Christmas !” After our fight , she immediately got on the phone with her mother and told her that I wasn ’ t coming down to see them . Her mother said , “ No one ought to be alone for the Holidays .” That line is what started me on the process of creating the songs for this album . The whole album came from that one comment and the sentiment behind it . I never dreamed of writing a Christmas song , let alone making a Christmas album , but when someone hands me a good idea for a song , I run with it . I ended up writing 24 Christmas songs over the next several decades , and I picked the best Christmas songs out of the pile and refined them for “ Rock the House with Love !”
Q : What do you think makes a good Christmas song ?
A : I don ’ t think the rules for what makes a good Christmas song are any different than what makes a hit record . If a song doesn ’ t leave your head , that ’ s what you want . You want people to like your songs and remember them , and you want them to hum them the next day . My music sticks in people ’ s heads , and if you want to be a pop songwriter , that ’ s what you need .
Q : How does your songwriting process work ?
A : The songwriters that I really respect include John Lennon , Paul Simon , and Paul McCartney . I always admired them , because they are very versatile , and they have written standards in so many genres . Take Paul Simon , for example . If you look at albums like “ Graceland ” and the songs that he released under “ Simon and Garfunkel ”, they are light years apart . I always had an interest in writing in all different genres , from country to funk , and I think that is very evident on “ Rock the House with Love !” As far as my songwriting process , it can happen in a number of different ways . Sometimes it starts with the music , with a catchy lick or a chord progression that gets stuck in my head . Other times , the process can start with the opening line of the lyrics to a song . Occasionally , I will write lyrics to one chord progression , then come back to them days , months , or years later and try them over a different chord progression . Oftentimes , I won ’ t be happy with the music that backs the lyrics , so I ’ ll go back to it and try something different . Once I ’ ve written a good lyric , I tend to hang on to it and find something that will go with it , whether the music comes to me immediately or not . There are no rules to it . It ’ s an open process .
Q : How did the album come to life through your workshopping , recording , arrangement , and production sessions at Old Mill Road Recording ?
A : Before I set out to record the initial demos , I had to think about the instrumentation that I wanted for the songs , the types of singers that I wanted , and the components that would make the songs into hit records . During the workshopping process , I recorded demos of the songs and had conversations with the Old Mill Road Recording team about them . I ’ m always open to artistic criticism , and I think good things can come from that . As a result of our conversations , I ended up going home , reworking many of the songs myself , and making some important changes . Afterwards , I brought in a really good drummer and bass player . They played on many of the tracks , and then I brought in other musicians for some of the country , funk , and rock tracks . We brought in talented singers , such as Christian and Melissa Hoff , and we built the songs up until the instrumentation was in line with my vision . We also made the decision to focus the content to make it a party album , which is a theme that I think works very well with the songs that we selected .
Q : How does it feel to see your vision come together in the final version of the album ?
A : It ’ s wonderful ! These songs have all just been in my head for years . It took me a long time to finish the songs , because I would just throw them in the pile and go to the next one without fully completing them . Coming to Old Mill Road
Recording to make my album made me really sit down , fully complete the songs , and bring the people together that I needed to make it happen . It feels great to be able to put these songs out for people to enjoy .
Q : In a previous conversation , you told me that one of the standout songs on the album , “ Do You Remember How to Play ,” was directly influenced by your trips to Vermont ’ s Northeast Kingdom . How did your time in Vermont inspire that song ?
A : After I parted ways with the mother of my children , we remained on good terms . She moved to the Northeast Kingdom in Vermont after we separated , and she lived in the town of Canaan by the New Hampshire border . I would pick our kids up from her house just before Christmas every year to spend time with them during Christmas vacation . They lived in a log cabin in the Northeast Kingdom without power . I was there when it was 25 degrees below zero , and you would have to walk out in your pajamas to go visit the outhouse . The mother of my children ’ s second husband , Derek , and his brother , were both guitar players . They loved to play songs out of the Grateful Dead acoustic songbook , and I would hear them play those songs every time I went up there to pick my kids up for Christmas . When I was writing the song , I thought about going up there for Christmas , and I thought about musically-inclined families who played music together . Often , the only time that musical families have the chance to play together is during the Christmas season , when the whole family comes back to spend time with each other . It occurred to me that when they get back together , one of them might break their guitar out and ask the other family members if they remember how to play music together . That ’ s how the song came about . It ’ s a nice song that musical families can enjoy together — and it ’ s perfectly suited to Holiday gatherings around the fireplace in Vermont .
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