“Infinite Beauty,” as an entire and whole piece of work, is based on my own journey as a father. The album conception took place while I was on tour in Alabama and North Carolina, and the music is a description of the experiences and landscapes that I've experienced from the time of my son's birth to present. The album is dedicated to my boy, Leif Johnson. -Track One, “Infinite Beauty” Came to me while standing at 5000 ft. on a platform, in Asheville NC, in September 2012. Looking below I could see four states, extending as far as the eye could see. Track Two, “Fortitude” The only piece I've written that directly addresses my personal battle with depression, and the lifelong struggle to stand in the calm and center of that emotional storm. Track Three, “Infinite Life” As my son was being born, I stood at the bedside, barraged with images of the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth. This is a piece about that experience. Track Four, “The Drive” The first time I left my family to go on the road, I was an emotional mess. Leif was only six months old, and the tour was not going well at all. Overcome with desperation and hopelessness, I left my hotel room in Mobile AL, performed a show in Memphis TN (to an audience of one), and drove all the way back to Omaha NE-without stopping. I hoped to capture the driving pulse that I was experiencing as I made that trek in this piece of music. Track Five, “Morning Coffee With Grandma” From my teenage years up until her death in 2003, I loved to sit and drink coffee with my grandmother on the farm (in Northern Iowa, where I grew up). We'd sit in her kitchen, sip coffee, stare out the window at her bird feeder and weeping willow tree. We'd talk about...anything. These are some of my fondest memories, and I'll take them to my grave with me. Track Six, “Green Pastures, Still Waters” Based on one of my favorite passages, the 23rd Psalm. When I was a little boy, I'd run outside and play in our own pastures. I'd often lie in the grass and look up at the sky, daydream, and enjoy the fresh breezes and the sunshine. I've tried to capture the innocence and the gratitude of my boyhood in this piece, along with the gentle nature of the beautiful Psalm. Track Seven, “Higher Calling” For me, having a child presented a daunting task that I wasn't sure I was up to. My life was about to completely change. Preparing myself, I assumed the responsibilities that came with being a parent and a role model. This was the time for a higher calling in my life, and we all have them. The piece describes what it means to accept what we've been called to do, or be, and to embrace that challenge. Track Eight, “Forsaken Hour” Written in the midst of a great bout of depression. Fear had taken over, everything in my life was changing. My relationships, my life as I'd known it were all becoming something I didn't recognize. I wasn't even sure who I was anymore. Track Nine, “Redemption” Having faith in something larger than yourself can be very transforming. As I once again embraced my own faith in life, people, and ultimately myself, this piece was the result. Track Ten, “Nightfall” “Nightfall” is a piece which depicts the cycle of the night. The falling of the darkness, our temporary loss of consciousness, and the sweet, sweet dreams which follow. Inspired as I watched my sleeping baby boy. Track Eleven, “Infinite Birth” Here is a piece which leads, with great joy and anticipation, up to the birthing process. Pure excitement and elation can be found here, and about two thirds of the way through Leif makes a royal entrance into the world. Listen for it! Track Twelve, “Pleading For Peace” I was reading the news one morning and reflecting on our world, and the fact that this is the same world that Leif will have to grow up in, ultimately making his own way. My prayer for him was, and is, that he'll live in a world where there is more peace. May it be so. Track Thirteen, “Forest City” “Forest City” is the name of my hometown in Northern Iowa. I wrote a piece to honor that place, and the land I grew up on. Views from my back window into the cornfields and prairies of the Midwest are what I was attempting to capture. Track Fourteen, “Midwestern Hoedown” Have you ever been to a Hoedown? Dancing, laughter, community, and night time delights are celebrated in this piece. Take a step back in time with us! Track Fifteen, “Epiphany” The most diverse track on the album, “Epiphany” ebbs, flows and changes at every turn-just like my experience of life has over the last couple of years. Ultimately what is discovered in this piece is the knowledge that all things are unfolding just as they're supposed to, in each and every moment. Leif will experience his life just the way he's meant to. In the meantime, I will do my best to guide him in every avenue that I know how, and accept that it's okay to get a little “creative” in the process!