A Quick Trip Home
6:39 am - Denver International Airport
I don’t like flying, mostly because I don’t like people. I don’t like airports, but I especially don’t like this airport. I got through security alright and now I’m sitting here with 90 minutes to kill before boarding, but as much anxiety as I have, it’s much less than it could be if I hadn’t allowed myself the time.
It’ll be a whirlwind. Get in, drive down to see my grandmother. Meet one of my oldest and dearest friends, John Wart, who will snap a few photos of me and my new haircut. We’ll be inside the Inn at Irwin Gardens and Zarahako’s mostly, but I would love a few shots on Washington Street and outside the I.M. Pei designed library. I won’t make him brave the cold for long though. Saturday and Sunday in Bloomington to cut vocals with Paul, maybe some time Monday, we’ll see how it goes. Then, I drive home.
I’m proud of this record and I’m excited for everyone to hear it. It’s my story, it’s our stories, it’s the great things about the Hoosier state and it’s the bad things that affect us no different than anyone else. No place is good or bad, but it is my place. To paraphrase Flannery O’Connor, where you were is gone, where you thought you were going never existed in the first place. If you can get a grip on these notions, the rest of life is a lot easier to stomach. You are where you are, enjoy it the best you can and know you don’t have to stay there.
Moving home one day won’t change the human condition, I can’t escape the things of this world that bother me so long as I’m still breathing, but I can be home when I endure it.
In Mountain Climer news - prior to the release of Indiana, I will release an EP, XY. This will be four profiles in masculinity. “Black Hood” is bad masculinity with the pendulum out over one side, “White Horses” is an equally bad form of masculinity swung out over the other side, Tim Carroll’s “Ted Sweatt” is the place where most good men reside, and “Stockholm” is about our struggle to follow the ideal, or perfect, version of manhood where we should have our compass pointed at.
While the tracklisting is not set by any means, these are the 11 songs and their general subject matter:
Indiana - Coming to grips with what I once believed to be true but realized wasn’t true at all, no matter how many people succeeded by doing it.
High Tops & Architecture - Similar in that it deals with growing up and leaving, but more about where you come from and how you grow up prepares you for what lies ahead and you can stay or leave, but ultimately the decision isn’t as important as you think it might be.
Madge - The Story of the murder of Madge Oberholtzer.
Easter Morning - Realizing that progress comes with a cost, I reflect upon my childhood and accept that not everything is better these days.
Billy Graham’s Bible - Steve McQueen’s faith journey.
Calendar Page - Watching my little girl grow up, she’s not a child anymore, but she’s not yet a woman. Enjoy every moment with your kids.
Goodnight John Boy - The story of a sixteen-year-old in my hometown who murdered his adopted parents.
A Son of the Church of Christ Without Christ - Inspired by Wiseblood and “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Connor, it’s just a reminder that bad people will tell you anything you want to hear to get what they want.
Be Kind, Rewind - Thinking back to my first real band and how we (mostly me) put so much pressure on us and it ended up destroying something really good. Nothing but love for those guys to this day.
Fallen Angels - The true story of a night in high school illustrating how little young people think about the consequences. Thankfully, my cousin came to my rescue.
Castle on the Cumberland - Technically about Kentucky, and written before Before You Turn Out the Lights, it’s a story about some of the issues that plague rural America.
If you’re still reading, thank you. Stay tuned, I think 2026 is still going be a somewhat tough year, but I think a lot of great things are going to happen.