It’s funny how something that seems insignificant or a waste of time can, with the passage of enough years, take on an unexpected sense of poignancy. I was going through my old song idea files yesterday when I came across a practice session from December 15, 2013. I have vague memories of this session. As I recall, I was on winter break, just like I am now, approaching the 2014 new year resolving to do something fresh with my practice routine. This was supposed to be the first of many recorded practice sessions, with the idea that I could mine them later on for potential gems. However, when I watched it back right afterward, I was so disgusted that I gave up on the idea completely. I couldn’t get through a single cover song without botching the lyrics or flubbing a chord. I was self-conscious and restrained. It seemed like a total waste of time, so I dragged and dropped the file into the aborted ideas bin and forgot about it.
Nine years later, watching the session was like opening a time capsule. The first thing I noted was how youthful I looked. Secondly, I was struck by how much my studio has evolved since then. Of all the songs covered, Permanent (Milk Carton Kids) was the one I fucked up the least, and something about the lyrics and vibe seemed to hit my 2023 new year mood pretty much on the nose.