I think it was April 2016, I was 22 years old. This song has a specific but unimportant source of inspiration; it was written about experiencing an instant connection with a stranger.
“Something Familiar” was the first song that took me out of my blues, southern-rock style and into more of a jazz influenced sound. The first time I played it live there was an adorable young British couple celebrating their anniversary. They got up and danced to the song in the redwood grove under the cute romantic outdoor lights from Costco - you know the ones. I knew right then it was always going to be one of my favorites to play. They came up and told me how much they enjoyed it and asked if I had it recorded anywhere. Well, here we are five years later. I hope they hear it someday and remember that moment too.
Sometimes when I meet someone for the first time, or even see them from afar, a light goes off as if I know them from somewhere else, and it isn’t always a romantic feeling. When I worked at a local coffee shop, sometimes a customer would come in and there would be an instant connection. Sometimes I would see them every five months, sometimes never again, and most times I would never even learn their name, but there was always a rush of excitement to run into them, because for some reason, they felt familiar. This concept has always intrigued me.
This song took on a deeper level of meaning over the last year. I believe certain souls can travel through many lives together. When you come across someone, even if just for a brief moment, it can feel almost like deja-vu. The energy is so much stronger because of the layers of dimensional history between you in the human and spirit worlds.
The piano played on the recording of this song is my favorite on the whole album. During the instrumental bridge, Chris plays a descending line over the Emaj7 - Gmaj7 - F#m7 that melts me every single time I hear it. It might be my favorite moment on the whole album. This is the only song I had to re-record the vocals for after the initial session. When I was listening through the rough mixes, it sounded to me like I was trying way too hard. I was annoying myself. I went back and did one take where I just gave up all effort. That’s the one we went with. I love how relaxed and simple it is. And I hope you love it too.
