Listen to 'A Band of Silver'

Sometimes when you are feeling overwhelmed by the worst aspects of humanity, something occurs that reminds you that not all is lost. One of the less admirable qualities that humanity displays is materialism.  Admiring things that look nice, that are eye catching, or exquisite, is understandable.  Bright and shiny things tend to catch the eye and seem to communicate something that the ordinary does not.  But when these objects are looked at as elevating the owner or conveying some status, that's when materialism twists everything and overcomes the beauty that may be present.

The origins of this song go back to my younger days working in an office environment.  I overheard a conversation where a soon to be bride was explaining that it didn't matter to her where her ring came from, it suited her and the relationship she had with her fiance, regardless of any qualities that others would not admire.  The overall conversation was probably typical between a young woman and some friends, and not mean spirited in any way.  But her response to some jokes about what are the most desirable rings was what stuck with me and inspired me to write the song.  Often the wedding event seems to be more important to people than the significance of the event or even the proposal itself.  I was moved by the young bride's pride in her relationship over the symbols that are supposed to remind everyone of the underlying bond.

I had to take a bit of poetic license to round out the content of the song and make it more of a complete story, so every detail of the song is not from this moment in time, but captures the scene and my experience of overhearing.  My ability to capture and shape my ideas with words had to catch up with this particular idea, which is one reason it took so long for me to finish.