These songs were recorded live at the Whelping House studio in Warwickville, PA, late one evening in late December 2020. 2021 and all its hopes and expectations rested in arm’s reach.

At that time, there was no concept or agenda for this work other than laying down a few of the gospel songs we’d heard throughout our youths and sending them to our parents on a cd. Our set-up and process amounted to one night, one hymnal, two acoustic guitars, and two mics. We set up, hit the red “record” button, and played through a select hymn a few times together. Picked the best version and “bounced it.” Our timeline didn’t afford us other options or room for ideas. (A reverent nod towards The Basement Tapes.)

We initially conceived this project in late 2019 or early 2020, as a gift to offer our parents on their 50th wedding anniversary in July. However, the COVID the pandemic offset all our intentions and plans that year – yours, too, I know – so that we were forced to delay the recording, regroup, and wait out the time in our separate locations. At our end we’re still waiting to celebrate our parents’ 50 anniversary together as a family, in-person, all together again someday. In the meantime, we still have songs – we still have the music. In all the chaos, upheavals, and unexpected turns of the last couple years, we remain grateful that in the space of a few hours late one evening in December 2020 we could set up a couple mics and guitars and sing and play a handful of songs for our folks; that we could sink into music rooted deep in our memories and nestled close to each of our hearts.

In the language of time and miles we’re far, far away from our mother on her birthday today. But music has been closing distances, mending hearts, and binding humans together for as long as anyone anywhere can testify. And that about sums up our most ardent hope and goal for this work here: To let our mother know she is loved, and that you are, too, wherever these songs find you.

Jonathan and Daniel Bower
Joshua Tree, California
2/2/2022