The December Sessions is a product of many years of writing songs with friends & colleagues that (for whatever reason) didn’t ever get released. After spending a month recording these songs, I was reminded again why I liked each of them so much. Some of them were written with or for artists very different than my gender or the genre

that I lean to as an artist; so approaching these songs, while sometimes challenging, ended up being a very exciting & rewarding process. Tell Her Something was written years ago as a band was falling apart & a

relationship was unresolved; Little Juliet was written as I rocked my daughter to sleep; First Day of My Life was written in Destefano’s apartment on this ukelele he had just purchased; Never Thought to Look was

written about the Alchemist-like journey that we so often find ourselves on; A Song for Us was written completely barefoot with a new friend; Turn Off the Light was written with an empty well at the

end of a long day; Returning to Sand was written with an old friend about growing up;Reset was written as we were taking pictures for the album; Icarus was

written in the wake of the death of a dream. Every song isa story—these just happen to be stories

that mean a lot to me.

This album wouldn’t exist first & foremost without the amazing writers that I wrote these songs with & their generosity in letting me put this album out. I cannot thank you all enough. In the studio, Steve Miller put his magic on just about every piece of this project—whether it was playing or engineering or editing or mixing. Without him, this thing would never have gotten finished or would sound like crap. Seriously, Steve, it would. Joey, my fellow dreamer, continues to amaze me with how he can complete these projects with visuals that totally capture the heart of the music. I always love working with you; you know this. Tamar, thank you for lending your beautiful voice to this record—of all the songs we’ve written, it’s fitting that this is the first one released. Here’s to many more to come. And finally to my wife & kids—thank you for sharing me with this muse that always takes longer than expected & in the end demands more than promised. Your grace is life-giving & not taken for granted.

produced by David Hodges at Sleepwalker Studios (Studio City, CA)mixed & engineered by Steve Miller at Sleepwalker Studiosmastered by Dale Becker at Bernie Becker Mastering (Pasadena, CA)artwork by Joey Phelps • photography by Kate Hodges

David Hodges: vocals, piano, acoustic guitar, keys, percussionSteve Miller: bass, dobro, mandolin, banjoTamar Kaprelian: vocals on “Returning to Sand”Joey, Lauren, & Lexi Phelps: additional percussion

Reset(David Hodges)

Never Thought to Look( Jeremy Bose, Trent Dabbs, David Hodges)

open house was on a sundayit’s getting harder to pretendpeople pushing through the doorwearing clothes they can’t afford i always saidi’d never be like one of them

between the younger years of restlessand the settled here and nowall these questions that i asknow that i am looking back i see thatwhat i had was what i found

so why did i wish for a better lifeafter everything that i triedi couldn’t see itbut if i only understoodit’s the only placei never thought to look

somehow i never even noticedall the beauty in betweena simple word, a quiet housea kiss before we fall asleep here on the couchall i have is all i need

between the younger years of restlessand the settled here and nowwhy did i doubt

Icarus(David Hodges)

the scars of a dreamtake me back to where you leavewhere these waxen featherscan’t hold me togetherbut somehow you stay clean

if asked when we beganif i knew how the world would spini would never discoverwhat life would uncoveruntil the story’s end

so take your timetake your liesand hold them closelythe truth will findit’s way tonightthough you never would believe it

tear me away from everything we’ve donei guess that my wings have taken me too closeto your suntwist every word to make them what you needbut if you must walk alonedon’t come running back to me

a star burning brightand with the world i watched you shinetaking what was gatheredyou distorted and shatteredturning beauty into lies

some may saywhat’s gone todayreturns tomorrowbut i believethat we’ll never seeall that we were really made for

Returning to Sand(David Hodges, Tamar Kaprelian)

fate driven deep under the wavesan empire of goldreturning to sandfalling asleep to the rhythm of dayswatching the tidepull back again

i’m not afraid to falli’ve lived without wateri’ve walked through the fire before

i’m not afraid of changecause i’ve dined with kingsand i’ve watched it be taken away

leaving this town with wings and a prayerthese helpless streetsare too dead for dreaminga past made of thorns is a cross i must bearat the edge of defeatmiles from believing

and time will mend what we’ve broken

the light after the stormshows that hope was never gone

fate driven deep under the wavesan empire of goldreturning to sand

Turn Off the Light(Keefus Greene, David Ryan Harris, David Hodges, David Quiñones)

staring into spaceon the verge of tearsyou are on the other side of the room

we both feel out of placebut we’re gonna stay right herei wish we could rewindbut we can’t go back in time

i’m just too tired to fightcan we let this go tonightfor now let’s let our two wrongs be all rightand just turn off the light

it started out so smallbut somehow spun out of controlanother mystery of misunderstood

i know we are both at faultit doesn’t need to be retoldi wish we could erasewhat we never meant to say

