Our lives are comprised of many things including our genetic wiring, preferences, habits, relationships, ideas, achievements, failures. Throw them all into a pot with some broth, diced carrots, celery and a little hot sauce, set to boil and you’ll get the idea behind my music. It’s the expression of many interests and people I’ve played with, worked with and loved. A “strange coalition” if you will. I can’t think of anything that bridges social division divide better than music and the arts.

If you’re interested in booking me for music: info@strangecoalition.com

Picasso

The inspiration for this song came from watching the Nat Geo “Genius” series for the second time. Season 1 is about Einstein, played by Geoffrey Rush and Season 2 was Picasso, played by Antonio Banderas. I was just blown away by Banderas’ portrayal of Pablo Picasso, one of the greatest artists of all time. Very flawed as husband, father and a friend, but a ground-breaking, world famous genius nonetheless.

United We Stand

If you’ve listened to my Locally Grown podcast, you’ve heard snippets of this song in the beginning and the end. I wrote this tune when I was writing my book, Locally Grown: The Art of Sustainable Government. In these turbulent times, we have to remember that there is more that unites us than divides us in this great land.

Hurricane Allie

This one is just a boozy rocker that should be played in crowded smoky club. Like me, I think most people have run into some Hurricane Allie’s (or Billy’s) in their lives. Lots of laughs but watch out.

We Are Not Alone

One of my guilty pleasures is watching the TV show, Ancient Aliens. It is in it’s 23rd season and continues to present evidence of their theory that extraterrestrials have been with us for hundreds of thousands of years. Ancient cultures from India and Japan, to Egyptian and Inca, all trace their roots to the creator gods from the sky. They built massive expertly-crafted stone monuments to worship them. How some ancient cultures, with no written language or modern equipment, could design and build such wonders on their own, mystifies me.

In the Christian Old Testament, the Book of Genesis speaks of the time before Noah and the great flood, where angels called “The Watchers” lived among humans and imparted great knowledge and technology. A few thousand years later, the prophet Ezekiel was whisked away to heaven and returned by the celestial “wheel in the sky.”

In April 1800, William Dunbar, a scientist and correspondent of President Thomas Jefferson claimed that he and others had observed a strange disk-shaped craft near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He sent a report to Jefferson, who forwarded it to the American Philosophical Society where it was published.

Now under mounting evidence, our Pentagon has finally released recent arial footage of “UAPs” and admits that it has had an ongoing program studying them for more than 50 years, You decide if We Are Not Alone.

I'll Always Remember

This is a tune written for all the folks who have lost their moms. My mom was a special lady who I will never forget. She has moved on from this life and here’s my tribute to her.

Cyrus

When I attend church, it's quiet time to contemplate bigger things than myself. “Why are we here?” kind of stuff. Except for listening to the sermon and the singing, I try to read the Bible quietly. I like the Old Testament because it is really the oldest written history of the ancient world. Cyrus the Great, King of Persia is mentioned in a few places as a "good conqueror" because he freed the Jews from their captivity in Babylon when he invaded. I guess its a cautionary tale for our time. Be careful of authoritarians bearing gifts.

The Storm

History has shown consistently that centralization of power eventually collapses under it’s own weight because it becomes a single point of failure. All the emperors, fascists, and socialists better be right, or the whole society suffers. In contrast, American republican democracy distributes power, from the bottom-up,: local, state and federal, with a constitution that limits federal power.

This is a rallying cry for the people around the world that are sick of being lied to by their leaders, who demand loyalty while diminishing our freedom, all at the barrel of gun.

Heaven is for Lovers

I don't write many loves songs mostly because that's what most everyone else does. New love, lost love, spurned love, lustful love, strange love. To me, enduring love requires compromise. Putting others needs ahead of yours, and them doing the same for you. Selflessness. It's hard but worth it.

Market Crash

This one is from my first album, Money, Politics and Old Lovers. Market Crash was written in 1998 in the wake of the collapse of Long-Term Capital Management, a highly leveraged hedge fund that received a $3.6 billion bailout from the Federal Reserve. Big money back then. It’s a cautionary tale that’s more relevant than ever for big centralized government creating incentives for risky behavior for their cronies.

Jesus’ Dog

Our 14 year old dog Rev, is a well-trained border collie that is so cool. He is a fanatical fetcher who will retrieve anything you throw. Loyal and smart. One beautiful day, I was throwing him the tennis ball and I wondered if he could talk, what story he would tell, Then I wondered if Jesus had a dog what story he would tell. Well, this song is the bluegrass story.