Music is always playing in the background while we work, but certain songs are carefully curated for the design process. This is one of the songs that allows me to close my eyes, stop what I'm doing, and just breathe.  

When we have drudged through the design process, thick with problem solving and careful proportioning, songs like this propel us forward, into the labor intensive, active world of hand craftsmanship.

This is one of those tracks that make it nearly impossible to focus on anything else.

When I first heard these three songwriters singing in a packed little barn in Oregon, their raw talent and pure harmonizing voices gave me and the rest of the crowd the chills.

The sound of New Orleans jazz swimming through the streets, the taste of a fried po boy, and time traveling a few decades back in time - the essence of CW Stoneking.

This is the sort of song that just stops you in your tracks, drives a tingling sensation straight up your spine, and gently lays you down into a 3:39 mediation.

Their sound reminds me of driving down the Pacific Coast Highway, the smell of salty air, and a golden sun warming up the ocean breeze.

Located a half hours drive outside of Portland in Happy Valley, Oregon, Pickathon is my wife and I's favorite annual retreat.

Simply put, music is my greatest inspiration.