ABOUT STEPHEN
As a kid growing up in West Virginia, Stephen spent hours in the basement of the family home, playing a cheap Del Ray guitar with the action so high that he could barely press down the strings to make them sound. He began to write songs in that place, trying to sound like records on the radio. They were songs of longing and unrequited love, the kind any 14 year old boy might write. And he imagined himself a pop star. In truth, he had no idea what he was doing. But it didn’t matter to him. He simply went forward and pretended that he was making a record.
A million years later, he finally completed one. Then two.
Okay, not a million years. But a lot of years later, more than he thought it would be. The guitars sounded better and were easier to play, and the lyrics were more than a little advanced from the desperate longings of a 14 year old boy. But the idea remained the same one he had at 14 – to go into a studio and record his songs.
The first album wass called Chasing Ghosts, because the record’s songs are full of ghosts, always lurking around from the past while they bump into the present. These are ghosts that cause passion, flames, and desire to break out and then hide. Ghosts that are banished only to return. Ghosts begging to be reckoned with. The kind of ghosts anybody has hanging around if they live long enough. The second was called Welcome To Here and Now. Lots of songs about trying to find home as one grows older. More songs, more dreams, more loss, and the occasional moment of finding something more.
Both records came out of Austin Texas, although Stephen resides in the Bay Area of Northern California. He ended up in Austin when he fell in love with Eliza Gilkyson’s record, Secularia, and wanted to work with the producer of that record, Cisco Ryder Gilliland. He also wanted the guitar player he once heard accompany her, Mike Hardwick. So in August of 2019, he gathered there with many of the same musicians from that record and a few others, and made record #1, and in the spring of 2022, they all made record #2…and counting?
He hopes you like them both.
News & Updates
The new album, Welcome To Here and Now, will be available on streaming platforms on October 28th. The album, featuring the musicians Mike Hardwick, Chris Maresh, Danny Levin, and Cisco Ryder Gilliland (also producer), and vocals by Jaimee Harris, Betty Soo and Elaine Lennon, was made in Austin TX. Singles will be coming shortly!
Appearances
Coming early in 2023 - Record Release, Lafayette Christian Church (Building behind church), 584 Glenside Dr., Lafayette CA
lyrics for Welcome To Here and Now
The Weight of the World (Hinerman)
Musicians:
Stephen Hinerman: Vocals; Guitars
Mike Hardwick: Lead Guitars
Chris Maresh: Bass
Cisco Ryder Gilliland: Drums
Betty Soo: Background vocals
You say you want someone uncomplicated
Someone to give you that special spark
I tried to be that man
But I missed the mark
And I took on
The weight of the world
I twisted myself into a puzzle
I tied myself into knots
Soon I lost my way
The man that time forgot
And I crumbled under
The weight of the world
All I want is a new way of talkin’
A new way of walkin’ – out of this quicksand
To roar with the confidence of thunder
And a sense of wonder
About this promised land
So watch me as I set out
Dancing to the rhythm of my own heartbeat
As I sing a line or two
And I move my feet
As I begin to lose - the weight of the world
Did You Feel the Same as Me (Hinerman)
Musicians:
SH: vocals, guitars
MH: guitars
CM: bass
CRG: drums
Danny Levin: piano
Jaimee Harris: vocals
When I saw your face
It was an answered prayer
The distance between us
Lighter than air
I felt our future
Was good as guaranteed
Still I wondered
Did you feel the same as me?
The way you looked at me
I had to say “yes”
But my heart held secrets
Too raw to confess
Even though I loved you
There were scars you’d never see
And I worried
Did you feel the same as me?
Now that fire is out
And the embers are dying
That night I said “I love you”
Was I just lying?
Now we pass by on the street
So casual
Acting like strangers
Who never loved at all
And the truth
Lives only in memories
While I still wonder
Did you feel the same as me?
I’ll always wonder
Do you feel the same as me?
