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Journey of Hope
The New Album by The Skip Hippies
Journey of Hope initially was going to be named "The Descendent of Lars" after the last song on the album. I decided to change the name because I didn't believe it was relevant to all of the other songs. All were written as part of the grieving process, but not all are about grieving. They are, instead about the journey I was taking as I struggled to find the light at the end of the tunnel in my grieving process.
Along the way, I learned a lot about myself and I learned a lot about music.
Along the way, I learned a lot about myself and I learned a lot about music.
You can purchase a Compact Disc today.
$12.50 plus $5 shipping
$12.50 plus $5 shipping
Individual Songs Available lower on page
What is this album about?
When my father passed away and I saw him in his coffin, the first thing I said was "If I could only be as good as you Dad". I heard, resounding in my soul, the words "You Be You". This guided me and has guided me since.
I am too much of an optimist for this to be a sad album. The premises around it are sad, but yet uplifting also. It isn't intended to be a concept album. In essence, when I write music, a lot of times I don't know where it is going, the music just takes me where it wants to go. There are songs where I had no idea why the lyrics were coming to me. I dreamed the lyric, "I passed my velvet rope, but I fell down from the sky". Not that it is in any way profound, but it fit in with a song I had figured out how to piece together the night before. I guess one doesn't stop writing songs once they sleep.
This all started when my father passed away. Up to that point, I had been doing a lot of painting. (Go to Home or Gallery on the index of this page to see some). He died in May of 2020. I started writing all my memories of him down right away. I wrote them every day. I would write for an hour or two a day. All of a sudden, I had 180 pages. So, I started putting it all in order and filling in gaps and I published a book www.cadillacdreams.com . This took a lot of energy and helped with my grief, but I always seek to fix myself at a more granular level. It was either going to be music or art. This time it was music. I buried myself away in my studio making music, accompanied with my companion, Key West. Key West is a parakeet, He actually is on a couple of songs and I have a couple Easter eggs on the album with him.
I poured over songs, some I had written years ago and some which came to me on the spur of the moment. Some were old and new mixed together. Still, the songs were taking me deep inside myself.
The album was made and is about my process in trying to come through my grief. It was my Journey hoping to come out better than I was. I was really hurting. There was a lot of depression at some points on the album. "When I Fall, I Break" was about my depression. "She's Got A Piece of My Heart", is about my wife. She gave me the space I needed to grieve, meanwhile she was always "Down on the floor" doing Yoga, or doing her thing. Once again, the song wrote itself. The words came out of mid-air and none were intentional.
The album was initially going to be named "The Descendent of Lars", which is about my father. But, the album only has one song about him on it. He was influential on many of the songs, but many of them are about me. The Song, "Journey of Hope" was written years ago and had a different title, but it made no sense. It was written about Johnny Cash on the evening he died. The Title had initially been "Journey of Hope Near Nothing You Call" or the initials Johnny C. I changed the words to make more sense. When I looked back on it, I think something else changed the words. It was my subconscious or something. Because the title was exactly what I was going through.
Everyone has grief in some way or another. Depression can be a part of it, or not. But, there must be a Journey of Hope for everyone. I hope others seek themselves and see their down times as part of their journey and only that. It needs to be a Journey of Hope. I think you will hear bits of my optimism on this album. This album is about Hope.
I am too much of an optimist for this to be a sad album. The premises around it are sad, but yet uplifting also. It isn't intended to be a concept album. In essence, when I write music, a lot of times I don't know where it is going, the music just takes me where it wants to go. There are songs where I had no idea why the lyrics were coming to me. I dreamed the lyric, "I passed my velvet rope, but I fell down from the sky". Not that it is in any way profound, but it fit in with a song I had figured out how to piece together the night before. I guess one doesn't stop writing songs once they sleep.
This all started when my father passed away. Up to that point, I had been doing a lot of painting. (Go to Home or Gallery on the index of this page to see some). He died in May of 2020. I started writing all my memories of him down right away. I wrote them every day. I would write for an hour or two a day. All of a sudden, I had 180 pages. So, I started putting it all in order and filling in gaps and I published a book www.cadillacdreams.com . This took a lot of energy and helped with my grief, but I always seek to fix myself at a more granular level. It was either going to be music or art. This time it was music. I buried myself away in my studio making music, accompanied with my companion, Key West. Key West is a parakeet, He actually is on a couple of songs and I have a couple Easter eggs on the album with him.
