You can't escape the past... but really, why would you want to? (Especially when it contains Ivory Whispers)

Every now and then I sit down and google myself. (Who doesn't?) I suppose that used to be some egotistical thing artists did, but now, it's more of a chore in order to make sure my music didn't get miscategorized by some obscure AI bot into the play list of some similar-named band. As it were, that happened a few years ago with another Jeff Michaels blues band, which forced me to 1) take down a lot of my previous recordings and re-release them under Jeff Michaels Band, and 2) write much better songs, which enevitably get more hits, and thus better SEO ranking.

But that's not what this search was about.

This search was purely for fun, and around page five or six I stumbled upon a gem: my first recording, circa 1998: Ivory Whispers, by Jeff Michaels... and I'm forced to admit, that Jeff Michaels is definitely me.

When I first began playing piano it was mostly with the idea that I was going to become some sort of virtuous keyboardist along the lines of Bruce Hornsby, or Rick Wakeman from Yes. Turned out, I was lazy, and despite spending hours transcribing solos by Professor Longhair, or Elton John, which I later committed to memory until I could play them note-for-note should some patron drop a dollar in the tip jar at the dive piano bar in New Hampshire I performed at on Thursday nights and request the extended intro to Take Me to the Pilot from the Greek Theater in 1994 , when I first began writing my own music I opted for the more simplistic piano melodies that came more naturally to me. At the time, it was the new age piano stylings of George Winston and David Lanz that caught my ear, then Yanni and Jim Brickman, which ultimately led me to writing a collection of new age piano solos of my own, now affectionally referred to by the internet as "Long Gone Media."

Neither Yanni, or Jim Brickman were known for being tremendous piano players, but their melodies were pure, and they pulled off what George Winston and David Lanz couldn't do, which was to take new age music mainstream. Yanni, of course, used the Acropolis for his backdrop to promote his work across public television, while Jim Brickman partnered up with famed country artist, Martina McBride for his composition, Valentine, which peaked at number 50 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1997.

Enter Ivory Whispers.

The official first record, sold door-to-door after school.

I can't recall where I came up with the name for my first solo piano album, but I stand by it: it's a damn good one. The title, the artwork by my childhood friend Al... twelve songs that sound like they were written with the sole purpose to lull a toddler to sleep--what more could you want to kick off a career as an indie rocker?

In fact, I loved these songs so much I repurposed them again nearly two decades later as a piano accompaniment to my first book, Please Hug Me--I've Been Delayed: The Only Guide You'll Ever Need to Survive the Not-so-Friendly Skies (Greenleaf Book Group 2012). I simply gave all those lovely lullabye-esq tunes new names, like "First Class" and "Up in the Clouds." Same songs, same arrangements, nearly the same order. Marketing at its finest!

Turned out, that CD didn't sell nearly as well as my book did, which was probably a good thing as I was never quite capable of playing those songs at any time other than when I recorded them in the studio. They captured a moment in time that was full of promise, yet at the same time nostalgic for the past of my youth--which to me was the essence of all new age music. Now, of course, that music truly is the past of my youth, but somehow it still holds the promise of the future in those wistful, heartfelt melodies.

If anyone still owns a CD player, or a cassette deck, I happen to have thousands of these lying around in boxes. I'd be happy to put a few more up on eBay... let the bidding begin.

Don't let the hair fool you... I still had two dates to the Sr. Prom.