Highway One: Part Five of "The Golden Hour" Singles.

Hey look at that! WE MADE IT.

“Highway One” is part five and the last installment of “The Golden Hour” collection of singles.

We arrive at the end of our journey with a long drive up the fabled PCH, Pacific Coast Highway, also known as California Highway One. This is California’s Mother Road, a long ribbon of highway that links northern and southern California in a winding and wiggling road that is often no wider than two lanes of blacktop. It’s one of the most iconic roadtrips in the world, but this song focuses on a slightly less scenic and more trivial stretch of that fabled highway.

“Wipe your tears, close your eyes.” We are not sure if it’s a fight, a breakup, or otherwise, but we know the situation is tough and unsettling, but we are invited to realize it’s not going to be like this forever. The future is uncertain, but there is roadway ahead, for now. It’s a scene at night, headlight illuminating the reflectors embedded in the pavement, the occupants of the car locked in a one thousand yard stare. Not at each other, but towards the uncertainty.

Take a night drive and listen to this song. You’ll know what I’m talking about.

“Highway One” is on all streaming platforms. Thanks for being on this journey with me. It really means the world.

The Tree Still Bleeds: Part Four of "The Golden Hour" Singles

“The Tree Still Bleeds” is one that clearly sounds a little bit outside of what you’ve heard so far from this string of Alpha Particles releases, and brings us to number four from “The Golden Hour” singles.

This song is a flashback to my college years when I was taking a songwriting class that required us to write, produce, and record a new song every week. It was quite a challenge that made all of us in the class much better at our craft and gave us all the urgency needed to create in a timely manner. I had written several songs in the class, but this one week had hit a creative snag. I didn’t know where to go and what to write about. I was taking a walk in a park close to where I lived in Long Beach, CA and noticed sap dripping from initials someone had carved in a tree; the tree was literally bleeding from the scratched “this person loves that person” message carved into its flesh. I never liked the idea of vandalism in the name of “love” and especially was puzzled why people feel the need to scar a living thing with such a senseless and brainless act. That the tree will show scars, most likely, much longer than the relationship lasted.

The emotional rawness of the experience gave me a great excuse to “rip” a nice shreddy guitar solo.

“The Tree Still Bleeds” is on all streaming platforms now. Please add to your playlists and jam out really loud… actually moderately loud. Please protect your hearing!

Tomorrow Was Yesterday: Part Three of "The Golden Hour" Singles

“Tomorrow Was Yesterday,” part three of the collection of single releases that I call “The Golden Hour” is released today.

So what happens when all that you’ve dreamed of and planned for do not come to fruition? What do you do? Where do you go? What happened and what went awry? A lot of these things come to mind when thinking about our life and the plans we’ve made for them. I remember being a young child of 8 years old or so and thinking about what life would be like when I was a teen, and when I became a teen, dreamed about all the things I wanted to do and have happen in my life as an adult. Then as I went out and chased those things, much of my life didn’t pan out at all what I thought it would be. Sometimes hard experiences caused my boldness to retract, my outspokenness shriveling into reservation. Odd that when I wrote “Tomorrow Was Yesterday,” I was only 21 years old when I had no idea how challenging life could, and would actually become, and that some of those dreams had to wait for a while, for years. Some of them needed to be let go.

Thank you for being part of this journey. It’s been a lot of fun diving into these songs and telling a little bit of the backstory and perspective behind them.

“Tomorrow Was Yesterday” available on all streaming platforms. Add to your playlist!

The Drifter: Part Two of "The Golden Hour" Singles

Day Two: “The Drifter” is released today.

This song is not a second place song by any means. Many who have been following my musical journey over the years think that this is my most memorable song. It has been in fact a constant in my live performances since 2010, and has been an enduring symbol of my own story telling and style.

In “The Drifter” we meet someone who is never permanently tied to a location, traveling around, making friends, and as soon as anyone gets too comfortable with him, he vanishes.

“He blows his kiss in the rearview mirror, and then he’s gone and never comes back again.”

I had initially wrote this song inspired by the experience of a close friend, but over the years, has come to represent much about my own life. Years spent on the road, traveling from job to job, gig to gig, from place to place, always looking for the next opportunity, the next adventure, the next “thing.” Then having the realization that many of those around me had gotten married and started families, bought homes, and had risen in their careers, while I, in the same time frame had a whole host of odd experiences and illustrious stories, but hadn’t built a life of much permanence. The juxtaposition can sometimes come with the bite of regret for taking one path over the other, all the while displaying the poignancy and complexities of real life.

“The Drifter.” The ultimate “life as a roadtrip” song. Add to your playlists! On all streaming platforms now.

Dancing On The Breeze: First of “The Golden Hour Singles"

Today is the day! “Dancing On The Breeze,” the first installation of the “Golden Hour Singles” is released and given some dancing shoes.

Okay it’s not really a dance song, but this song hopefully will make your heart flutter. This song was inspired by a period of my life that was wrapped up in the magic of infatuation, that unmistakable feeling of floating on air when you are around someone that you have an affinity with, and strong feelings for. Two lovers in autumn that notice the potential brevity of their relationship, but cherish the amazing experience of sharing something so special together.

“Dancing On The Breeze” is streaming on all music platforms. Please add to your playlists!

New Music Coming June 16!

This is going to be one exciting summer for Alpha Particles. I am releasing a song a day next week. Yes, that’s right! Starting June 16 to June 20th, I will be releasing a song a day for five days, so that’s means five new songs to tickle your ears… or maybe we’ll just say “for your listening pleasure” because some people don’t like being tickled. Anyway, it’s gonna be a blast! The songs will be streamable from your favorite place to listen to music… Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Deezer, etc. Here is the release schedule!

Dancing On The Breeze, Monday June 16

The Drifter, Tuesday June 17

Tomorrow Was Yesterday, June 18

The Tree Still Bleeds, June 19

Highway One, June 20

Let’s go on a little journey together! These are perfect songs for a roadtrip or just chillin on a warm summer afternoon. Definitely some #goldenhour moods for your playlist!