This album almost didn’t happen. My basement studio space became overrun with toys, and it was clear that I had to surrender the space for the sake of my girls hoarding sensibilities. So, I packed it all up and moved to the garage. Yes, Deer is now officially a garage band. That’s where many great bands have started… it just took me 22 albums to get here. It’s not the most comfortable place to record. There’s no inside entrance either, so it’s by opening the garage door that all entry and exit occurs. The lighting kind of sucks… crickets hopping like crazy every time I first pull the door open… spider webs… and it’s not really climate controlled in any way, so I’m glad to have wrapped this one up before the snow starts falling. Most of my recording would take place on Wednesday nights, which were oddly almost routinely rainy nights. Erika would plan on that being her movie night… a night to catch a period piece or vampire or chick flick (or some combination), and I would grab my drink and a bowl of chips and head to the car-hole. Somehow, this seemingly dismal backdrop was the perfect breeding ground for creativity. But “The Wizard’s Worry” didn’t snap together in a flash like previous Deer entries. This was a much more laborious process. Not to mention, sometimes weeks would go by between studio visits… which at first was painful. Unfinished business (or pleasure for that matter) doesn’t sit well with me. But that periodic time away from the work-in-progress gave me a fresh perspective every time I got back in it… more apt to see/hear/envision things that I hadn’t before. With that I submit to you the 23rd installment in the Deer catalog The Wizard's Worry is somewhat, albeit unintentionally, autobiographical. I realize it now when I listen. When I'm writing, it's usually pretty much stream of consciousness. Right now I have a lot of beauty in my life. I also have fear and worry. The album has moods that really reflect that. A hopeful but reluctant optimism. Musically these songs have similar ups and downs. Songs often don't end in the same manner that they began. It's very layered sounding, both vocally and musically... with careful attention given to panning and placement. The songs were written and recorded in the order that they have been published... with only 1 exception. That's pretty typical for me. Special shout out to Olive on this one. She thinks her dad’s music is pretty sweet, and I’m pretty sweet on that. - Deer