I wrote “stay” walking around Manhattan, from the upper east to gramercy park to the les, singing out loud, ruminating on the girl I was seeing at the time and life at that moment. It was one of those early spring days that were standout gorgeous weather and everything just felt right. By the time I recorded the song in South Georgia that May with the windows wide open in my good friend and producer Dan Hartzog’s flat, dubbed “the Pharmacy” where we recorded most of Keep., the song has been ironed out, and even treated with a mini harmonica solo by me at the end. A few people and YouTube comments have told me that they can hear me smiling on this song, and I can’t help but remember this song with a smile. I think I smiled the entire time making it and any time I play it. Just caught a good snapshot of life with this one. Thanks for reading, listening, and enjoying. The cover art for this project is an actual painting by my mom Rima whose signature is visible in the corner. The project is all about the things you want to keep close, this felt summed by my moms piece and I was excited and honored when she told me I could use it as the art for the project.