…is what I call the trick weeks of late March in Minneapolis, when the snow starts melting and the sun makes more dramatic appearances and the temperature slinks out of the news. But, every year—at least since I moved here in 2008—winter peeks in for one last "hey, forgot my things, just wanted to drop back to say bye to some friends," and the entire town gets impatient for winter to just be done and go home for the year. But—DAMN!—doesn't fake spring still feel great as anything ever has.

Most of my fall and winter was spent in recording studios with decent climate control, so rather than feeling bummed about the cold I stayed busy making fun records with old friends, Chris Koza and Dylan Hicks; and new ones, Mary Bue and Ellis. Lots of the usual demo/single sessions that never seem to see the light of day, and more time than usual programming my computer to cooperate with me, musically.

The most interesting move for me this winter—literally, as I hauled furniture and recording gear at 11pm during the polar vortex—was into the old studio space of my pal John Munson. It's not quite a studio (although we did cut Lucy Michelle’s Attack of the Heart here) but it's been fun setting up a consistent area to record new music. I try to make a habit out of creating something tangible with my learning process—if you're interested in following along, check out the stream over at Bones & Wire.