The Night Hank Williams Lost His Heart (I Truly Saw The Light) – (Hinerman)
Musicians:
SH: vocal, guitar
MH: lead and steel guitar
CM: bass
CRG: drums
Jaimee Harris: background vocals
It may have been the codeine
It may have been the beer
It may have been the sickness
That rises from my fear
But when I saw your ruby lips
Nothin’ else mattered to me
I was used to starin’ down the endless night
But now I could lift my head and see
The light - I truly saw the light
Your red hair like a fire
We burned the whole town down
The two of us left standin’
Not another soul around
People tried to warn me
‘you know how this always ends’
But by now I was starin’ right up
For once I was all in
To the light – I truly saw the light
The night I found my heart
Was the night I lost it too
How come when the party’s over
Somebody has to lose
Goddamn the lonesome whippoorwill
Goddamn the lovesick blues
And goddamn the love she brought
That tore me right in two
Some people say I’m touched
By the cool hand of grace
Some people say I’m haunted
And you can see it in my face
But I’ve learned the thing you love too much
Will bring on the thing you hate
And sometimes the light just blinds you
And darkness is your fate
You were once my light… with you I truly saw the light
I saw the light
Whatever I Am Looking For (Hinerman)
Musicians:
SH: guitar; keyboards
MH: guitar
CM: bass
CRG: drums
DL: piano
I scraped away at the ground / As if I were digging up a grave
Looking for a clue/ Looking for a sign
Of what I didn’t know / Maybe that I’d once been saved
By your look / By your smile
Whatever I was looking for / I didn’t find a thing
No strings attached / No diamond ring
It was all gone / couldn’t be restored
Whatever I was looking for
I still don’t know / If it was a suicide
Or just a shot / in the dark
If it was really love / Or you couldn’t ever decide
Between affection / And a lark
Whatever you were looking for / you never found out
The answer lay between/ certainty and doubt
And you went ahead / and settled the score
Of whatever you were looking for
You pointed the gun / Your aim was true
I’m still awake / the whole night through
Examining my dreams / looking through the clues
To find some truth
I won’t rest till it’s done / And I find the sad remains
Of everything that’s left / from all this pain
It’s got to be here / In this vast killing ground
If I can fit together/ all the pieces I’ve found
Whatever I am looking for / A glance here or there
A misspoken word / A missed sign of care
It can’t be all gone / Nothing can be ignored
Whatever I am looking for
The One I Used To Love (Hinerman)
Musicians:
SH: voice; guitars
MH: guitar; steel guitar
CM: bass
DL: cello
The one I used to love
Her voice still sounds within me
It haunts me like a restless ghost
That I cannot be rid of
When I fall in love again
The voice says this one won’t love you
They’ll look inside and in time they’ll see
The true limits of your love
I need to be free
From this voice haunting me
The one I used to love
Her time is finally over
Let her be banished from my heart
And her voice be still
So dissolve now restless ghost
Release me to go on my way
Time (Hinerman)
Musicians:
SH: voice; guitars
MH: lead guitars
CM: bass
CRG: drums
Betty Soo; bv
Why can’t I say the words that matter / And instead I just go mute
Can’t you hear my heart beat faster / When I’m standing in front of you
Time – is running short
Time – is winding down
Time – just disappears
Until it can’t be found
How I wish that I could kiss you / When I look into your eyes
But my lips won’t move an inch / And my throat just goes dry
Time – moves so fast
Time – will have its say
Time – won’t stop and capture you
Or keep you from floating away
Time is moving on
Time is running out
Time is all we have right now
So I can’t let you get away this time / When time is all we’ve got
If my heart has me tied up now / It’s time to undo the knot
Time – is all that’s left
Time – is winding down
Time – time is our last chance
Until we’re not around
Time is moving on
Time is running out
Time is all we have
The Imperfect Place (Hinerman)
Musicians:
SH: voice; guitar
MH: guitar
CM: bass
CRG: drums
DL: organ
Betty Soo: bv
It’s easy to get lost / In a world that’s lost its way
So easy to give up / On any given day
I’d hope the road ahead / would hold some happiness
But I’d end up settlin’ / for something far less
Still I’d go … on ahead … take the curve….around the bend
Don’t slow down / Pick up the pace
As I look for / The imperfect place
I’ve lived all over / this godforsaken land
From the hills of West Virginia / To the California sands
For all the good it did me / I left them all behind
Until you came along/ and unsettled my mind
So one foot … in front of the last … I keep moving … away from my past
Don’t slow down / Pick up the pace
As I look for / The imperfect place
So how can I believe
In this perfect me and you
It makes no sense
But I do…..
