This was recorded at home back in 2019, deep in the midst of one of my busiest months. A year after moving to Toronto I found myself playing anywhere between 5 to 8 gigs in a single week, rushing out of one bar, onto the streetcar, and down to the next for a downbeat a half hour after the final chord of the last gig. I was making it work, and I am

This was recorded at home back in 2019, deep in the midst of one of my busiest months. A year after moving to Toronto I found myself playing anywhere between 5 to 8 gigs in a single week, rushing out of one bar, onto the streetcar, and down to the next for a downbeat a half hour after the final chord of the last gig. I was making it work, and I am so thankful for the work, the lessons I learned, and the hangs with friends. It did remove me, though, from the creative process, from song writing, and from practicing. At this time I had started to book some solo shows and some house concerts, and I realized I might need to actually put an act together on my own. After a week of 7 gigs where there was no rehearsing, no set lists, and maybe no idea who would be on the gig when you got there, putting time aside to practice, write a set list, and prepare for a show was an extremely foreign concept. I went down to Long & Mcquade on Bloor St, the historic location of the Concord Tavern as the little plaque reads, and rented one mic, a nice preamp, and an interface. I spent the day just seeing how I sounded. I had to meet myself again as a songwriter. I wrote this song, Writer's Retreat in January of 2019 and never put it anywhere, never did anything with it, but it was creeping into solo sets at this time, and I am really happy with how it came out. I've also included a solo version of Radio's Broke that was recorded that day, the biggest difference between this and the 2018 album version, other than the lack of band of course, is that after hundreds of shows in the last two years, I'm a very different singer. So here is my voice, my guitar, and two of my songs, all on their own. I appreciate your inviting me into your day, and thank you for continuing to support your local guitar player.

Written, performed, mixed, and mastered by Mike T. Kerr