When I first started telling you about this record it had been 7 years since my last solo record. Now it's been a solid decade.

My relationship with how long this has taken is...complicated. But I think now it rests somewhere between acceptance and "that seems about right."

Mia Dyson’s new album “If I Said Only So Far I Take It Back” is out now on Single Lock Records. We made it in Muscle Shoals last year and put our whole selves into it.

People ask me about the title. It means something different to each of us, but in a nutshell for me, it’s that sentiment where you turn to your friends and say, “If I ever said to you that I was only going to only go so far, I take it back, I’m going all the way.”

Pushing through. Forging ahead. But with a sense of possibility and really appreciating what you’re capable of.

Aaron Taylor-Waldman and I have known each other since pre-school. He's known in the pages of these emails as the graphic designer with whom I most often work, but he was also one my very first bandmates.

He came to visit our studio earlier this year and we picked up where we left off 15 years ago. The first song from our new collaboration ÆRONS is an instrumental we call "Astral Palms"

If you haven't seen or heard our music, I'm excited to introduce you to Radio Skies with this beautiful video for "Homeward Angel," one of my favorites from our debut release.

Plus, Another gorgeous artifact of a time now passed -- two covers of Leonard Cohen songs that Mia Dyson and I recorded in the past year.

She really turned me on to Cohen's work and it's depth and I've become a fan of not just his words, but his actions, his humility, his tenacity and his grace.

My rock and roll brothers and I have been hard at work finishing our new full-length album.

Hibernation is over. Our west coast dream of donning winter jackets in sub-60º weather has finally come to an end. Another insufficient rainy season has once again passed, water restrictions are still in effect and yet our desert climate is temporarily green.

It’s also the beginning of another season of doing the fortunate work of bringing people together and making music. Work that would truly be impossible without your engagement with it.

About 6 years ago, Dylan, Greg and I dropped off our drummer Sam in Buffalo so he could begin touring and working with [Ben Folds](http://benfolds.com). We pulled up in our minivan right behind Ben's tour bus and watched our friend graduate to the big leagues. Sam was one of the first friends and collaborators I had closely worked with that had worked his way to the next level. It's something that happens more and more the longer you're in the business, and learning how graciously balance those feelings of near-parental pride, petty jealousy, true awe, and total happiness probably makes up the core of a creative life.

Sam's never asked for a day off, but one his closest pals is getting married and he's asked me to step in for him and play with Ben on September 27 in [Charlotte, NC at the Belk Theater with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra](http://tix.concertmaps.com/benfolds/). I just spent the weekend at the Hollywood Bowl shadowing Sam while he did the gig to see what I'm in for. I have to believe Sam asked me to do it for a reason, and if that reason is to make Ben appreciate how good Sam is, then so be it.