I began humming this melody during the late nights of rocking my first born to sleep after she was born in November 2021. As a colicky baby, she kept us up night after night, and I had many opportunities to expand on this tune.
At first, it was just a 4 bar loop, then 8, and then eventually turned into this long melodic phrase.
But I wasn’t able to piece it all together until Thanksgiving of 2022, which feels fitting. The holidays have always felt bittersweet to me being distant (physically and emotionally) from my own family, and it was that emotional thread that helped me weave the phrases into something whole.
I revisit this tune on the piano when I feel overwhelmed. It’s a melody born out of exhaustion, and out of this strange human tension of experiencing the deepest joy while feeling incredibly empty.
In writing this now, I guess what started as a melody for her became something I needed too.
This doesn’t count toward my 30-minute album goal. Just another feeler for the week.
And here is an intro if you are new here:
Hi, my name is Justin. I’m a musician living in Phoenix, AZ. Throughout 2025, I’m challenging myself to create a 30-minute album, one song at a time. Each song will be shared as a live performance video and paired with an original poem. It’s a work in progress, unfolding piece by piece and I’ll be posting a new segment every few weeks. This is a pop-up newsletter and will only run through the end of the year. If you’d like to follow along as the album takes shape, subscribe.
Where I am at so far:
