Sometimes, a change can only come when the present gets too painful.

By the spring of 2021, I was at a crossroads.

A high-school English teacher, weighed down by a looming promotion and the prospect of decades before retirement, I felt trapped.

Worse, a global pandemic had robbed me of my only joy - weekend gigs with my band.

I realised I was stuck in the type of life I’d live to regret. Determined to rewrite my story, I quit.

I found myself strumming covers every night in the corners of bars where nobody goes to listen, just trying to pay the bills.Yet suddenly, amidst the struggle, creativity blossomed.

I scribbled down a few tunes; some bad, some not-so-bad.

I suppose I heard echoes of my favourite songwriters in them: Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Glenn Frey.

Some of my favourite local musicians helped me to put out a record - 'Castles' - in October 2022.

I called them 'The Restless Dream'.

In 2023, we followed it up with something bigger and better.

You can listen to it now: it’s an EP called ‘Trees’.

It's gotten kind words, reviews, radio plays, and is the soundtrack of our live gigs — from festivals to open mics.

Wherever you’ll have us.

Because, these days, that ‘Restless Dream’ feels more like an obsession with writing great songs.

Mark Twain said that finding the right words was like lightning.

Now, I find myself chasing that lightning wherever I go.

Hopefully I can bottle some of it up and bring it to you.