“All In” was a song of healing for me. I wrote it over the course of two years after my break-up with my college sweetheart. The song is about a letter I wrote to him. It took one year to write.
In the end, the letter really wasn’t about him. It ended up being the focal point for deep introspection on my part, which is why it took so long to write. Each time I became brutally honest with myself, it led to revelations in other areas that then needed delving into.
I have been holding onto this song for a while, and had yet to record even a demo of it.
Jim Spence helped me bring the song to life for the first time.
Meeting Jim Spence
Mid-October found Jose and I in Sparta, NC. We were painting two murals, I had two workshops, and I was also performing two concerts in town at the local Muddy Creek Cafe.
Just before my second concert at Muddy Creek, we received a comment on Facebook from one of our followers, Sue Blackburn. Sue has been following Art We There Yet since the beginning, and she just happened to be driving the Blue Ridge Parkway when we were in Sparta! She said she may finally be able to come see us, and was bringing some friends.
I was performing when in walked Sue, with her friends Jim and Claudia. After the concert, we got to finally say ‘hello’ in person, and I said they should come out to see the bus.
We all went to hang out a bit in the bus, and Jim brought his guitar. We began playing together and…WOW. True magic. Poor Claudia and Sue. Jim and I didn’t want to stop playing, til it was quite late and they had a long drive back to their hotel.
It was a long shot, but I asked Jim if he would be interested in recording a few songs in the studio the next day. They had to be in Asheville the next day, but they made it work! We recorded two songs, “Stone Foundation” and “All In”. Both unreleased and neither had an official demo.
Playing with Jim is one of those treats-of-treats. Our styles blended so perfectly, and his playing fit my songs like a glove. I floated the idea of doing a whole album together, and he is game! So stay tuned for that exciting future project!
A Song of Healing
“All In” is truly my song of healing. It was very painful to lose the love of my ex-partner. But it was also the catalyst that made me more aware of my own faults.
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