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06.20.2024 Turns To Gold (Deluxe Version) Released Today!

Today, with the release of the radio edit of “Holding Her Freedom,” the Deluxe Version of Turns To Gold is officially released! You can listen to the whole album here!  I hope you enjoy it!

Here are some thoughts I have about Turns To Gold.

In 2014, I began planning my first independently released album. The lackluster success of 2011’s One Spark led to Fantasy Records dropping me, and I was searching for a new way forward as an artist. 

For years, I had watched several friends thrive by releasing their records independently, owning their recordings, and building a loyal community of fans they could rely on to help them continue to create and release their music—on their terms. By 2014, with a collection of new songs written, I decided to follow their lead.

I met with producer Paul Moak and toured his studio, The Smoakstack, in Berry Hill, TN. We clicked creatively, and he agreed to work on the project. We selected 14 out of nearly 20 songs I had written, aiming to capture basic tracks with a band without prior rehearsals. I tapped some of the best musicians I knew, Jano Rix on drums and Viktor Krauss on bass, and Paul brought in his go-to electric guitarist, Kris Donegan and recording engineer, Devin Vaughan. Paul would play auxiliary instruments and sing some background vocals. We would record the basic tracks in five days.

With a plan in place, I turned to you, my fans, for support. Your response was overwhelming. You funded the project through incentives like signed piano keys, hand-written lyrics, piano-string bracelets made by singer/songwriter/friend, Sarah Siskind, private concerts, custom written songs, video performances, and more. Thanks to your generosity, I was able to record the album in early March 2015 and release it in March 2016.

The album features guest musicians, including a special guest vocal by Natalie Prass on “The Way To Love Me” and other vocal contributions by Jason Eskridge, Boots Ottestad, Garrison Starr, Jon Green, and Javelyn, who won the “sing on Gabe’s album” prize. The late Lindsey Smith-Trostle played cello, and Eleonore Denig created beautiful string arrangements and played violin. The recording and overdubbing process was a joy.

Many of the songs on this album reflect my feelings during a time when my wife and I were new parents, and, as so often happens, the arrival of a child upended our lives and our ideas about who we thought we were and where we were going in life. My old ideas of success—wealth and fame—were starting to give way to a new idea of what deeper and more meaningful success could look like. 

As I reflect on this album almost a decade later, I think it is about maturing and embracing my commitments—about deciding to let go of old ideas about myself and turning toward my partner and our life together. Matthew Fleming’s cover art, showing the sun setting between mountains which form an obvious “V” or downward triangle—an ancient representation of the sacred feminine—symbolizes my turning toward my partner. Whether this symbolism was intentional or not, it holds great meaning for me.

The album was well received, with reviews in Rolling Stone, No Depression, Relix, and other publications. A few years later, the likes of Garth Brooks even recorded and performed his own version of “Live Again,” adding to the album’s legacy. Most importantly, you, the fans, helped me create it and showed me that I could succeed as an independent artist. I am forever grateful for your support. Without you, I couldn’t continue making music.

I hope you enjoy the three new tracks released over the past two months to celebrate the 8th anniversary Deluxe Version of Turns To Gold.

Sincerely,
Gabe