Going into this project, the challenge to myself was to create sounds I'd never played before, and possibly never heard before. There's so much emphasis in the "guitar world" on recreating the innovations of a handful of pioneers. That obviously, to the tune of millions of guitars sold and mountains of equipment shifted, has import and resonance. But I feel there is so much more territory to be explored; this territory doesn't necessarily reside within genre constraints or stylistic purity. We live in an incredibly accessible time. Among so many other changes, all the recorded music of all the world is available with the touch of a button on a little device in our pockets. Why not use this comprehensive repository as a jumping off point?

The exploration within this album is not confined to my contribution; my beloved drummer John Norris has outdone himself with laser focus on making beats like you've heard before but never felt; new context for old friends makes everything sing anew. His performance was captured the day Ornette Coleman left this mortal coil, so I thought it fitting to reference OC in the cover art. The album and song titles continue to access memory by way of excitement of first discovery. (The lyrics and melody for Baldnado arrived fully formed duration a meditation. Where is it from???)

We don't always remember accurately, but in the best of cases, enthusiastically. And Jesse Mangum, our fearless engineer, the heart of sharing a moment through a well-framed snapshot. Thanks for listening.