A friend is someone who makes you a better person; a fellow who delights in your well-being and offers assistance in rough waters.

I think we are fortunate if we find such a human in our lifetime. I’m lucky enough to have met one such rare soul, and his name was Vince Waters.

He had a soft and quiet way about him, he was slow to judge, he was considerate and empathetic. Years ago, when I was down, he was one of the few people on earth that cared enough to help me weather the storm; this, when he himself had his own share of burdens and misfortune.

As time moved on, so did I. Happiness returned to me and Vince and I would write or call each other a few times a year, even though we lived some distance apart. He continued to struggle. I tried to encourage him, the way he had done so for me, but I could sense his hope fading and our conversations became less frequent until a time he stopped writing or calling me back altogether.

Selfish, as I sometimes am, I was a little hurt and maybe a bit angry for his lack of response. After waiting for over a year, another attempt to reach out, but again: no call, and no message back. Vince and I didn’t have mutual friends for me to contact, so I started looking for him on social media. There, I happened upon some in-memoriam messages. My heart sank when it dawned on me that my friend had died some while back. I became overcome with a sense of loss and regret -that I had the audacity to somehow feel slighted when I should’ve been a better friend. Enough about me.

Vince loved his children, a good cigar, playing chess, sharing stories, and I especially enjoyed his tales from the sea -when he was most free on the waves and enjoying his passion for sailing.

This song: "Tell Me What’s New" includes elements of those final and unanswered letters that I wrote to Vince. It was written and recorded in my garden-shed studio, July of 2020, and I’d like to dedicate it to him.


Genre : Americana, Alternative, Adult Alternative, Indie, Singer-Songwriter, Alt-Folk, Rock
BPM: 67
Key: A♭ Major
ISRC: QZAMM1917667
UPC: 193339387345
ISWC: T9328774727

Keywords: drums, retro, 69, percussion, vibrato guitar, pedal steel, guitar, vocal harmony, acoustic, vintage, throwback, sentimental, heartfelt, tender, emotive, heartwarming, moving, nostalgic, letter writing, friendship, true friend, loss, correspondence, sorrow, leslie, rotory speaker, gospel music, throwback, sentimental, heartfelt, tender, emotive, heartwarming, moving, nostalgic

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