The album “Cold Springs” has truly been a labor of love for me as it's a tribute to my Idaho roots. I tried to write an album that would summarize my childhood experiences and also capture a sonic quality that would be unique to the Northwestern part of the country. I've written songs about the desert, pioneers and ranch life, without overly

The album “Cold Springs” has truly been a labor of love for me as it's a tribute to my Idaho roots. I tried to write an album that would summarize my childhood experiences and also capture a sonic quality that would be unique to the Northwestern part of the country. I've written songs about the desert, pioneers and ranch life, without overly pandering to country music sensibilities.

2010-2012 were pretty rough years on my family and me. We lost both the matriarch and patriarch of our familes (my grandma and grandpa) and I also lost my Dad to complications from an infection after open heart surgery.

Experiencing the magnitude of this loss, in such short order, became the driving force behind this album. All the songs on the album have a tie to my Idaho heritage in one way or another. Several of the songs are about my ancestors who settled in the area during the great westward expansion. “Looking for a New Life (Elizabeth)” tells the story of my great-great grandmother who homesteaded, with her husband, in Southern Idaho. She was eventually widowed, leaving her responsible for a vast cattle ranch and six children.

“Bill” is the story of both of my grandfathers who were in business together on that same ranch (and who were both named Bill).

“Evel Kneivel” is the story of when Evel Kneivel made his infamous (if disappointing) attempt to leap across the Snake River canyon in Idaho.