Saltwater Cowboy $2.03

About Saltwater Cowboy

The idea of 'Saltwater Cowboy' popped into my head as I was driving my pickup home after a great surf session and when I glanced at my cowboy boots, it struck me. My bros and I like to charge surf on our surfboards and kiteboards...We drive our pickups on the sand, ride some waves and then have a beer. The next week I was sitting in a school board meeting (yep, I'm an elementary school principal, surfer, blah, blah) and I wrote out the lyrics to this song that is auto-biographical of nature, and relatively accurate. So I figured it made a good title for my first singer/songwriter CD.

I've included the high quality photographs taken by Jim LaCombe in Houston, Texas in the liner notes. First, I believe you will notice the cover shot. You will almost feel the quality of the Collings Brazilian/Adirondack varnish dread that appears along with my incredible Collings varnish mandolin. You might also notice the bright yellow 7'11" Lightning Bolt surfboard my friend, Gerry Lopez, made for me. Yes, I've ridden it. You might see the subtle shark teeth frame the cover shot. I've had four encounters with White Sharks while surfing the Oregon waters. I have a special place in my heart for sharks and support the preservation of sharks. Then, you may also notice the empty bottle of Cabo Wabo tequila. There is a reason it is empty!

Some of the songs were written as recently as a couple weeks before I went to Houston to record at Sugar Hill. Others were written up to 17 years ago. I'm not even quite sure why I picked the songs that I did...They just fell in place. Included in the liner notes are photos of the original, handwritten lyrics on the Brazilian back of the guitar.

All the songs, I believe, are authentic and real. I'm not trying to be anyone else or cover up my voice with effects or tweek the authentic sounds of two sonically brilliant instruments. The room was great with heaps of character. The gold star, while covered with a rug while we recorded, had been stepped on by Mick and Keith, Lyle Lovett, Freddie Fender, and many other greats in the music world. The mojo is worth the trip to Houston from Oregon. I do make sure I spend some time in Austin whenever I'm in Texas.

I recorded and mixed the 13 songs in under seven hours with the great expertise and professionalism of Josh Applebee at Sugar Hill. He took care of all the technical stuff so I could just play and sing from the heart. There were a few parts I started to sing harmony on and scratched them before they were finished being recorded. That had to do with staying up until 3:30 AM the night before in Austin and drinking Shiner Bock beer and shots of Patron. I'm still trying to grow up the rest of the way.

I've received such great feedback from folks...man, I am just stoked to have people listening to my music. I wish I could pay y'all to listen to my music, instead I'm asking you to buy it. It's a bit weird, but thanks if you do. I play with a couple good friends every Thursday night in Charleston, Oregon at the High Tide Cafe. If you're ever passing through the South coast of Oregon, stop by on a Thursday night and I might just buy you a shot of Tequila!

Thanks for checking out the tunes...I hope you enjoy listening to them as much as I enjoy playing them for you. I'll be getting back to Sugar Hill soon to put down another batch of tunes.

I'll get to work on my website for heaps more info when the moments come. "The surf works on no man's schedule." GB

Meitaki and Kia Manuia,

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