John Henry & Friends - When The Storm Comes (2018)

As I sit and prepare to reflect on this album I find it difficult to portray my feelings with words. It would be very hard to calculate the amount of time I have dedicated to it's creation and attempting to quantify its significance to me would be an impossible task. Despite my inability to properly chronicle these sentiments I do have some thoughts I would like to share.

I have been very blessed! I have met and collaborated with the most talented and passionate musicians in Arkansas. I wrote the songs on this album but it is Adams Collins, Brennan Johnson and Tom Andersen who brought them to life. All three of these men are fine musicians and even finer people and I will consider them good friends until the day I die. I can think of no group to whom I would rather entrust these songs.

On this album are some of the most emotionally significant songs I have ever written. The passing of my mother spurred a flurry of creative output. What seemed like insurmountable sadness eventually gave way. I grieved and I healed and left in my wake a collection of musical narratives. Those narratives are housed on this album along with selections of a more lighthearted nature. Every one of these songs mean quite a lot to me and I hope the care that was given to them, from conception to arrangement, is apparent when listening.

My attachment to this album is emotional but it is also physical. In my attempt to package and release an album with very little money I stepped on a landmine of inspiration. The following weeks were filled with countless hours of crafting. The first step was to think up a design. I decided to carve a lithograph. I drew a design and had it printed. I then transferred the image to a vinyl sheet so I could carve out the negative space. It became what is basically a large stamp. I found some black cd jackets I wanted to use and decided to print on them with gold ink. I then set forth carving an insignia into a drawer knob to be used for wax sealing. I will personally print every album cover. I will then wrap them and seal them with wax. Inside will be a lyric booklet so everyone can sing along. I truly hope this album is meaningful to others. It is immensely meaningful to me.