Change can be really hard! It can be disruptive, and at times it may feel like it is the only constant. But it is often the best way to grow.
There are those moments when you look at the decisions you have made, and those that people around you have made, and you feel that you’re at a crossroads – that things aren’t looking great at this moment, but have potential to get better, even if the path to that more stable place isn’t clear.
This is the emotional territory that the single “Where Are You Now?” by Kitchener-Waterloo, ON-based singer songwriter Matthew Ryan Jacobs lives in. Musically, “Where Are You Now?” proceeds along at an even rate with strummed acoustic guitar over open sweeps of electric guitar and resonating bass – a fitting canvas over which Jacobs can paint a picture with lyrics.
And those lyrics are brushstroke reflections about dealing with yet another “change of pace,” trying to recognize oneself while feeling unmoored in transition, and the singer needing “a little prayer” and feeling like he very much needs it, because he needs “a steady hand.” He expands on this by wondering about the situation, “in the end, did I get it all wrong?”
“Where Are You Now?” documents those liminal, bittersweet moments where life as it has been known is changing. The protagonist is not coming from a settled place, but it chronicles an honest longing for a firm foundation.
In this song, Jacobs has named a difficult mixed bag of emotions, and rather than running from it, he approaches it directly, knowing that the only way out of it is through it, and the tone of the song suggests that is possible.
Matt Wheeler is a Lancaster County, PA-based singer, songsmith, stage-banter conversationalist, husband, & special-needs father. And an avid vinyl record collector, a purveyor of random facts, & tour-er of Canada (southern Ontario is a favorite destination). Ever since being introduced to Great Lake Swimmers' music through Pandora in about 2009, he has had an appreciation for Canadian music.
Matt's songs & stories, including his classic literature-based project "Wonder of It All," can be found at www.mattwheeleronline.com.
