One of the questions that I’m asked the most about my album is “where did the ideas and inspiration for this music come from?”  Simple…..

             The music from Journey to Euskadi actually came to me in a fairly short amount of time.  It seemed like every day monotonies were the inspiration for some aspect of the album.

             The title track Journey to Euskadi was born one afternoon when a friend of mine was making his way to his family’s home in Utah.  He happen to be driving through Elko and stopped by.  After a brief conversation of what I was trying to accomplish with the idea of this song, he went to his car, grabbed his guitar and the song was created in a matter of minutes.   The song Journey to Euskadi truly represented the sentiment behind the feeling I have each time I leave the United States to fly to the Basque Country to see my family.

             The song Gudari Txiki was really just a song that I wrote based on a contemporary notion.  I liked the direction the song was going and I was able to finish the song inside of two weeks (just working on it on the weekend).  I didn’t at that time have a name for the song, so I tried to think about the melody in retrospect and grasp an idea of what came to mind each time I played it.  That’s when the name Gudari Txiki (little fighter) came to mind. 

             The song Pelotari Fandango was actually a very easy song to write.  The idea for the song was so blatant, there was no way I could go wrong.  The year I recorded the album (several months prior to recording) I was in San Francisco for an anniversary party.  One of the attractions were the 2002 handball champions from the Basque Country who were putting on exhibition games.  While watching one of the matches, the game became really intense when these hand ball players were fighting for the point only a few feet from the wall.  It was amazing to see and at that moment, the melody for this song kept running through my head.  When I returned home to Elko a few days later, I was able to put that idea to music, thus the birth of Pelotari Fandango.

             The song Itxasoko Murmura (roar of the ocean) was more of a finality to Pelotari Fandango.  It was one of the last songs I wrote for the album actually.  At the time that I wrote it, I think I had listened to some older porrasuldas that had a interesting un-common sound to it.  I wanted my song represent something semi-traditional with the Basque music, yet I wanted it to have a modern sound.  The other challenge was to write it in the same key as the Pelotari Fandango, which is C-miner.  This is probably one of my favorite keys to play music in, but it can also be one of the most difficult to maintain a smooth transition with the fingerings on the key board.  This song quite simply was a run-off of Pelotari Fandango, but in a 2/4 time. In the end, the melody matched perfectly with what I was trying to achieve.  Ixtasoko Murmura was the perfect blend of melodies to compliment Pelotari Fandango. 

             The song Lekeitio actually came to light (or at least the idea of it) when I was in the Basque Country.  It’s a very simple explanation.  I remember the beach there very specifically and I remembered how the children would play on the sand and run to the water and then back again.  The melody of the song didn’t actually come to me at that time but nearly two years later when I remembered that experience.  This song simply represents the light-hearted attitude of playing on the beach, in the water and running around like all children do.  During the weeks that followed the creation of this song, I changed several things about it.  Believe it or not, I actually finished this song the weekend my dog died (no lie).   I had stopped thinking about the beach and was more sad about my dog when I finally completed the song.  For some reason, there was a different focus and a different sentiment.  I guess that’s what it took to finish the song because it’s probably one of the most unique 5/8 rhythmic Basque marches / biribilketa ever written.

             The song Return to Gernika began as a lyrical idea.  If you know the history of Gernika, then you know about the horrific bombing prior to WW2.  At any rate, the melody of this song represented my idea about a boy who was born in Gernika and had to flee during the bombing. As a man he finally returns to his birthplace to see all the changes that have taken place over the years and make peace with devastation that plagued him his entire life.  The song truly represents this “easy way of life” and then musically takes you to the “bombing” of this town and then takes you back to life returning to normal.

             The song Edurne Fandango was actually started in the Basque Country in 2001.  My cousins in Burlada had borrowed an accordion so I could practice while I was visiting.  My friend Edurne Nagore had gotten married while I was there and no matter what I came up with, I couldn’t decide on a gift that represented the sentiment I was searching for.  So…. I wrote this song for her…  a belated gift for her wedding.

             The song Polita has absolutely no specific rationale behind it.  I was simply playing around with a little melody and “poof”, this song was created.  Polita, meaning pretty, was the perfect title for this simple song.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t until after I recorded the CD that I came up with the second part of the song.  It’s not recorded in it’s entirety , but maintains the simplicity I was searching for.

             The song Markina was the idea behind where my family is from.  The melody of the song was really based on the intent of giving it a little bit of Irish twist, which I think I accomplished subtly.  This song is simply a tribute to my family who resides there.

             The most important piece on this CD is certainly Andoni’ren Abestia Zerutik.  Translated, this song means:  Anthony’s Song, from Heaven.   

             The meaning behind this song is emotionally complicated for me but yet incredibly powerful.  Anyone who has lost an important person in their life knows what a difficult journey it is and for me, the experience has been no different.

             In October, 1990, I lost my brother in a motorcycle accident and over the years that followed, it had been a constant struggle to maintain any kind of balance in my life without feeling a tremendous amount of sadness.   I had always had a close relationship with him and I was absolutely devastated when he died.  In addition to this, I had witnessed the pain of my family; specifically my mom and dad.

             Even after all this time I have yet to find words to express my feelings about this tremendous loss and the small triumphs that have taken place over the years.  It’s been a difficult road and no matter what path I have taken, I have somehow maintained that sentiment.  And with that, the song Andoni’ren Abestia, Zerutik was born.  Strangely enough I woke up late one night and I had a strong sense of something but at that moment I didn’t know what it was.  The thought of my brother propelled an unsettling anxiousness.  After attempting to go back to sleep, I couldn’t, so I got up and went to my recorder. I picked up my accordion, sat down and wrote this song.  This melody explained everything I have ever felt about my brother’s death and the difficult process of trying to move forward.  There was never a need to write words because after all, the message in this song was between me and my brother.