Simple acoustic picking accompanies ‘The Makings Of A Man,’ a contemplative piece that fits these winter days.
it’s sparse instrumentation, stark existential imagery and Gummersall’s phrasing, supported by Kate Willyard’s lovely background vocals, bears a strong resemblances to a contemporary Guy Clark.
Of the song and Gummersall says “Honestly, I wrote that song for myself more than anything. It was probably the most cathartic song I’ve ever worked on (laughs.) I wasn’t planning on doing much with it, but I played it for a small group of friends and they really loved it. Since then it’s become a staple at all my shows.””
“My dad is an abstract painter and he always says the viewer (or listener in my case) has the final creative addition, which is their unique viewpoint of the painting (or song). So, I like to leave a little bit of room for the listener.”
“That said, from MY viewpoint in writing the song it’s largely about how our experiences from the past, good or bad, shape how we act in the world. Or the deeds we did seemingly lifetimes ago catching up with us in some sort of Karmic way. But, at the very end of the day we are not the sum of what’s happened to us or what we’ve done, there is some sort of inherent selfness. Separating the baggage from who you really are is a challenge.”
Pick up The Makings Of A Man here.