New Song – “Good THings” Available Now!

At the beginning of the pandemic, Jeremy’s son was born prematurely and had to spend 34 days in the NICU. It was a nightmarish touch-and-go period, as the newborn was hooked up to every machine imaginable, and there were no guarantees he would be okay. Jeremy recalled that painful journey the night he was struggling to get his boy asleep. When he thought back to those frightening times of uncertainty, the past emotions came flooding back, and he felt a rush of gratitude his son made it through.

Jeremy’s latest single, “Good Things,” out October 15, 2021, is inspired by this warmly epiphanic moment. It is an unflinchingly positive reggae-tinged pop tune that celebrates the joy that comes after intense pain and anxiety. It’s an exhilarating sing-along that recalls the sunny dispositions of Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” and Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy.” It’s the perfect ray of sunshine the world needs after being battered by an onslaught of sickness, division, and anger.

“I remember holding my son in the dark bedroom and thinking how lucky I was to have a healthy son to cry in my arms,” Jeremy recalls. “I became conscious of ‘thinking about the good things.’ It made me conscious of all the things that I feel fortunate to have in my life, and how, oftentimes, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life that we sometimes see only obstacles or negativity. We forget about the gifts that truly matter, like family, love, friendship, and all the wonderful opportunities available to us on a daily basis.”

Always fine-tuning his artistic game, Jeremy took the downtime the pandemic afforded to take part in several online music production courses and select songwriting retreats. His latest single, “Good Things,” was fleshed out during a retreat helmed by Andrea Stolpe, an accomplished songwriter, author, and educator who teaches at Berklee College of Music. It was a weekend online seminar, and the goal was to collaborate and finish one songwriting idea. Jeremy was paired with Rachel Rubenstein in Vermont, Matt Shepard in New Zealand, and both felt his idea was the one the trio should dedicate their time to finishing. “It was a real treat to go on such an intimate creative journey with two strangers I just met who all live in different time zones thousands of miles apart,” Jeremy says.

Jeremy’s vision for the song was to create an undeniably upbeat tune with great melodic and chordal prosody with the lyrics. He modernized the track with a head-bob hip-hop beat, and kept the production clean and tidy with minimalist guitar parts that conjured the clipped groove of reggae and the sweet melodicism of country.

The song’s ear-worm melody is tastefully orchestrated throughout the track, often appearing as a balmy whistled passage. The tune bounces along with a snappy modern groove, and clean-toned chords that feature some tastefully sophisticated Beatles-esque changes. Throughout, Jeremy’s vocal has a smooth as molasses soulfulness with touches of grit to make key phrases pop and bring forth dynamics. The lean production is deceptively simple, but has impactful touches like harmony vocals and infectious melodic motifs that stave off any ear fatigue from an ultra-catchy pop song.

The lyrics here feature cleverly tweaked catchphrases, and they also masterfully employ simple uplifting aphorisms. One standout passage reads: When Life gives you a lemon But then smacks it out your hand/It seems so unforgiving/And hard to understand It’s a time of constant troubles Where you’re fighting to survive/But the fact that you’ve got problems Means you’re still alive. The chorus is almost a mantra of positivity, here Jeremy sings: Think about the good things/Think about the good things/When your life seems uncertain/Or you’re feeling down and hurt’n/You can choose/To think about the good things.

“The big theme here is that no matter what happens in your life, you have a choice of how you can deal with it,” Jeremy says. “You can’t change outside forces, but you can change the way you respond to them. I guess it’s the perspective of the optimist, and it touches on having gratitude for the people, places, and things that we are lucky to experience.”

Up next, Jeremy is working on a new album to be released in 2022, and “Good Things” will be the album’s first single. He’s also keeping busy with his monthly livestream series, “Live at the Chateau Motel,” and, once COVID restrictions are lifted, he plans to get back out on the road and tour.