Story Release

This is the cover of Story. I have worked on this project for the last two years. It has consumed my thoughts nearly everyday since its inception. To call it finished is strange. A complete mixture of joy, pride, insecurity, and angst. I have never felt attached to a collection of work as I do to this. It feels like the emergence of my voice - the intertwined culmination of my musical soul, my story, and journey of mind. Every nuance, as deep as I could wrap my head around it, was accounted for. 

My musical partner/producer Ryan Stewart and I set out to make something new, something deep, and something timeless with these songs. The most magical and meaningful elements to this entire process has been collaboration, what I believe is testament to the deep intention and bar we set for ourselves from the beginning. I was privileged to work with some of my favorite musicians on this. Some of them are the best in the game. Getting to have them involved honestly feels like a gift of the divine.  Collectively, they helped to bring these songs to new heights that could not have been realized without their musical expressions. 

There is so much I want to say, and will say, but for now it feels most appropriate to say thank you to my wife. She has sacrificed so much - our family’s time, our family’s money, and the comfort of financial stability. She always pushed me to do better when I was tempted to settle. Always forgave me when I made financial mistakes, even the big ones. Always believed in me and my songs. I couldn’t ask for a better partner along this unconventional path of an artist’s life.

It has been a season of so much transition for the two of us. Just a month before our wedding on June 2, 2018 - we had found out we were pregnant with our firstborn. Insane. And honestly, it was a beautiful but damned difficult season. Dealing with my parent’s disappointment over our out-of-wedlock pregnancy surfaced a mountain of shame I didn’t even know existed in my psyche. I really struggled to be present in the midst of life rapidly changing. I had never felt so disconnected from my family. I tried to reassure myself in the autonomy of me and Nat’s new budding family, and our decision to live our own life - but many times I failed. Between becoming a husband, father, and dealing with familial issues - I had been ushered into a new level of adulthood that did not seem doable. But we really learned what it meant to cleave- we had to. 

And the curveballs didn’t stop. Last summer, we found out that we would be welcoming a baby boy into our family - just 6 months after our baby Buffy was born. On March 4th at 5:04 pm Rhett Dearle Ziegenmeyer, with violent beauty, joined our little family.

Though I struggle to deal with the woes of a freelance artist trying to make a career and provide for his family - I wouldn't get off of this ride, nor would I change the tracks. It is difficult for many to find meaning in life and I have been handed it in spades. For that, I am so deeply grateful. 

I will be releasing this record on April 24th. Please listen to it, and if you like it, share it. I believe you will find it deeply musical, healing, fun, and something unlike anything you have heard before. I know that is a bold statement, but I stand by it. I can't wait for you to hear it. 

Much Love,

EZ