I met John 7 years ago when he was still in high school and played in a folk band called The Good Hunters. His songwriting, while immature lyrically, was far beyond anything I was doing at that age. The band broke up because everyone but John wanted to go to college and get a real job. John moved north and started tree planting.
John is a classic songwriter, someone I’m convinced, was born in the wrong era. I felt sorry for him and I committed myself to finding him a publishing deal or to help him one day make a solo record. He called me this past March and asked me if he could fly home for a week to record a record with me. This is that record. It’s intimate, lo-fi at times (recorded live to cassette), restrained and minimal.
I’m proud of John and I’m proud of this record and my job is to help others hear what I hear when I listen to a John Thumb song.
- Scott Orr