Here and Now Liner Notes

Here and Now

Oh my God… how the universe tests us.
This song is about being here. Being present.
And yet, when I was making it, the only way to keep it from collapsing into chaos was to ritualize the work.
No ritual, no magic — just a mess.

We were so close.
Background vocals done. Nicole’s vocals shining.
I just wanted to clean up my lead vocals.
So I spent a whole day re-recording everything.
Then I got ambitious… “advanced mixing techniques,” I told myself.
And then?
Everything. Freaking. Broke.

Not just “oops I clicked the wrong button” broke —
tracks literally disappearing from my last known good session.
Frustration boiling. Panic rising.
So I did what I should’ve done in the first place:
I turned to yoga.

In meditation, it hit me.
All my re-recording, all my frantic mixing —
it was born from lack.
From grasping. From wanting.
I never once stopped to invite the Great Divine in.
To say, “Come move through me. Touch this work.”

And when that revelation hit?
Everything shifted.
I remembered: any art we make… it’s not ours.
For some it’s The Muse.
For others, God.
For me — the Great Divine.

When I aligned with that?
The tracks came back.
The leads fell into place.
Nicole’s voice stood out like sunlight through stained glass.
I could finally say: “This is the best I can do. Thank you, God.”

I’ve learned that in art — in life — you’ve got to know when to stop.
The temptation to tinker forever is real.
But sometimes God says:
“Move on, boy. There’s more to write. Be here. Be now.”

That’s why the line in this song — “our faith will make us strong” —
isn’t just a lyric.
It’s a lion’s roar.
A call to lean into the Great Divine, however you name it.
To let it move, guide, and animate us.

Because the deepest truth is always here.
Always now.
And after all the hours, all the sweat, all the cursing at the DAW…
I give this song back to God.

He’s the ultimate producer.

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