Almost a year ago I released my first album, State Street Rambler, which was a big and fun rock and roll record to make in the studio. As things wound at the start of this year, I found working on a project quite different than State Street Rambler — a quiet, modest song-cycle recorded entirely in my room on a cassette tape 4-track recorder.

It’s a song-cycle I’ve been working on for years, literally — some of the songs were new since I’ve been in New York, but most are from when I lived in Boston, or even earlier than that, when I lived in Pittsburgh long ago. Combining my archaic 4-track technology with my state-of-the-art iPod technology, I kept the whole thing feeling free and low-key, as I recorded little pieces of songs and then arranged and rearranged them like cars in a train, taking ones out and adding ones in until I found a running order that suit the project.

The result is Lighthouse, a 10-song, 20-minute EP that contains music written and performed by myself in my room; they were then mastered with loving care by Brian Speaker at SpeakerSonic Studio. No punch-ins, no vocal overdubs, no electric guitars, no bullshit.

To celebrate the release of Lighthouse, I am playing a special show at the Delancey on Friday, May 2nd, with Pittsburgh’s own Triggers (which is only appropriate because the bulk of the Lighthouse song cycle takes place in Pittsburgh). Check ‘em out though cuz they’re well worth yer time: www.triggersmusic.com or www.myspace.com/triggersmusic

The show is 21+ and $8.00, which includes a copy of the Lighthouse EP.

Hope to seeya there!