California Redemption Value
Excerpt from liner notes:"By July, I really needed to get a plan together. I had some gigs up in Washington State, and came back with the idea to move to Seattle. Things were fun up there; I had some friends in the music scene, it was a change of scenery, and I had a place to live lined up.So I moved to Seattle, but actually, it was West Seattle. I was right along the monorail route…that will be completed in 2010. I did have a bus stop right out front of the house, however, and I'd catch that thing, and be in Ballard one hour later! The last bus back left at midnight. I didn't get out as much as before, and I didn't know nearly as many people as in SF. I spent most days and nights at home, working on what became California Redemption Value.Body in Seattle and mind on San Francisco, I flew down pretty much every month for a week or more, riding my bike around, working sessions in any empty room I could find at Hyde St. Studios. I kept the closet in SF where the rest of my music gear remained. Every trip down, I'd sell off more equipment, throw out more things, and give away another box of books. The pile of possessions was disappearing, but I kept writing songs in the closet. "Drummer Plumber" Derek Ritchie and I would meet up for three hours to record every idea I had ready.By the end of 2003, we’d made about thirty songs, some of which were worth finishing. I'd bring the tapes back to Seattle and work on them in my basement.Living in two places made for emptier, more disconnected friendships. My SF friends and I would just play catch-up, talking about how life is up there, but not seeing me often enough to be in their lives day-to-day. Building relationships in Seattle was hampered by the fact I might decide to move back any day."