Where did the inspiration for All The While I Was Away first come from?
I wrote All The While I Was Away in 2010, though I tweaked it some over the following years. At the time, I was in a fairly secluded state where all I did, other than work a pretty difficult day job, was work on honing my songwriting craft. So lines like, “while my neighbours were asleep, in my window was a light,” kind of refer to this sort of up late, fully devoted to this one thing only: songwriting. Before long life took other turns, mainly for the better. I’m a whole lot busier musically and have a lot of musical friends around the country. And that feels great, but at the time, it was like it was just me and the songwriting. And that’s what the song’s about.
How did you find the process of making All The While I Was Away?
All The While I Was Away is like a lot of other songs of mine. I’ll come up with the initial core of the song, but keep reworking things. I definitely reworked this to small degrees. I added the instrumental section after the fact. And while it comes off here in the acoustic version as rather laid back, I had initially pictured the song produced and bigger, and I had specifically pictured the instrumental break a whole lot bigger than one hears here. The recording process was one where I went into the studio and simply played through songs as I felt like it for a couple of hours. The good takes I kept and the bad ones I threw away. I got the present version of All The While I Was Away pretty early in the recording process. When I came back and listened to this one later on towards the end of the recording process, I realized I liked it better than I’d remembered when I recorded it. That stuff can sometimes go either way – something is better or worse than you remember it, but it’s nice when it goes in this direction.
Is there a message behind All The While I Was Away? What do you hope listeners take from it?
I don’t think too much in those terms – having a message, but I suppose if I did, the message would be one of quiet resolve and keeping one’s head down and simply doing the work they know they’re supposed to do.
Which artists are you listening to at the moment?
I don’t really remember! It was a long time ago. I was always listening to Dylan, Townes, and those sorts. But I do believe at the time I went through a pretty heavy spell of listening to a guy named Mason Jennings. He plays folk pop and has done some really nice stuff.
Which of your influences would you have dinner with? What would you want to ask them?
I’d have dinner with anyone! I’m open! But, honestly, I’d prefer lesser known folks, and specifically those that I feel haven’t compromised themselves too much.
Do you have any upcoming projects on the horizon?
I do. I have the foundational tracks and then some done on a new album that will likely be titled False Summits. I was riding through Colorado last summer when my sister pointed out a place where, when climbing to reach it, one assumes would be the top based on how it looks from the ground. But then you get there and can see from that point that you’re not anywhere near the top. That struck me. I’m working on the album with some good friends, and it’s been fun so far. I’m excited about it. It’ll likely be a nine-song pop-oriented folk album. I hope to have it finished and coming out by Fall or Winter. I also have a single I’m finishing up which is about Medieval Age courtship, or rather a caricatured version of it. I expected to have that out by Spring or Summer.
The upcoming album ‘Gethsemane’ and leading singles ‘All The While I Was Away’ and ‘Don’t Fail Me Now’ by Reece Sullivan will be available on all major streaming platforms throughout 2023.