH.
photo: Manjari Sharma
There is so much more of the story to tell, and it’s the topic of a big chunk of what I’ve been writing about in my memoir. Getting some perspective on it years later proves I am still learning from some of these songs that felt gifted to me from the universe and the changes I was going through.
It makes me curious to know about other people’s first stabs at making records or sharing their work in some way. What did you go through when you were making your first works? Was it scary or exciting and why? Are you still thinking about it years later? What did you do after it was ‘finished?’ Are you satisfied with that work when you look back upon it? I really want to know!!!!
I am so appreciative of Drew, ‘The Quiet One’ for remembering this time and highlighting it for me as a moment where I was breaking through so much doubt and confusion about who I was. Also it’s comforting to know someone else saw me and what I was trying to accomplish. It really means the world to me.