I poured over songs, some I had written years ago and some which came to me on the spur of the moment. Some were old and new mixed together. Still, the songs were taking me deep inside myself.
The album was made and is about my process in trying to come through my grief. It was my Journey hoping to come out better than I was. I was really hurting. There was a lot of depression at some points on the album. "When I Fall, I Break" was about my depression. "She's Got A Piece of My Heart", is about my wife. She gave me the space I needed to grieve, meanwhile she was always "Down on the floor" doing Yoga, or doing her thing. Once again, the song wrote itself. The words came out of mid-air and none were intentional.
The album was initially going to be named "The Descendent of Lars", which is about my father. But, the album only has one song about him on it. He was influential on many of the songs, but many of them are about me. The Song, "Journey of Hope" was written years ago and had a different title, but it made no sense. It was written about Johnny Cash on the evening he died. The Title had initially been "Journey of Hope Near Nothing You Call" or the initials Johnny C. I changed the words to make more sense. When I looked back on it, I think something else changed the words. It was my subconscious or something. Because the title was exactly what I was going through.
Everyone has grief in some way or another. Depression can be a part of it, or not. But, there must be a Journey of Hope for everyone. I hope others seek themselves and see their down times as part of their journey and only that. It needs to be a Journey of Hope. I think you will hear bits of my optimism on this album. This album is about Hope.
- JAY -
Individual Songs
Money's Hard |
The first song, Money's Hard is about living alone, making money, not needing as much as before, but not wanting money to be a part of your life.
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Mmm-Bee Bow Bee Bow |
This song is basically a stream of consciousness song. Start out with a sound and build upon it and see where it goes. It is free form completely
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Bye Bye Blue Sea |
Bye Bye Blue Sea was the first song I had ever written. I had recorded it multiple times, but it was never how I wanted it. This is closer to what I first heard over 30 years ago
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When I Fall I Break |
This song is from being depressed and grieving from my father's passing. I am trying to find some way to get myself back on track.
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She's Got a Piece of My Heart |
The sound and melody of this song was a snippet I wrote years ago. I like to write stream of consciousness songs as they take me where I am supposed to go. It is about my wife being with me, but removed enough to allow me to grieve as I needed to (through music).
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Heart Bridge |
This was the second to last piece I recorded. I heard, in my mind, a bridge between the song prior and this one. I put this together to form that bridge. It fit perfectly.
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Mrs. Algebra |
This is about people presenting numbers simply just to try to make a case. The numbers may not mean anything to their argument. It was written after somebody was using numbers, which had no bearing, to an argument.
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Journey of Hope |
This song was originally written upon the death of Johnny Cash. I modified it to fit my situation, as I was grieving.
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Your Place in the War |
This is about people who pretend to be something they aren't, and because they don't know who they are, being led to stand for something simply to benefit someone else.
I had probably 4 or 5 other songs for this slot on the album, but none fit right. I heard much of this song in my head, came and laid down the bass line and finished it up after that. This was exactly what I wanted for this place on the album. It also sounds less finished. I want it to sound that way. |
Fear |
This is about Fear and how it is manufactured. Essentially, it is saying to stay away from fear which is driven into us from others.
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Bee Bow Below |
No meaning here. I thought this snippet needed to be done by itself. It turned into an acerbic lyric. I just let it tell me what it needed to say.
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The Ballad of Little Michael |
This is the funniest song I have ever written. My aunt was complaining because my cousin kept sending her crazy texts. This is verbatim, one of his texts. It also marks a change in my musical approach as I relied upon guitar more to create the texture of the song.
I should note that humor has long been a way I deal with grief. |
Journey Reprise |
Once again borrowed from an earlier song. The end of Journey of Hope morphed into this and I felt it needed its own treatment which was separate from Journey of Hope.
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I'm Going Cheap |
An older song of mine. I liked the older version, but redid this anyways so it sounds better. It sounds dirty and grungy. It is about basically settling for less than you want, just to have something.
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Son of the Waterfall Man |
An older song again. I felt this song needed to be cleaned up a little. This song is basically a children's song. It is about dreaming.
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The Descendent of Lars |
This song was important to me. It is about my father's passing and how he didn't deserve the way he died. I was angry one day thinking about all he had to go through. I decided to write about my anger at that. I wrote a poem but wasn't sure if it would be a song or not. One day in the shower, a melody came to me and I was able to put the song together. I wanted it to be an opus. I wanted it to sound like multiple songs put together. It turned out that way even though I didn't try to make it that way.
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