Letting Go: 1. the process by which metaphorical white-knuckled fingers are pried off of something to which they cling. 2. Releasing fear in exchange for the urge to just BE!

For over 2 decades, I've been working on and recording what I like to call "O.P.M.," or "Other People's Music." It began professionally when I was 16 and will probably continue for the rest of my career. In the past, I had label deals and even released albums (an ancient 20th Century term for "CDs") with my name and face on them. But to some degree or another, they never really represented me or what I hoped I was capable of. There was always some producer telling me that the song was "too long," had "too many parts," or was "not commercial enough" for one reason or another. And because I was young, and it wasn't my money, I never found out how to do it my way. I was forced into collaborations which I learned from, but never really felt that the final product was truly me.

This album's a complete departure from all of that.

It's the first album I've ever made that I can say, "Yes, these are my songs; worded, arranged, and produced exactly the way I chose to do them." It's hard to explain the joy I feel in finally being able to say that. It's also been an amazingly (yikes!) vulnerable experience. No longer can I complain about how "the Producer" dominated the process and wouldn't follow my ideas. I can't cop-out and gripe, "Yeah, we had to use that tune that I don't like very much, because the label forced it on us." Nope, no excuses this time, No one else to blame, nowhere to hide. I've finally come face to face with my art and this is it. Whatever you may like or dislike on this album, the buck stops here. This is the First time in my career I can finally say, "This is M.M., My Music."

Having said that, it would be disingenuous to let anyone think that I did all of this on my own. I had some of the finest people I've ever worked with help me with this project and they all deserve lots of credit.

There are 2 guys that I just cannot rave enough about and could not have made this album without. They are Robinson Eikenberry and Dan Zimmerman. Should you ever have a chance to work with either or both of these two guys, you'll understand how blessed I feel. Dan and I met about a year before he introduced me to Robinson, and from early on it was apparent that the 3 of us would have some kind of complementary synergy going on that would allow us to follow each song wherever it would lead us. And that was our goal; to be true to each tune and see where it wanted to go in the process of production and arrangement. Originally, the album was supposed to simply say, "Produced by Robinson Eikenberry," and both Dan and I would have been at peace with that. But it was Robinson who said halfway through the project that it was really being simultaneously produced by all 3 of us. So that's the way the credit reads, but Dan and I both recognize that there's just something about Robinson that usually made him the leader (if not the CHEER leader!) for what happened here. Robinson organized a lot of the feeling and the personnel and was always maniacally UP and urging us on throughout the long days, weeks, and months of this project. He's a beautiful, awake, and aware Being (probably from another planet) with nothing short of a sacred gift for production, mixing, mastering, and engineering. His sound is everywhere on this album and thanks to him you can literally hear every track we recorded on every song.

Saying, "Dan Zimmerman is an extraordinary guitarist," is something akin to saying, "Santa Barbara's a beautiful town." Everybody who knows either, already knows it. ;-) Not only is Dan exceptional on every kind of guitar I've ever seen him touch (he plays every guitar on this album), but he's also an extremely gifted arranger and producer. For 3 months prior to recording, Dan worked with me to pre-produce each of my ones on this album. That's the time when we definitively decided how long each song should be, added or subtracted sections, rewrote others, thought about the instrumentation and production, and then charted all of this out so when our musicians saw it, they could easily play our ideas. Dan and I really clicked during this process. We ripped apart and reassembled my tunes to make them the best that we felt they could be. Later in the studio, I found myself constantly amazed to see him lay down different guitar parts that wove themselves seamlessly into every other instrument on the song. Every musician who played on this album raved about the clarity of his charts and direction, and before Dan realized it, he had become a producer well. He blew us all away not only with his general arrangements, but string and horn sections as well.

I'm proud to say that I worked with both of these guys and even more proud to call them friends. From the center of my heart, thank you guys. :-)

But there are many more musicians to thank.

Tom Lackner for his awesome drums and percussion as well as the use of his studio and the intrusion into his family's life. Bruce Winter on bass for being so tight and perfectly blended that we almost didn't notice him at times! Special thanks also to Bruce for being so supportive and relaxed during the mastering sessions with myself and Robinson. Jeff Elliot for his incredible horn and arrangement work. Every horn track you hear on this album (including about 30 minutes to write the horn arrangements for "Dependent Luv!") was recorded by Jeff in under 5 hours! Bryan McCann for the wailin' sax solos, section work, and the philosophical discussions in between takes! Barbara Coventry, Luke Maurer, and Nathan Maurer are all classically strung people and every string line you hear on this album - played live by them and not a fancy keyboard. Their enthusiasm and incredible attitudes made all the strings on this album sound so beautiful. Jimmy Calire and his ancient B3 and Leslie. Some things never get better! George Friedenthal for his last minute rescue appearance on the scene to play the piano perfectly for "Forgetting to Breathe." Leslie Lembo and Mitch Kashmar were probably the silliest, happiest, funniest people you can ever hope to work with. They're both accomplished singers in their own right and somewhere in-between the wheezing laughter, we managed to do the backing vocals together. Mitch is also some kinda mad man on that blues harp! Anastasia Gonzales sort of appeared one day and sang such a beautiful harmony to "F.e.a.r." that we considered giving her the song! Many thanks to her for the last minute save. And a very special thanks to Dr. John Clark at SBCC's Music Dept. for his inspirational songwriting class and the introduction to so many talented musicians. In many ways, this album happened when it did because of his class. I'll never forget that or the inspiring artists I met there.

There are some very dear supportive friends and family to thank as well

Last, but not least, I'd like to thank Al Green, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, The Eagles, Pink Floyd, CSN, The Partridge Family, Jackson 5, Frank Zappa, Elton John, and God for my early musical and spiritual influences.

Michael Guinn
2000 A.D.