Thank you so much for chatting with us Randy! Did you always want to be a musician or was there a specific moment that something happened that made you think "this is what I want to do with my life." If so, what was it? Being a musician was always something I wanted to do. There were so many talented musicians and singers in my family; that motivated me to want a career in music. There has never been a time in my life that I didn’t want to make music for a living. However, for several years music had to take a lesser priority in my life to building a career and raising a family. A few years ago I retired from my corporate job to pursue a calling into ministry as a worship pastor. I had been doing that bi-vocationally for almost 20 years and sensed that God was calling me to a deeper commitment in ministry and service for Him. It has been a real blessing and privilege to serve in that role.
Which song off of your EP is the most dear to you and why? My older brother was a two tour veteran of the Vietnam War. Because of his service in the military he suffered from terrible PTSD. I was thinking of my brother, and many others who live with this same condition when I wrote the song “Never Alone.” The fact is that those with PTSD are never free of the memories and thoughts that trouble them. All it takes is a word or a laugh, or a certain phrase and they are right back in the moment that created their anxiety. I wrote “Never Alone” for my brother, and the men and women who serve in our military, fight fires, work in our ambulances and emergency rooms, and police our streets.
What's the story behind your album's title? A friend of mine once told me that living life was series of riding waves. He’s originally from California where they do a lot of body surfing. When you surf you paddle out into the ocean and find just the right wave to catch and then ride it to the shore. What do you do when you run out of wave? What do you do when it’s time to start over? Where do you begin? For me it was a trip back to my country roots and songs from an earlier time in my life. The songs on this album are in essence me paddling out into the ocean to catch a “new wave.” It’s time for me to “Begin Again.”
When/where do you do your best writing? That is a fabulous question because songwriting has happened for me in lots of unusual places! I have had the inspiration to write on the road in hotel rooms, in a rest area on the side of the road, overlooking a beautiful valley in the Rocky Mountains. I wrote two songs all alone on a deserted beach with only the sound of the waves gently arriving on the sand of the shore at my feet. For me I never know when the inspiration for a song will strike. Knowing that, I keep my recording device on my phone ready and a pen and paper close by just in case I hear a phrase or an idea that creates a spark in my mind or my heart. Songwriting for me happens when I am reading a lot, and listening well.
Aside from singing do you play any instruments? Yes, I play acoustic and electric guitars. My love for guitar started when I was 11 years old. My mother was a country music artist and she had two stage guitars. She let me borrow her 1948 Gibson L-48 archtop to learn on until I saved enough money to buy my own instrument. I have bought and traded an unknown number of instruments over the years trying to find the ones I really wanted to use as tools to make music. Each guitarist has to find “their” instrument in my view. Every guitar I’ve ever owned has spoken to me in just the right way, and motivated me to write songs with it.
What is one food that most people seem to like, but you cannot stand to eat. Anyone that knows me or has had lunch with me knows that I am really not fond of avocado. I mean people eat it on salad, and Mexican food, and even toast! I cannot get past the slimy consistency.
Was there ever music playing in the kitchen growing up? My mother and dad played the radio a lot at our house growing up. They had one of those big stereo Television combination cabinets and they played records or listened to the radio.
Home cooking or going out for dinner? I traveled for years and had my fill of eating out really. My wife is a fabulous cook and honestly we prefer to eat at home. I worked in the hospitality industry for 25 years so I spent a great deal of my adult life in restaurants. We still enjoy going out to eat for special occasions, and we definitely have our favorite places, and cuisine that we enjoy.
Where is your favorite place to eat in your hometown? Again, Kansas City is the BBQ capital of the world in my view so there are a great number of excellent places to choose from. Either Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que or Fiorella’s Jack Stack BBQ are my favorites.
If you could be sponsored by one food/drink brand who would it be and why? I am from Kansas City Missouri and KC BBQ is the best in the world hands down! So I would definitely want to be sponsored by Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que without question!