The Phillies were on the brink. The Eagles made it to the Super Bowl in 2022-2023. The Flyers are improving. And the 76ers have Joel Embiid and James Harden (not to mention Tyrese Maxey). So it's Christmas in Philly and tonight I will dream of a party down Broad Street for a championship team.
"Another Fine Mess"
Another Fine Mess is here on January 1, 2025! It includes 14 original songs + one John Prine cover. It's a folk record, with a heavy dose of retro pop.
Here are the liner notes for the record:
01 "You Make The World Shine”
I started writing an upbeat song, and I was fiddling around with the lyrics. Next thing you know, I’m gushing about my two-year old granddaughter Sadie May, who is cuter than a whole pile of buttons.
02 “Favorite Kind Of Weather”
I’ve been lucky enough to collaborate with Nick Gunty for several years. He’s an exceptional musician and an exceptional human being. And his wife Jill Stinchcomb is a real gem. When Nick and Jill were married on October 7, 2023, Jill mentioned, as part of her vows, that, no matter the meteorological conditions, it’s always Nick’s “favorite kind of weather.” So, in honor of Nick and Jill, I wrote this song. Don Mitchell and Dave Senft, both of whom are members of the band Darlingside and who are good friends with Nick and Jill, joined me on the song; Don produced it. Brian Powers, Nick’s bandmate in their indie folk duo Frances Luke Accord, also joined us, adding vocals and mandolin. Nick and Jill’s good friend Katie Fleming joined in on the vocals, too. And, of course, other members of The Missing Years, Matt, Molly, and Jane, also added to the song. And for our remixed album version, Nick and Jill added their voices and Nick added some sublime lap steel.
03 “A Teenage Kid Who Turned 70”
I turned 70. I rarely get up at 10 AM. I do like Lucky Charms. I still do play baseball. I love barbecue meatloaf. And raise your hand if you remember Barney Fife.
04 “The Boy Will Write His Own Story”
My great nephew, Jake, is a remarkable young boy who’s growing up with some significant challenges. I wrote this song several years ago for him. We recorded it in 2019. I’m not sure that it needed to be re-recorded, but it’s one of the most meaningful songs that I’ve ever written, and Molly’s vocals on this new version are extraordinary.
05 “Just Wanna Be With You”
Continuing with our tradition of including a cover of a John Prine song on each of our records, we plucked this under-appreciated song from John’s 1980 Storm Windows album. John’s version is a full-out rock and roll song. We’ve made it into a sweet folk ballad.
06 “Clean Up On Aisle Three”
Okay, I’ll admit it: I’m not always as neat as I could be. My wife Andi notices. This song is for her.
07 “Do You Remember The First Time That We Met”
At my nephew Jake’s wedding, his bride Morgan started her vows by asking Jake, “Do you remember the first time that we met?” And, from that, a song was born—with some of the lyrics snagged from Jake and Morgan’s vows. We released this song as a single in 2023, but we did a slightly different version for this record.
08 “From The Pan To The Fire”
Not that I’m obsessed with this whole aging process, but here’s another song about, well, aging. It’s worth listening to this song just for Jane’s introduction.
09 “Pure Joy”
When our dear friend Perri married Darren in 2023, the joy was everywhere. This song kind of wrote itself. We also updated this song a little bit from the single version that we released in late 2023.
10 “When I’m Ten”
My granddaughter Jane, who is now eight years old and a member of The Missing Years, and I were in Montauk, New York, and we decided to write a song together. This is it. Jane, of course, is the vocalist on this song. She is a star in the making.
11 “Two Spoons”
At youngest daughter Casey’s wedding on October 28, 2023, her sisters Molly and Emily compared Casey and her husband Nick, who both are ridiculously neat and organized, to the two spoons neatly placed in their own drawer. This song followed.
12 “Fleeting Moments”
Kids grow up too fast. I asked AI to help me write some lyrics about this. Here’s what we came up with.
13 “Ride The Open Road”
I wrote and recorded this song several years about my 1976 (year) BMW 2002 (model). The recording wasn’t very good, so we thought that we’d re-do it. With Nick’s production, Matt’s lead guitar, and Molly’s vocals on the choruses, I think that we finally did this song justice.
14 “Tony Maroni”
This is the first song that I ever wrote. I used to sing it (a cappella) to my three girls when they were little. First, it was “Molly had a friend…” Then it was “Emily had a friend…” Then “Casey had a friend…” And now it’s about Jane. I guess that Sadie May is next.
15 “Living In The Moment”
More about aging. But I’m not obsessed.
"Carousel of Love"
Carousel of Love is here! It includes 11 new, original songs + one John Prine cover. It's a heavy dose of folk, with a good bit of pop and rock added, spiced up with more than a hint of bluegrass.
"Christmas in Philly (Hallelujah, James Harden)"
"I've Been Younger Before"
The first single from our album, due out in early 2023, is "I've Been Younger Before"! Listen here or wherever you stream your music!