June 4th, 2023 My brain is like wet cotton candy (colorful and structurally unstable), but I want to thank everybody for this weekend, and tell a sweet little story about how what we do, every day and anywhere, matters. First, the gratitude: two high fives and a giant hug to everybody who came out toContinue reading “MinnesotaCon ’23 Recap”
Tag Archives: Minnesota
SKP 2023: Cold World
June 1, 2023 A year ago, I released a novel about Earth, 200 years in the future, that has only one season: winter. This month, we talk all about it. Cold World has a science-fiction lens, but that’s not its focal point at all. It’s a story about a whole lot more, including spirituality, loss,Continue reading “SKP 2023: Cold World”
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May 31st, 2023 The older I get, the less I try to use the word “hate,” but today is the worst day of the year, and I hate it. It’s my mom’s birthday, which is worse than her death day, because that day was something that happened and is done, while her birthday is aboutContinue reading “61”
The History of The Next Step, Part VI: Unreleased Work, Legacy, and The Future
May 29th, 2023 Like a person, The Next Step isn’t and never was all good or all bad. And it was never a boy band. But it made me who I am today. Before I get to how, however, let’s talk about the stuff that never got made (or got made and then buried somewhereContinue reading “The History of The Next Step, Part VI: Unreleased Work, Legacy, and The Future”
The History of The Next Step, Part V: Honesty & Happiness
May 24th, 2023 At the start of Love & Fear, I apologize for falling asleep; at the beginning of Honesty & Happiness, I (unapologetically) crack open a cold beer (literally) and proceed to black and then pass the f— out. Honesty & Happiness is the angriest, sharpest, and saddest Next Step record, and it tookContinue reading “The History of The Next Step, Part V: Honesty & Happiness”
The History of The Next Step, Part IV: Love & Fear
May 23rd, 2023 “I’m sorry that I fell asleep…” So starts Love & Fear, the most ambitious and audacious Next Step album. It’s also the longest and the one that sounds the biggest, because I was trying everything, everywhere, all at once. The sixteen-track LP came out on September 26th, 2006, and was my secondContinue reading “The History of The Next Step, Part IV: Love & Fear”
The History of The Next Step, Part III: Something Old, Something New…
May 22nd, 2023 By 2005, I was fully writing, performing, and recording music, but had still only released two EPs. My next step (pun absolutely intended) was a full-length record. There was a number of false starts (and I’ll be covering the things that didn’t happen in the last part). But the spark here wasContinue reading “The History of The Next Step, Part III: Something Old, Something New…”
Platform of Pain
May 19th, 2023 If you would have told me when I was a kid that I would eventually build my life on hurt, I would have told you that you say really weird things to kids. But you would have been right. I was having a recorded conversation with a friend earlier this week (forContinue reading “Platform of Pain”
The History of The Next Step, Part II: Tangled Cords, No Fear Of Failure, and Recording at Pachyderm Studio
May 11th, 2023 Now that we had a name and had performed an original song, it was time to record an EP (a short album which is typically 2-5 songs in length). By this time, personal computers were becoming more common in homes; we got our first PC when I was in high school. IContinue reading “The History of The Next Step, Part II: Tangled Cords, No Fear Of Failure, and Recording at Pachyderm Studio”
The History of The Next Step, Part I: The Beginning, The Idea and The Name
May 8th, 2023 The Next Step was supposed to be a boy band. I mean this in no uncertain terms. I have loved a lot of music over the years, but at that point in my life, high school in the late 90’s/early 00’s, I was obsessed with two flavors: emo/indie rock, and boy bands.Continue reading “The History of The Next Step, Part I: The Beginning, The Idea and The Name”
The Den 