Firthian = Adjective relating to a music genre solely affixed to the Music of David Firth; circa 1974 –
                   Literal translation = “the light is just coming from a different angle.”

I have been writing songs since I was 20 years old. I have no formal music training other than guitar lessons for less than a year, a music theory class that I barely passed and a piano class that I didn’t pass. Thus it is safe to say I do not consider myself a musician or composer in the traditional sense of those terms. The keyword there is “traditional”.

In the year of my 31st birthday, I had made some terrible choices that sent my family and my extended family at large into a spiral of chaos. It was the beginning of my long, dark, uncontrollable journey with Bipolar Disorder. At the time I did not know what was happening. What’s more, I was a professional Minister of the Catholic Church, leaving my family for what I thought was my true calling to be with another. I was in a very bad state of mind and heart.

In June of that year; I was invited to a birthday party for me…31 + 6 months. Upon arriving I saw several friends, lots of party decorations and a purple candle burning in the midst of several small birthday gifts on a table.

At one point in the evening, I went to open the gifts and knocked the candle onto the floor; breaking it in almost halfway up. I picked up the candle, held it up to my friend and said, “I’m sorry for being so clumsy,”  I paused, “but this is really a perfect metaphor to how I feel. I’m broken and the light of God is not shining from me in the least.”

My friend took the candle from me, lite the broken end of the candle and said, “Well, it seems to be working just fine. The light is still shining; it’s just coming from a different angle.”

Songwriting, as in all creative expressions is personal and, depending on the artist; intimate.  There is always a story being told in each creation and depending on the motives of the creator; the story might be what inspired the creative movement.  It’s the motive that is impossible to know unless shared outright by the creator, thus it’s most times not easy to know if what is being offered is a reflection of a life lived or a simple attempt to be “popular”.

I have to admit my experience with songwriting has been, at least in the first few years, a combination of both.  Everything I’ve written is connected to a story; an experience with or about someone.  I also deeply hoped it would be popular; that I would be popular.  In the beginning, I was popular and that didn’t turn out well.  

It is important to me to clarify that I have never written anything fashioned to what was considered popular at the time.  The truth is no matter how hard I tried to write a song in a “popular” genre; it never worked out. There was little to no “light” coming from me when I tried to use a popular genre to write a song.  I discovered when taking that approach it lacked something key to my own attempts at creative expression; my heart. 

When I embraced what I am writing about and the melody married to each is deeply personal regardless of the popularity factor; I realized that I was creating a new genre: Firthian.  “…the light is just coming from a different angle.”

The process of writing a song over the past 40 years begins with listening. Each song I offer in this collection as well in all of the others before were written by allowing my heart to tell me the story and the message in my mind. I literally hear the words and the melody at the same time.  Sometimes it happens in a matter of minutes as in the cases of “You Are My Friends” and “Good Morning Olivia”. Other times it takes a day or so like “Dance With Me” and others; a week or more like “It’s Found In Jesus”.  And then still others whispered very quietly over the course of a year or more like, “Above All…Honesty”. But I know it’s time to listen when I hear the slightest bit of a song singing to me.  My job, as I have learned, is to be patient and trust that it will let me know when I’ve heard it all. At that time I write the lyrics down on paper and put guitar chords to it. To be clear, I don’t remember many details about writing some of the songs, especially in the first few years so, when you come across a story page about a song and it starts off with, “This is one of those songs…” you’ll know I just don’t recall.

The most fascinating part to me is that I hear all of the orchestration while the song is playing in my head.  Every instrument, each counter-melody, each beat of the drum and bass; every piano movement and sweeping harp; it all plays in my head.  That may sound fantastical or non-traditional (Firthian) but it’s my experience. The hard part for a non-musician like me is to make that come to life.

Thus, I have turned to several people to assist.  Many times I’ve reached out to my Brother Jim who has provided so many needed piano arrangements, recording, mixing and mastering tutorials over the phone and email I would be lost in a spiral of stupidity and error without him. Kelli, Emily, Olivia, and Lindsay have provided the voices on several songs that required exactly what was needed to tell the story. Linda played the piano on “Center Field of Love”, an act of graciousness and love as that aspect of playing the piano was way beyond her comfort zone. And my Brother Bob sang a country song that needed his unique vocal timbre to tell the story of “One More Time.”

It is an honor to offer this collection of songs to you in all their Firthian glory.  Whether you listen to one or all 65 songs; whether you are moved by a story, a message, the performances or, not moved at all,  I am so grateful to have lived a life of abundant moments of love, inspiration, challenge, redemption, insight, laughter, intimacy, imagination, death, rebirth and forgiveness.  All of this and more I hope for you.

May even just a single word, note, story or message, remind you that you are love.

David