Lost & Found & Free
Acknowledgements
Anyone who knows me knows that songwriting is the most fulfilling and rewarding thing in my life; it's difficult for me to even put my passion to words. Luckily, for once I don't have to: this music can finally speak for itself. I could go on and on about how wonderful it is to be an artist, how overwhelmed with joy I feel to finally be able to share my love for music with the world in this way— but I'd rather take this opportunity to express the equally inexpressible gratitude that I have for everyone who has helped me arrive at this moment:
First and foremost, I need to thank Trey Campbell for contributing his incredible musicality and mind to this project. Trey, I came to you with nothing more than a few shitty demos and an earnest invitation to collaborate. Even way back then, I knew that you were the perfect person for the job: you have such an intuitive understanding of my music and of music in general; what you were able to accomplish on these six songs in terms of string arrangement alone is truly awe-inspiring. Between that and your almost superhuman bass chops, I am so ridiculously honored to have your work incorporated into this EP, and even more honored to have you as a friend. I can't wait for the world to recognize and celebrate your genius in the same way that I do now. I love you.
Next, I need to thank Miles Jena for taking on this beast of a project to begin with. Miles, you took what easily could've been just another one of Ball State's senior projects and transformed it into a body of work that is not only a testament to your production skills, but to our friendship. I think I speak for both of us when I say that we had absolutely no idea what the process of recording, mixing, and mastering an EP of this caliber would entail. It goes without saying that we had our fair share of setbacks and resulting frustrations— but I hope you know how truly touched I am that you saw this thing through with me. Working with you has taught me so much about what it means to be a producer and a musician— and how these are really just two sides of the same coin. I can only hope that you are even half as proud of this EP as I am, because you damn well should be— we fucking did it man! I love you.
Miles, you really helped me take this EP to the next level. The fact that you were willing to take time out of your busy schedule to go above and beyond for the likes of me is something I'll never forget. Your passion for music shines through so unmistakably; thank you so much for allowing your gift to be shared. I love you.
Bella, you are one of my closest friends and literally the kindest most genuine person I've ever been lucky enough to cross paths with; having you play violin on this EP means more to me than you could ever know. I can't thank you enough for being a part of such a special moment in my life. I love you.
Next, I simply have to thank Adam Fonacier for his gorgeous synth work on the title track. You didn't just take that song to the next level— you raised the bar of what this album could be as a whole. I literally have no idea how you were able to so perfectly sonically capture what was going on in my head with the most minimal instruction— but I'm so glad you did.
Lost & Found & Free is the EP's namesake for a reason: it's my personal favorite of the six songs, even more so now because of you. Thank you; I love you.
Lost & Found & Free is the EP's namesake for a reason: it's my personal favorite of the six songs, even more so now because of you. Thank you; I love you.
Last but not least, my gratitude would hardly be realized without mentioning my best friend and fan since day one:
Grace, your role in the creation of this EP might not have been a musical one, but it was most certainly a vital one. There's no doubt in my mind that without you, this EP would've never made it past my voice memos. Thank you for letting me talk your ear off about it for the last year; thank you for believing in me when I didn't believe in myself; thank you for always being there for me. I feel so ridiculously lucky to have you in my life that words can't really do it any justice, either— I guess I'll save it for the next album ;-) I love you.
Grace, your role in the creation of this EP might not have been a musical one, but it was most certainly a vital one. There's no doubt in my mind that without you, this EP would've never made it past my voice memos. Thank you for letting me talk your ear off about it for the last year; thank you for believing in me when I didn't believe in myself; thank you for always being there for me. I feel so ridiculously lucky to have you in my life that words can't really do it any justice, either— I guess I'll save it for the next album ;-) I love you.
And I love you.
If you're reading this, it means that you have changed my life for the better; it means that you have encouraged me to make my dreams a reality and it means that you've seen something in me that I times I couldn't even see in myself. As you've probably gathered by now, making this EP was no joke. It took a hell of a lot of time, willpower and luck— except it wasn't really luck at all. While I do feel incredibly lucky, none of this really involved “luck”— it was all love. This project was born out of a love for creation; that love was then transferred from person to person, song to song, month to month until finally, finally, finally, that love culminated into a finished product that can now be shared with the world. This album won't change the world— but it's certainly already changed mine, and I will never take that for granted. I'd like to thank everyone one last time, both as the person I am today and the person I used to be.
This is Lost & Found & Free.