The motivating force for this album, like so many of the others, is winter. All my creative energies come out when I am alone in my warm studio, at night, while the winter blackness outside is particularly uninviting: cold rain, clouds, snow and ice. Sadness, joy, love and dreams also contribute.

I am also motivated by well-made films, particularly foreign films. Films that are unusual, bold and creative with twists you did not expect, with almost unbearable sadness, indescribable joy and entrancing acting by unknown actors with whom you fall in love. 

Books also captivate me as does travel. My dreams captivate me. I hear (and see) wonderful music. Time and place are transposed. And finally I am inspired by those people whom I meet that are so genuine you would follow them anywhere.  

Ghost

Ghost

https://timothywenzel.com/track/2756162/ghost

The name is relevant: the song arose about 1 AM in my studio. I briefly started playing the piano with no clear vision. A melody came instantly so I pressed the record button and captured what amounted to be a complete section. My hands felt disconnected from my mind. I immediately laid down a violin track with the same feeling of disconnection. It matched the first track perfectly; almost as if I were channeling for a deceased composer who had unfinished work. In fact, I turned around and looked behind me. I felt silly. Regardless I decided to leave. https://timothywenzel.com/track/2756162/ghost

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Opening

Opening

This arose in a dreamy state of mind, reminiscing about my beloved state of West Virginia. Of course, Appalachian overtones came to grace the song. The name arose from a feeling I had while listening and composing. It was like ascending the wooded back side of the long eastern Appalachian ridges and stepping out onto a sheer cliff. I often experienced it while hiking and it is a feeling like no other. The image is a photograph I took of Lake Michigan with an oddly triangular opening in the clouds. 

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Dusk to Diamonds

Dusk to Diamonds

I often photograph auroras and noctilucent clouds, sometimes starting right at dusk, just as the first stars appear. I settle into an open field, set up the camera and then watch the sky change. The magical moment is when one horizon is still faintly lit while the other is becoming very dark and the stars are shimmering like jewels. Dusk to Diamonds. The album cover is a photograph I captured of a rare summer aurora, just at dusk.

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Our Stories

Our Stories

image: unknown

What if... you could know the story of everyone who ever lived, all at once? All of us deserve to tell Our Stories and have them heard. This song ponders that question. 

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