You missed it! Unfortunately the record is no longer available as a prerelease, but check out my other music over at my Spotify page. Keep an eye out for the album in all the normal places June 2021!

“I Can See the Sun”

I made a record!

• 

These seven songs have been years in the making. Many of them have been sitting in a folder on my hard drive, waiting for me to make time to come back and finish them. Finally this spring, when it suddenly became a requirement for college graduation, I made the time.

These are the first songs I’ve released as a solo artist that I feel truly represent a real, honest piece of my life and expression. They are songs about loss, grief, growth, joy, and a hundred other things I’ve experienced since I started writing them. It’s a big ask to capture the emotional essence of a chapter of life in 28 minutes, but for me, listening through these songs that I’ve spent so much time and life with, I think have in some way succeeded.

More important than my own experience, they are about feelings and experiences that I think YOU might share with me. My goal whenever I endeavor on a musical journey is that the end result would bring about positive effect in someone else’s life. This is true for every project I’ve been involved with as an engineer, producer, or musician, and especially true for the project you’re about to listen to. I have no right to ask this of you, but I think that if you listen with an open heart and an open mind it will be worth it.

I considered uploading each song as an individual file, but decided it would be better to upload just the one. Below you’ll find an unlisted youtube video with the whole record, start to finish. Since this is a virtual listening party after all, sit back, click play, and listen! Below, I will write a few words about each song, feel free to read them as you listen through, after it’s over, or not at all. It’s about 29 minutes long, and I’m grateful for your time.

Enjoy!

-Tad

A Bit About the Songs

What I Said to You– There are relationships in all of our lives that have not played out the way we wanted them to. This song is about the things we think about each other, both said and unsaid. Sometimes we miss an opportunity, but that’s ok.

Today– Some days I wish I could throw my plans away and enjoy the sunshine on my face. Yet, time marches forward and our lives evolve and change right in front of us. Putting on a brave face and pushing forward is usually the only choice, but knowing that the sunshine is still there for us to enjoy in the in between moments makes it a little easier.

Look Around– Problems seem bigger when you look at them up close. Taking a step back and remembering how beautiful life can be is such a healthy and encouraging habit to get into. Moments of perspective can bring great joy, at least they do for me.

Maybe You Are– Sometimes it feels like we’re all living in a world of our own creation. Do we experience the same things in the same way? The climate of the world recently has made me think a lot about how and why we perceive things in the ways we do. This song is about that. It was an interesting challenge experimenting with different musical textures and production techniques to try and capture the sense of confusion and desperation that the lyrics convey. Big thanks to Landen Howell for playing drums on this one, he added so much to this arrangement.

Like I Used To– Distance from grief can hurt just as much as grief itself. Sometimes that distance is created without us realizing it. Memories fade and voices become quieter, but that doesn’t make a person’s place in our lives any less significant. This song was recorded live in one take, and it was the first time I had played the song through, so you can hear some noises and mistakes. I thought it was appropriate to leave them.

I Can See the Sun– The title track is moment of levity and joy in an otherwise fairly dark record. I hope it serves as a reminder that the sun will still rise tomorrow, and there will always be people in your life who make you smile. Again, big shout out to Landen for writing and playing the drum parts.

A House on a Lake– I wanted to end the record in a very different way, with a story. The other six songs are written directly from my own experience, but this track imagines another world instead. I fell in love with this couple as I spent more time with the song, and I hope you do too. I had a friend ask what happens to them at the end, and I honestly don’t know. I wanted to give a small glimpse into an imagined life, not reveal the whole thing.

Thank You

Huge thanks to Tommy Lozure, Bryan Hayes, Kirk Smith, the rest of the gang at Visible Music College, my roommates for putting up with drum sessions and late night mixes, everyone who has been gracious enough to listen to roughs, my family for being amazing, and my friends- I love you all dearly. Technically I made this record by myself, but it would have been impossible without these people.

Drum credit and a massive thank you goes to Landen Howell on “Maybe You Are” and “I Can See the Sun.” Hire him, and please pay him more than I did.

Shout out to Spitfire Audio, IK Multimedia, Aberrant DSP, Soundtoys Little Plate, Cascade microphones, and WR Custom Guitars. These inspiring tools helped shape the sound of this record.

Thanks for listening! Keep an eye out for a wider release early this summer.