Neal Carpenter

My new album, “Good Guys” might have my name on the cover, but it’s actually a story that involves a lot of awesome people who made it possible. I moved to Nashville in 2007 to be an artist and ended up spending more time than I’d like to admit parking cars at a hotel. I played on the weekends, but I didn’t have the courage to really give all of myself to it. I talked a lot, but did little. Two years after my arrival I decided I needed to pack up and move on. In an effort to minimize regrets I handed a demo to a publisher whose phone number I’d had since moving to Nashville. To my absolute shock, he called and wanted me to come play for the head of the publishing company. On a Friday morning at 9am I walked into the office of a man I’d only read about. He puffed a Cuban cigar and asked me to get out my guitar. Three songs later he removed the cigar from his mouth and said, “Would you like to write songs for a living? Why don’t we go down the hall and start working on a contract.” I called my boss at the hotel and said I wouldn’t be coming to work anymore.

I spent the next four years getting to write with some of my favorite artists and songwriting heroes. People like Tom Douglas, Don Schlitz, Emerson Hart, David Mead, Jim Lauderdale, Kim Richey and Stephen Kellogg. I wrote hundreds of songs, had a few in the running for major label albums, heard Alison Krauss sing background vocals on a song I wrote, heard the word “no” more than I’d prefer, got to record with some of the most incredible musicians alive, and generally lived a fantasy life that I’d only dreamed about. Deep down though, I wanted to be out singing the songs myself.

In October of 2013 a bunch of friends and fans decided they’d like to be part of that. Thanks to them, I was able to make an album with my friends Todd Lombardo(producer), Evan Hutchings(drums), Adam Gardner(bass), Court Clement(guitar), Andy Hunt(engineer), Angel Snow(vocals), Molly Parden(vocals) and some guy named Jerry Douglas.

My new record, “Good Guys” is the culmination of a 4 year stint of getting to write for some of Nashville’s best music publishing houses, but marks a departure to more personal subject matter than Music Row sometimes allows. Music Row taught me incredible lessons about the craft and discipline of trying to write great songs, but after a while I think I lost my own voice in an effort to please only the marketplace. “Good Guys” is all about re-discovering who I am as an artist and taking chances thematically and musically I didn’t have the courage to until now. My only goal for the last year has been to do things I’m afraid of doing.

“Good Guys” is the story of my life since moving to Nashville. On October 1, 2014 the rest of the world will hear it. Here’s to all of you who have made the journey to here an amazing one.