First Day of My Life(Sofi Bonde, Chris Destefano, David Hodges)

i’m not gonna turn, run awaycause i did that yesterdayand i’m tired of wasting timetime is up, i always rushbut nothing happens right awaylike a fool i’m chasing my

my idea of perfectionbut i’ve lost my directionbut i’m not giving up

because today could change my lifemaybe right now could be the timei’m reaching out to grab the starsand make them minetoday could the first day of my life

from up here from above the world is roundand there’s nothing sticking outno nothing’s in the waybut still i fall, lose it allmy imaginary doubtalways make sure that i pay

for my old indecisionbut now i give myself permissionto let my heart sing out

i’m not gonna turn, run awaycause i did that yesterday

Tell Her Something(David Hodges)

tell her she is all that’s beautifultell her everything’s my faulttell her this is not what i had plannedbut tell her i am moving on

tell her love will come around someday

please tell her not to cryi never meant forlove to leave her cold tonightplease tell her that i triedto spare her all my liestell her something

tell her i am lost in miserytell her i have lost my mindtell her love is such a mysterytell her tunnels end in light

tell her love will come around someday

i cannot say all that my heart longs to tell herbut nothing can changethat all of these words are not enough

tell her she is all that’s beautifultell her everything’s my fault

A Song for Us(David Hodges, Jason Mraz)

brace yourselfa storm has just begunface the musicsee what you’re running from

you’re not alone in this lonely, lonely, lonely universeyour home sweet home is where your heartbeat can be heardand if you’re hurting don’t try to hide from me your welling eyes

cause only light can color the rainonly time can wash away the painno goodbye could ever tear this one into twoonly love can come between i and you

just like birdsuplifted by the windwith these wordswe breathe new life again

we’re both together in these unpredictable weather patternsit’s not forever so let go of stories that don’t matterand if you’re hurting don’t try to hide from me your welling eyes

i understand what silence doesit keeps a man from saying too muchi trust in something bigger than usand what i say is true becausethere’s only one way i see you

Little Juliet(David Hodges)

hold on, little Juliethold on, little Juliethold oni’ll come, little Julieti’ll come, little Juliethold on

i can’t imagine while you’re wakingfrom a dream, the darknessis making you so scaredhoney, i’ve been therebut i know it won’t be longso baby, hold on

one day, little Julietone day, little Julietyou’ll seeso be brave, little Julietjust wait, little Julietyou’ll see

i know you can’t understandi know it’s hard to trust these handswhen you’re so scaredhoney, i’ve been thereplease believe it won’t be longso baby, hold on

no i can hardly fathommy heart can not imagine

why you’d leave me here alonewithout reason, without hopebut you say it won’t be longyou say David hold on

hold on, little Juliethold on, little Juliethold oni’ll come, little Julieti’ll run, little Juliethold on

——————————————————

Reset — 12:06 Publishing (BMI), EMI Blackwood Music (BMI)

Never Thought to Look — Vandelay Publishing (ASCAP) / Ready Set Publishing (BMI) / 12:06 Publishing (BMI), EMI Blackwood Music (BMI)

Icarus — 12:06 Publishing (BMI), EMI Blackwood Music (BMI)

Returning to Sand — 12:06 Publishing (BMI), EMI Blackwood Music (BMI) / Tag Bear Music (BMI)

Turn Off the Light — Mister Green Music, EMI Blackwood Music (BMI) / Peace Pourage Music, EMI Blackwood Music (BMI) / 12:06 Publishing (BMI), EMI Blackwood Music (BMI) / So Good It’s Ridqulous Music, EMI Blackwood Music (BMI)

First Day of My Life — Sugar Glider Music Publishing (ASCAP), Atlantic Recording Corporation (NS) & Longstocking Music (NS) administered by W.B.M. Music Corp. / April Music (ASCAP), EMI Music Publishing (ASCAP) / 12:06 Publishing (BMI), EMI Blackwood Music (BMI)

Tell Her Something — 12:06 Publishing (BMI), EMI Blackwood Music (BMI)

A Song for Us — 12:06 Publishing (BMI), EMI Blackwood Music (BMI) / Goo Eyed Music (ASCAP)

Little Juliet — 12:06 Publishing (BMI), EMI Blackwood Music (BMI)

produced by david hodges • davidhodgesmusic.com© 2012 all rights reserved.

unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws.

managed by the collective, for contact: lucas keller: keller@thecollective-la.com323.370.1500