This song was written in March of 2020 around the time L.A. implemented a "safer at home" order. Lyrics: I'm starting to wonder if there's zombies Maybe they're out there eating brains On the surface that might sound kind of bad But functionally things all seem the same Wonder what's going on in Italy What's going on in the city Rome I've been waiting so long to go out and play But the government took the ball and went home Yeah the market it sure fell today Yeah the DOW she took a dive Well for me not much has changed Gonna have to keep on working 'til I die Don't lend an ear to the ignorant You want to listen to the people in the know To the baby in the big house pay no never mind You want to listen to the WHO Just keep your wits about you Everything will turn out just fine Maybe when all this is said and done We'll have more to say than "I got mine"more

I keep trying to hold on to the life I've planned, hitting each wall, a bit harder than I can stand Yet I'll keep on pushing through the darkness, never giving in to disappointment cause I won't let the fear of failure define who I am Every story, nothing just happens at the start But the sure ending that I once dreamed of feels like its falling apart Yet I'll keep on pushing through the darkness, never giving in to disappointment cause I won't let the fear of failure define who I am There's a battle in my mind of what I know and what I feel when the fears take hold of me And it blurs my sense of self, infecting me with doubts of what I can be And I find I'm face to face with all my insecurities, creating a distorted view of possibility Each new day is full of promise for those who try cause this life's not just automatic, you must grow wings to fly So I'll keep on pushing through the darkness, never giving in to disappointment cause I won't let the fear of failure define who I am more

"Noble Sport" was written about the long-standing Spanish tradition and culture of bull fighting. This song was a landing place for an old guitar riff that had been searching for a home. I took the opportunity to use some of my favorite effect, envelope filter. The solo at the end features the Boss MO-2, a pedal that I was trying to convince myself not to sell. Now, having used it on a recording, I have an excuse to keep it around forever! The video that we did for the acoustic version of this song (which can be found on YouTube) was taken at the El Morro National Monument at the bank of a small oasis located at the foot of a sandstone promontory in western New Mexico. Song Lyrics To the bull, a matador is strange He runs at each move for trust is neither born nor bred The music box figure dressed in dainty slippers thrusts out at him Heavy with tradition and history The bull is masculine, teaming with power The one with slippers is venerated, even adulated The grand dancer stalks the toro with precise steps A ballet across the clay sod floor Red silk flashing in the sun glazed coliseum Lancers on horseback stick with storied pain Darts stab and cling without quarter The raging mass charges for the finale He is staring with head bowed low The gleam of metal thrusts between the horns He sways, he whirls, he falls on his knees The spectator frenzy subsides His death is the afternoon's entertainment His epitaph is tonight's feast at the local hotel...at the local hotelmore