Highlighting our song "Margaret" today, which tells the story of a very cool and unflappable single mom-to-be who throws her own baby shower.

To explain my compositional process, I wanted my guitar and harpsichord parts to be reminiscent of the classical era. That is to say, I wanted elegant, graceful voice leading for this elegant, graceful Margaret character I stumbled on. The lines my bandmates added, which I love (some of my favorite playing by Will, Dan and Mike), reminded me of 50s ballads, and that, in turn, prompted me to write the antiphonal backing vocals that Ashley sings so well. (For you lovers of Greek lit, the backing vocals are supposed to act as the chorus) My bandmates' parts also prompted me to switch to electric guitar, which enabled me to dial in the early rock n' roll tremolo. Previously, I played this one on a cheap classical acoustic guitar.