Friends By The Fire
Dedicated to my dear friend, Pete.
Click here to listen to the studio version (2005). |
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Click here to listen to an earlier studio version that includes a harp (2002). |
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Click here to listen to a demo version that includes a synthesizer lead (2000). |
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Click here to listen to the original demo version (1998). |
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As I look back over the sixty-plus years of my life for special memories, the year following my graduation from college is full of them. This was a year that involved many incredible trips for me—from Maryland to Wyoming and Colorado, to Hawai'i, and to Europe! After spending Thanksgiving Day of that year in Powell, Wyoming with my grandmother and my cousin Craig and his family, my friend Peter and I drove to Denver, Colorado to spend several days with my aunt and uncle. We then headed up to the Breckenridge for a week of skiing, staying in the cabin that my aunt and uncle so graciously loaned us. |
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Peter and I have many wonderful memories of that stay—from many glorious days of perfect skiing conditions, to one particularly frigid day in which the chill factor at the top of the mountain was –70°F! But the most memorable occurrence for me was one evening after dinner. Peter and I were sitting by the fire place reminiscing. As the fire slowly ebbed, I picked up my guitar that had traveled with me from the East Coast and began to play something that I had never played before. The song that I wrote that evening became known as "Friends By The Fire"—in honor of my friend Peter and our stay at the cabin. |
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In September of 2000, I recorded "Friends By The Fire" using a four-channel analog device. This recording offered me the opportunity to write a second and a third guitar part for the song. At the top of this page there four different versions of the song that chart its evolution—from its first recording with a single guitar taped in my dining room (circa 1998), to the first multiple part demo recorded in my basement (with a synthesizer lead), to the first version recorded in the studio (with a harp part), to the final studio version with the wonderful introduction ("The Arctic") written and recorded by my friend and engineer/producer, Gwyn. |
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Over the years I have played "Friends By The Fire" for many people—including several times on stage and at two weddings. Regardless of whether the song is played live on one guitar or via CD with its multiple guitar parts, it is always well received by those who hear it. |
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Thank you for being a friend for life, Peter! |