Story Behind The Song

Our home in Northwestern Lower Michigan is surrounded by trees: Pines, maples, birch, oaks, beech, cherry trees, and poplars among others.  Some people refer to poplars as aspen. Apparently, this can be a contentious point. For me, there is no contention, it's all about the sound and motion of leaves of the poplars as the wind and breezes spin them about in the summer and fall. This collaboration of wind and leaf is a pure symphony of peace and tranquility. It is difficult to describe, but the sound is not unlike running water in a very fast flowing stream or the sound carbonated liquid makes. Poplars ares also among the most flexible trees, with the ability to sway prodigiously in strong winds. I am fortunate enough to be able stretch out on a very comfortable couch on my screened-in porch and gaze up into a very tall grove of poplars as they bend and sway, lulled to daydreams by the enchanting "sluuuush" of those twirling, shimmering leaves. One afternoon whilst noodling on my custom multi-scale baritone guitar, built by luthier and artist Russell Crosby of Nova Scotia, I tried to come up with accompaniment for this auditory and visual symphony of nature. This tune is the result.