BROKEN

“…Brother John, have you seen the oldest daughter, standing there with broken wings…” Willie Nelson FROM BRETT: Most of my life I’ve been in search of some place I could never find. A place I hope to find. This collection is the result of my emergence from the night; alive, emerging to find love on the other side. Some powerful force has carried me; an angel who stands at my bed, a whispering God who counsels my thought, or an ancient Indian princess who chants freedom, all meaningless words to describe indescribable love. DAY DREAMING: I think about about mysticism, philosophy, theology, shamanism, the Holy Spirit, the Teachings of Christ, Buddhism, death, life after death, coincidence, synchronicity, chance, good luck, bad luck, no luck and the meaning of life. Sometimes I awake up in the morning and my wings feel broken. Wearing the feathers of fear I sing to the spirit and people who have carried me. I narrowly escaped my death in the rabbit-hole. I fight everyday not to fall back in. This album is about my spirtual longing to repair the damage done, and find the the spirit who guides me. The mirror image of being Broken is being Whole. THE ANGEL WHO SPEAKS TO ME: I flail and gasp somewhere between love and self-destruction, darkness and piercing light; blood of the lamb, whiskey, dusty boots, prayer, prison, birds on the sunrise, heroin-tears, moths fluttering in the porch light. These songs are for you, because I love you, but most of all; I hope to see you there, in the gypsy sparkle, spring time dew. I stand before you, open hand, a raving fan, though my feet are broken. A SECRET NO ONE KNOWS: Because I always wanted a Gospel Choir to sing on this album, but was limited in resources, I imagined who those people might be and what they might look like. What are their names? Where are they from? How about Leroy Jones? I always saw Leroy as a tall, awkward man with a deep soul. How about Leticia Williams? She's a girl with an attitude from Compton who sings in the local choir, but never gets the opportunity to sing up front. She's bitter about that. How would they sing for me on my album? Leroy and Leticia live in my heart, but the truth is they don't really exist. They live in BROKEN; fictitious characters made up in my mind. John Roland was named after the Roland Drum Machine I used. MY FAVORITE TRACK: One of my favorite tracks off the album is track #3 entitled WALK EASY. Late one night, I was waiting for a train in San Francisco, when my cell phone rang. A close friend of mine had overdosed. He was doing well; or so I thought. As I sat down in my seat and stared out the window, I felt my cry. As the train clicked along, I wrote that tune. I later collaborated with my good friend and great jazz pianist, Jose Gonzales. (Jose is a real character; and boy is he a character.) I wanted to create the feeling of that Gospel Choir in the chord progressions. Jose accomplished that, but came up with wonderful country melodies, while staying grounded in his jazz roots. We wanted to create something completely stripped down, bare and on the bone. I think we captured that. The moment despair shoots through your heart, when you get the phone call that changes your life. Someone you love, has left, forever. Thanks for your support. Feel free to email me, if you'd like to share with me any thoughts. Love, Brett