Jamie Kresberg
Well, this is me: a husband, father, and former salaryman, muddling through midlife and finally beginning to figure out how I want to spend my time. So far, that includes returning to education and nonprofit work after more than two decades in business, spending time in nature, meditating, listening more closely to others—especially the people I love—speaking (or singing) about powerful feelings and ideas, and taking action instead of just wondering, “What if I did that?”
Seth Rothschild
I met Seth through The Possibility Project, where he was the musical director, composing songs for theatrical productions and the film Know How. He has supported my music-making since 2013. Seth wears many hats—producer, arranger, songwriting coach, keyboardist, banjoist, bassist, and voice coach, to name a few. He also brings in an incredible group of musician friends from a lifetime in the business. So if you hear any star-quality performances on my recordings, it’s almost certainly not me; it’s Seth or one of his friends!
What I appreciate most about Seth is his artistic instinct. He has an uncanny sense of when we’re onto something good—and when it’s time to stop and call it a day. Read more about Seth's work at TTP. Listen to one of Seth's albums.
Katharine Key
I met Katharine at our 25th college reunion in 2016. Without knowing me at all, she generously offered to help with “Hopes in the Sky”—arranging harmonies, giving feedback on mixes, and lending her beautiful voice to songs like “The Misery Store,” “Time Away,” and “Back to the Yard.” She also sang all the female leads and harmonies on my new album, Dive Into the Wave. Katharine is a gifted musician, songwriter, and singer. You can hear her work at www.justkat.com.
Kelly Claus
When I met Kelly she was Director of Operations at The Possibility Project. Now she's a web designer, world traveler, and unpredictable adventurer. She holds a masters degree in vocal performance, and a bachelor's degree in music education. If you are listening to one of my songs on "What I Couldn't Say", and at any point think, "Wow, that part sounds amazing!" chances are that's a part where Kelly is harmonizing. I owe Kelly such a huge debt of gratitude for making time in her super-busy schedule to come down to Williamsburg to help with the album. Thank You Kelly!
Matt Pence
Matt's percussion work on Alice, Six Train and Stuck With Me completely transformed these songs and lifted them to a new level. He also did all the final mixing and mastering, a process I did not fully appreciate until it was done. The rough mixes that we shipped off to Matt sounded pretty good to me, and I couldn't imagine what else could be done to improve them. Seth just kept telling me, "It will just sound better. Trust me." And he was right. Matt lives in Texas and I have never met him, but I sincerely hope we cross paths one day. His many, many music credits are here
Phil Quin
Phil and I met in Japan in 1992 and spent a year becoming very close friends. We lost touch for over 15 years, then reconnected when Phil moved to New York around 2010. Phil is a gifted writer, a master of humor, a deep thinker, and an expert on the human psyche. We worked together on lyrics to several songs (not all of which made this first album), but his contribution to Stuck With Me is particularly notable. Phil also edited the My Story section of this web site, helping me figure out how to explain how this whole thing came about (using a lot fewer words than the first draft).
Nikki McKay
Nikki is a sparkling soul who sees the world clearly as it is, with all of its problems and challenges. But she also has a unique way of looking on the bright side of things and seeing the good in people and situations. She treats everyone she meets like a friend. Her warmth and openness to the world must have something to do with her artistic gift. I asked Nikki to paint an album cover for me, and I knew before she even started that she would find a way to capture the spirit of the music, and to make it beautiful. Of course I was right. Thank you Nikki!
Sarah Kresberg
Sarah and I met in August of 1992 and were married on August 2, 1994. I did my best to capture the essence of our 20+ years to together in "20 Years" which you can find in the Videos tab. She is the reason for most of the best things in my life. Sarah is the inspiration for "20 years" and for "Stuck With Me." She is a teacher, school librarian, cook, budding tennis player, and home decorator extraordinaire --among many other things.
Alice
Alice is my daughter and, naturally, the inspiration for "Alice." I wrote the song as a gift for her tenth birthday in June, 2014. The idea was to give her something to enjoy now, but which she will appreciate even more when she is grown up, and especially if she has children of her own one day. I brought Alice down to the recording studio and had her improvise the piano solo -- a brilliant idea from Seth. You can see a clip of her playing in the Alice song video.
Simon
Simon is my son and the inspiration for "Six Train." I wrote the song for him as a gift for his twelfth birthday, in December 2014. I didn't think a sweet and sentimental song (like "Alice") would go over too well with Simon, so I worked really hard to create something more fun and upbeat. I secretly recorded him giving NYC subway directions, and we included a small clip in the song, along with some actual sounds from the subway. He wasn't too happy about the secret recording, but I think he liked the song. Seth and Matt worked some magic with the percussion, bass and mixing of different instruments.
Paola Buendia
Paola is an old friend from college who has listened to early versions of my songs and offered incredibly thoughtful feedback. She visited us in Williamsburg while Seth and I were working on “Alice” and—true to form—reminded me that I’d better start writing a song for Simon, too. As a mother of three boys, she knows exactly what sparks cries of “That’s not fair!” Paola now lives in Bali, where she runs Wooden Ships, a knitwear design and manufacturing company.
Ben Cummings
Ben and I have been friends since 1983, when we met in Bridgehampton, New York through our mutual friend Danny Zebrowksi. Danny introduced us knowing we were both heading off to the same boarding school that fall (Lawrenceville). Ben and his brother Orson write, produce and direct feature films, with several credits including "If I Didn't Care" "Pacific Standard Time" and their latest film, a documentary about the Bridgehampton High School basketball team, Killer Bees. Ben and I spent an afternoon together at the beach in Southampton, not far from where I scattered my mother's ashes, and shot the footage for "Gone." Ben directed the video, helped with editing, and helped me realize my vision.
Jennifer Lyon Bell
Jennifer is an old friend from college who lives in Amsterdam. When I needed help editing the video for "Gone" I reached out to Jennifer, as she is one of a few professional film makers I know. Her editing advice was invaluable, and the final version of the video is light years better than the earlier versions, thanks in large part to Jennifer's suggestions. She is the founder of Blue Artichoke Films, a company that "creates erotic fiction films and documentaries that illuminate the riveting, intimate, and sometimes delightfully awkward side of sex. She is dedicated to making artistic, unusual erotic films that portray sexuality in an emotionally realistic way." I am proud to count Jennifer among my friends and am looking forward to watching her latest feature film, Silver Shoes, which you can find on Amazon and many other outlets.
Allie Humenuk
Allie is an old friend from college. One of my enduring memories of freshman year is the surprise party Allie hosted for me on my 19th birthday. I thought that none of my new friends even knew when my birthday was, and was absolutely delighted to see them gathered in Allie's dorm room from some Wednesday night festivities. They may have just been looking for an excuse to have another party, but still, I was touched. Allie was kind enough to watch early cuts of the "Gone" video and provide some insightful editing input. You can see a list of Allie's many film credits on IMDB. Her latest project, The Guys Next Door, is a feature length documentary about a gay couple with two daughters birthed by their friend Rachel with donor eggs.
Christopher North
Christopher led the songwriting workshops I took at the 92nd Street Y in 2014 and 2015. He offered helpful feedback on early versions of my songs, including a suggestion for a non-word vocal after the line “I could sing about you all day long” in “Alice”—a small idea that ended up unlocking the song. He’s a professional composer and multi-instrumentalist. You can learn more about him on his website. website.