I once played this song at an open mic and someone approached me afterwards saying, “sounds a lot like Tom Petty.” While I wouldn’t officially refer to him as an influence, I took it as a compliment to be polite. To some extent I still find these comparisons annoying, but appreciate that it helps listeners connect with your sound. What I will never appreciate is being asked to make these comparisons myself. Yes there is almost always some influence that might answer the question, “what does your music sound like?” But this song, more than any song I’ve ever written, is simply me. Acoustic, melodic, introspective, ironic, transparent. Originally called “Day by Day’” when it was conceived almost twenty years ago, the story and title have been updated to reference an album I am indebted to, without fear of comparison. It’s a story I won’t (and cant) tell here, because it’s a story I never intended to tell.

Dizzy

I started playing guitar when grunge bands and boy bands were battling for top 40 spots, so you might say my sound is somewhere (awkwardly) in the middle. After being kicked out of several bands in high school and college, despite being a founding member, I was warmly accepted into the open mic community as another artist recovering from years of playing covers. Several  songwriters I admire have said that a song needs to sound good on an acoustic guitar before adding in the full band; I echo this by keeping my Taylor front and center. Streaming platforms might label this “singer/songwriter,” but I prefer “songwriter/singer” to reflect the priority I place on the creative process, rather than the performance.

Dizzy

Jeff Ossinger