Brian Straw is, if you will, relaunching his musical career with his belated solo debut ‘Baby Stars/Dead Languages’. In the early 2000s, Straw’s musical career was taking off with tours of the US and Europe. However, alcoholism soon stalled the momentum, resulting in a hiatus from his own musical output. While working towards recovery, he remained active in the local music community by operating his own recording studio and engineering live gigs. After having his last drink in 2017, Straw resumed performances and began to refine and record songs that he’d been working on for years, as well as ones that came out of his journey to sobriety.
Brian Straw said this about the song: “I wrote this song early on after I quit drinking when I was feeling lost. The range of emotions I was juggling at the time is on display – heartache and hope intertwine. Moving away from pain and learning to embrace the now is a theme, “At 42 I’m remembering what to do / gauge my worth to Earle’s Transcendental Blues” is a nod to Steve Earle and my goals as a songwriter. This is a song of transition and the journey to becoming who I am.”
