No, I "ain’t from around here." I’m neither a born Tennessean nor even a Southerner. I’ve been here since 1982, but I’m not trying to pass for something I’m told I’m not. I do identify with the South, but as a Judge recently observed, my “smart Yankee mouth” probably got me in a lot of trouble. I suspect that will continue. I was born in Washington, D.C.; I grew up in the suburbs of Maryland, and then my family moved to Illinois, where I attended high school and college as an undergraduate.

Stay 731: Mighty Oaks

Back in December I was praying and dreaming about what 2015 would hold. I was standing on the cusp of one of the biggest years of my life so far. I was a senior social work major at Union University with only one more semester left of traditional undergrad, and I thought I knew everything as all good college students do. I had secured a great internship with RIFA and was greatly looking forward to what that would teach me.

Missing Jackson, Part 5: “You Can Take Over The World, If You Can Scare Yourself”

Sitting here again in the van, traveling to Nashville today, and I am about to burst open wide with excitement for this hometown show at the Cannery Ballroom. After thirty or so days now on the road, I could not be happier about being back in a place I know—where everything looks familiar, smells familiar, and sounds familiar. But there’s something even more special about coming back to Nashville this time and I think it has to do with my musical baby, Songbird, being birthed.

Album Review: Lowland Hum's Title Album

Folk music has enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance over the passed five years, but with any genre of music, another period of stagnation could always be around the corner. There have only been a handful of folk artists I have been able to really appreciate over the past year, and that’s disappointing when the Americana and Folk scenes of 2015 have seemed to be thriving. Luckily, there are always some under appreciated diamonds in the rough.

On: Veterans Day

My grandfather used to have a desk in a spare bedroom in the house he shared with my grandmother. I would stay with them some nights if my parents were out of town or if I just wanted a change of scenery for an evening, and that’s the room where I would stay. If I had any homework, I would sit at the desk and pretend to do it. I was usually a little distracted, though.