Summer 2020 - If vulnerability was the sun, I've spent most of my life in the shade. Nearly 2 years ago, a friend suggested I pick up a guitar and I haven't put it down since. Like a lot of us, it was my lifeboat in a stormy sea.
I had just turned 40 and looking to reinvent myself after spending a chunk of my life chasing someone else's dream. I was looking to feel inspired. Looking to create. Looking to feel more alive. Looking to express myself. Terrified of staying the same and terrified of change.
I've always loved music. It has saved my life on several occasions. I've always loved writing as well. Songwriting connected the dots and exploded a new universe. This album represents my first steps. As a songwriter, guitar player, singer, producer and artist. It represents my hopes and fears with a consistent undertow of questioning faith in people, religion, politics and love.
These songs were meant to be captured as a more polished studio album entitled On hope & fear,. My hope is to re-release this album down the road with a team of musicians, producers and engineers that - unlike me - know what they are doing.
For now, I’m releasing this album as a collection of solo, live, at-home recordings during the unforgettable Spring/Summer of 2020 entitled On hope & fear, (The Baseline Tapes). My home studio is off Baseline Road north of Bozeman, Montana and these are truly "baseline" tracks with all my shortcomings on display.
Videos of live recordings can be found on IGTV @justinbigart.