The Heart Chronicles uses songs to tell a chronological story about a young man’s experiences as he discovers that falling in love is awesome — but staying in love takes a lot of work.

Creating something like this has been on my mind since my earliest days as a songwriter; in fact, I performed a one-man show along these lines in New York City in my 20s. (I have no doubt that Joni Mitchell’s album Court and Spark — a masterpiece that uses brilliant, insightful songs to tell the story of a failed love affair — motivated me to attempt it.) In those days, I wasn’t in a position to record an album, so after doing my one-man show I set aside the idea. But I always knew I’d come back to it. Today, with many more songs in my repertoire about the challenges of being in a relationship, I can assemble a pretty compelling story.

I hope you enjoy the result!

Act One: Falling