In March 2023 I released my 12th EP (I can’t believe I’m on #12…. wow). This project covers a year of immense change in my life. It was filled with some of the most incredible experiences I’ve had, along with some of the most difficult. The underlying theme and emotion behind the tracks in this project are birth and re-birth. Last year I became a father to an incredible baby boy. My mom also began her battle with Leukemia.
My son has overcome more than any 1 year old should face. After 36 hours of labor, his heart rate began to slow repeatedly to dangerous levels, and my wife was put on oxygen. Then all of the sudden the surgeon swooped in for an emergency C-section and 15 minutes later – we welcomed him into this world! It was a difficult transition for him, with colics and sleeping problems keeping him awake through the night and agitated for hours on end. Then he needed to face even more hardship, as he needed three surgeries to repair his cleft lip and palate. Following the second surgery, the stitches in his mouth failed and the entire roof of his mouth collapsed down into his tongue. Seeing him confused and in pain was unbelievably difficult for my wife and I. We tried our best to help, but we couldn’t take away all of the pain. Love and hope sustained us through the difficult times, and we began to take more joy in the little day to day victories and time together. Tonight (and almost every night) our family ate dinner together and then played on the floor until it was time for our son to go to sleep. These day to day moments of togetherness and joy are powerful. I find myself loving and cherishing them above all else. The difficulties we faced are now stories of the past, while today and the next chapters are looking bright.
In the fall of 2022, my mom went to the emergency room after being overwhelmed by pain in her abdomen. After some testing, doctors found a tumor on her uterus. Then her ovaries. Then her lymph nodes. For weeks we didn’t have a full diagnosis. We didn’t know if she would survive to see another Christmas (her favorite time where our family all gets together at her house to celebrate). Eventually she was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia and began chemotherapy. At this point, everything was “what if” and “there’s a ___ percent chance this will happen”. To those that don’t know my mom, she is a total badass. She has a remarkable willpower and drive through any type of adversity. She did everything she could to stay active and positive through grim news after grim news. This drive surely helped her on the steps towards recovery. She responded amazingly well to the chemotherapy. There were many difficult days, but she got up and walked around and stayed active and working at every moment she could. By early 2023 she became eligible for a stem cell transplant. After submitting a cotton swab and finding out that I was the best transplant match available, I flew to Boston to be her donor. After a week long process, her stem cells were replaced with mine. Her blood type changed to mine and her immune system began to rebuild itself using my stem cells. It is truly a miraculous process. Where we’re at in terms of science and medical technology is remarkable. The recovery process is long and difficult at times, but she is currently on the mend. Every piece of evidence we have indicates that she’ll make a full recovery over the next year.
This year has taught me how fragile and beautiful life is. It also taught me to cut through the noise of life and focus my time and attention on the people I love (family and close friends!) and the endeavors I love (music!). I’m so grateful to be able to share those emotions with you all through my music. I’m looking forward to continuing to grow as a person and in my music.
Musical Motivation 