Over the last few years, my neighbourhood pal Darren and I have spent countless hours in my basement studio writing, sharing ideas, and bouncing songs off one another over a few civilized libations. Between the two of us, there must be 20-plus tunes that were born during those sessions, with a few of them finding their way onto my Leaves from the Family Tree EP.

To summon the creative muse, Darren and I would take turns choosing prompts—just enough to point us in a general direction and get the ideas flowing. Some of those prompts led me to write surprisingly personal songs about family, the future, and the desire to be present for the people closest to me.

Not Black Rose, though. That one is a direct response to Billy Joe Shaver’s Black Rose. I’ve never been to a cane field, not yet anyhow.

As I thought about what to call this album, it occurred to me that all of these songs come from the same specific place—and, to my ears, share a similar sound. Viewed through my own creative lens, that place and that sound can only be called The Grovenor Sound.

I hope you find something here that you like.