I seem to be on an "every two years" plan with my CDs. I wasn't sure I could keep that up. I was thinking about it in May of 2006. I hadn't written too many new songs and I felt pretty far from being ready to put out a new CD. Add to that the fact that I was moving 950 miles from Eau Claire, WI, the studio and the musicians I had worked with in the past and the prospect of a new CD in 2007 seemed a bit bleak. But things started to come together and songs started flowing.

On The Fun Side Of Life, I recorded two of the songs on my own. It was a lot of work but I really enjoyed the process. I dediced to go for it! Sunshine State of Mind is the result. It is my 5th CD and I think my best work to date. I am especially proud of this recording because I am personally responsible for every mistake on the record! :-) Not only did I engineer and produce the CD, I played everying: guitars, vocals, harmonica, bass and piano. It took a long time and I'll bet I played some of the bass and piano parts 50 times or more to get them right but I'm thrilled to have it done and I can't wait for people to hear it.

Sunshine State Of Mind features 11 original songs and one of my favorite covers, Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think.) Hope you like it! And for all my fellow music/computer/tech geeks, I've put some recording and studio notes here: Studio Log.

I wrote this song in beautiful Phoenix Park in Downtown Eau Claire, WI. We sold our Wisconsin home in May and I wasn't scheduled to move to Tennessee until mid-October. Selling the house so early left me with a summer of freedom. Cynthia, my wife, asked me what I was going to do with all my time. I told her I was going to “Find My Smile.” The song is about taking a bit of time to do whatever brings a smile to your face.

This song was inspired by an email I got from my friend Billy Peoples after we met in Key West. He said he would like to see me write more about the beach. Then he said, “Just write about what you know.” Being from Wisconsin, I may not know too much about the actual beach, but I think I know about the attitude of the beach. That's what this song is about, the attitude and the ability to keep that attitude with you no matter where you are. Thanks Billy!

One of the most powerful things I have ever learned is that I get to choose my thoughts, my feelings and my actions. No person or situation can make me think, feel or do anything. It is all up to me. This can be tough to remember in trying times. I can often fall into the habit of reacting, but it's always so empowering to remember, “I Get To Choose.”

Co-written with Jason Phillips. I was scheduled to play a party for Jason and his then fiancé, now wife Jeana on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin. Jason sent me some of his lyrics to see if I could put them into a song in time for the party. This song is the result of our collaboration. It's about heading for a tropical paradise, leaving behind everything that doesn't feel authentic, sitting hand in hand on the beach under a palm tree, and watching the sunset with someone you love. Thanks Jason!

I got stuck in traffic on the Florida Turnpike on my way to North Palm Beach, FL. That's when this song started to take shape. I love parties and adventure and cramming as much as I can into every moment of life, but sometimes it feels good to simplify things a little bit.

This song is about a guy who doesn't have much “real world” experience. He's never gone out and had too many beers before and he's never tried to pick up any ladies. But he has watched a lot of beer commercials on the television and he thinks he has things figured out by what he's seen on TV. This is about his day at the beach trying to “Live Like A Beer Commercial.”

I saw that exact line on a bumper sticker on the back of an old pick-up truck the day after seeing Jimmy Buffett in Tinley Park, IL in August, 2003. We abided by that rule the day of the Buffett show! I was thinking about how much fun we had when that truck passed me and I instantly started writing this song.

I had a great time recording the introduction to this song. I purposely left the intro off the sample. You'll have to get the CD to hear it! :-)

This is about ditching all responsibility, hitting the open road and taking comfort in the thought that there's Nothing We Have To Do!

The morning after our wedding, Cynthia and I sat in two Adirondack chairs for a few hours, drinking coffee and just enjoying the day. Ever since then, we've had a thing for Adirondack chairs. A few years later, I got out of my car at the Lutsen Resort on Lake Superior and there were two Adirondack chairs looking out at the lake. I sat in one and wrote this about the empty chair next to me.

I put this on the CD just because! It's about my love of adventure and about my hopes to keep exploring for years to come.

This song started in Naples, FL. It was a beautiful day and I had just traveled to sunny Florida from the frozen north. It felt so good to roll down all my windows and drive down the road with the wind whipping around. I had a baseball cap on and nothing to do all day! It's about leaving behind some of the thoughts and actions that don't make me happy and about feeling good for absolutely no reason other than being alive!

By Herb Magidson & Carl Sigman
Copyright © 1948 (Renewed) Music Sales Corp. (ASCAP) / Edwin H. Morris & Company,
A Division Of MPL Music Publishing Inc.
Used with Permission.

Special Thanks to the Enjoy Yourself Chorus featuring my lovely wife Cynthia and our friends Sherry and Rick Perkins and Harmony and Kevin Thomas.