Released June 24, 2017
This Sunrise Edition of For the Willow Wept… holds a deeply personal place in my heart. While the original version was released in 2012, the journey to its completion began four years earlier—and it was anything but easy.
During that time, I was navigating an emotional roller coaster. Sitting down to compose felt nearly impossible. When I could muster the energy, I’d play a few notes, scribble some ideas, maybe adjust a voice or two—and then walk away. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. The weight of everything I was going through made it hard to focus, and whenever I tried to return to the music, it often led me into a deeper depression.
Looking back, it’s no surprise that the album drifts between emotional highs and lows—it was a reflection of my life at the time.
In late 2011 and early 2012, I began to reclaim myself. I rediscovered my passion for music and found encouragement from those close to me. I took what I had—six tracks—and started shaping them into something cohesive. I didn’t want to release an EP, so I added a reprise of Sea Dragon to help complete the album, even though it was essentially the same track with a new intro and outro.
But then something changed. I rediscovered inspiration.
I had a track in progress that wasn’t quite coming together—until suddenly, it did. That song became For the Willow Weeps Underneath the Stormy Skies, and it resonated with me so deeply that I named the entire album around it. Through someone very close to my heart, I found the strength to finish what I’d started.
The original version of the album released in June 2012, but I always knew I’d return to it. With renewed clarity and growth as a composer, I revisited the project years later. I re-mastered the original tracks, removed the two original versions of Sea Dragon, and kept only the Reprise. I also wrote three new pieces to complete the album as a full-length experience—one that finally reflects the depth I originally envisioned.
For the Willow Wept… (Sunrise Edition) is a story of emotional resilience—of navigating through darkness and finding the strength to reach for the light. It’s about owning your story, embracing the pain, and realizing that only you can shape your future.
We all face moments of sorrow, but even the longest night gives way to dawn.
This edition is dedicated to Kayla, who showed me what true happiness is.
She is my sunrise.
She is my Willow.