The TSSP Interview

“Little Gems” feels like a beautifully curated mix of styles and stories. What was the inspiration

behind the album’s title, and how did you go about choosing which ‘gems’ made the final cut?

Nolen: I had a handful of songs that I had written during the recording sessions for ‘The

New Day at Dawn’ album that weren’t finished or didn’t fit on the album when it was

finished. At the time I was working on the metaphysical concept album ‘The Shining

Ones’ that was a completely different endeavor. So a year or so later I picked those

songs back up to work on and I told my wife Kathy that there were some little gems in

that pile of songs. She said, “that’s what you should name the album, so that is where

the name came from.

Your process often involves working with vocalists and producers from around the world. How do you maintain creative cohesion while collaborating remotely across different time zones and musical backgrounds?

Nolen: We are literally a music project. Collaboration is what we are about. It sounds

counterintuitive but it is the collaboration that adds to the creative cohesion. It is all

about what is best for the song. We aren’t a show band. We don’t do gimmicks. The

music stands on it’s own. I assign a producer to each song and the producer has the

final say. I trust the talent and decision making of all our artists. If I did everything my

way the Star Prairie Project would sound much differently and be an inferior product in

my opinion compared to how it sounds now.

The single “Down Boy” is playful and a bit cheeky. Was it a conscious decision to explore a

lighter, flirtatious side of storytelling, and how did Ivy Marie help bring that vision to life?

Nolen: Yes, ‘Down Boy’ was intended to be playful and cheeky from the start. It was the

last song recorded for the album and I knew when I was writing it that I wanted Ivy to

sing and produce it. I thought it would be fun to reverse the gender roles on this one and

have the younger man hit on the older gal. Ivy’s voice is just so perfect for this song.

Her coos and oohs add a subtle naughtiness to it that really hits the mark. When I first

heard her sing it I knew the song was going to be special.

Tracks like “When You See God In Everything” introduce more spiritual or philosophical themes. How do you strike a balance between introspective songwriting and broader musical

accessibility?

Nolen: That’s just it. The challenge for me is to strike a balance unless I’m doing a

concept album where I’m exploring a central point or paradigm. Sometimes a song just

comes to me out of the blue and I just go with the flow and see where it takes me

instead of trying to guide it. ‘When You See God in Everything’ is one such example. I

wrote the melody first and then that phrase popped into my head. I had heard that idea

before but this time I wanted to use it as the central theme of the song. There are a

couple of esoteric words and phrases in the song that some may discover that

paraphrase ‘The Gospel of Thomas’ a second century gnostic gospel for example.

Sometimes I like to throw a cryptic lyric in every now and then. If it stimulates thought

and introspective then the lyric did it’s job.

The Star Prairie Project continues to evolve with each album. How do you define success at this stage of your musical journey, and what do you hope listeners take away from Little Gems?

Nolen: I remember when I first started writing songs that I thought at some point I’d just

run out of things to write about or ways to create clever melodies. Well after more than

fifteen years writing songs that hasn’t happened yet. I think my songwriting is still

evolving and my material is better now than when I first began and I feel my best efforts

are yet to come. Every time, The Star Prairie Project releases a song or an album that’s

success. You’ve created something from nothing and you are sharing it with the world.

As far as I’m concerned if I’ve instilled joy, happiness or intrigue in one listener, then I’ve

been successful. I hope our music moves people and provides a pleasurable listening

experience. I know that’s what I yearn for from the music I listen to. Stay tuned there’s

more in the works. We are just finishing up, not one, but two new 12 song studio

albums. There’s more to come and I promise you it will be bigger and better than ever.