Oh God….won’t you please … bring her here … next to me
All I want is to see her face
Even in … this imperfect place
I’ll Call It Mine (Hinerman)
Musicians:
SH: vocal; guitar
MH: guitars, steel guitar
CM: bass
CRG: drums
I spent so long / Running for the higher ground
Till I was standing alone / Looking around
I wanted to simply be
King of all I surveyed
Instead I felt it all / slipping away
The fallbacks failed / I was all hopelessness
Every answer I came up with / Just led to more sadness
I’d given up on others
Lost all faith in what I’d seen
Running from love / Running from me
But now I finally realize
This thing I never knew
Call it spirit Call it God
Or call it simply truth
Call it a fact of life
Or call it divine
I’ll just call it mine
I’m finally coming down / Letting go these constant blues
Embracing the unknown / That comes in loving you
We’ll dive into the mystery
Without a certain end
But we’ll be together / My everlasting friend
Because now I finally realize
The thing I never knew
Call it spirit Call it God
Or call it simply truth
Call it a fact of life
Or call it divine
For now I’ll call it love
For now I’ll call it mine
The Compass (Hinerman)
Musicians:
SH: vocals; guitars
MH: guitars
CM: bass
CRG: drums
DL: strings; Roland Synth
I took it from your hand / On your dying day
I watched the needle spin / As you faded away
All the things you said / About finding one’s own way
I quickly forgot / And the price I paid
I got lost / Looking for home
No direction / All alone
I lost the compass
You told me to give my heart / Instead I kept it close
You said look for mystery / But I simply froze
All you told me to do / I did in reverse
Every time the heavens smiled / I took it for a curse
I went through / All the wrong doors
Until I had little / To live for
Without the compass
Inside each laugh is pain
Inside each sun some rain
Inside each smile a tear
Inside each boast some fear
Inside each kiss a sigh
Inside hello, goodbye
In everything I do
Inside me, there is still you
So I get down on my knees / Pray upon that floor
Say I am helpless here / I’m so tired of the wars
I don’t even know / which way is east or west
Just show me what I need / to try to be my best
And suddenly / I disappear
And in that moment / I lose my fear
I found the compass
Inside each fire is ice
Inside hell, paradise
Inside each no a yes
Inside each curse we’re blessed
Inside each flood some ground
Inside each loss something found
Inside each lock, a key
Inside you, there is me
I Am the Prodigal Son (Hinerman)
Musicians:
SH: vocals; guitar
MH: guitar
CM: bass
CRG: drums
Betty Soo: bv
I am the prodigal son / And I’ve lived my life in chains
Once or twice in ecstasy / But mostly trapped in pain
Every other thought was “me” / Every other word was “I”
Every gift I gave I took back / Every love just one more goodbye
I can’t find / I can’t find / I can’t find my way home
I can’t find / I can’t find / I can’t find my way home
I am the prodigal son / I once thought I had it made
That I could handle anything / That I never felt afraid
But then I fell for you / Then I lost my heart
Then you left / And then I fell apart
I can’t find/I can’t find/I can’t find……my way home…..
I can’t find/I can’t find./I can’t find….my way home…..
There’s nothing left / I’m sorry / I just want to come home
Will you take me back / I’m so sorry/ Just let me come home
I want to come back
I want to come back
I want to come back….home
Let me come back
Let me come back
Let me come back….home
I am the prodigal son / And my time is running out
My pockets they are empty / My heart is filled with doubt
Every excuse is used up / Every emotion is shame
Everyone has left now / And there’s only myself to blame
Because of Toledo (Paul Buchanan)
Musicians:
SH: vocal
DL: piano
CM: bass
Elaine Lennon: vocal
One More Silent Night (Hinerman)
Musicians:
SH: vocals; guitar
CM: bass
DL: piano
One more silent night
One more Christmas time
One more holy moment
Without you by my side
One more season of waiting
For the darkness to end
For you to come home
And be with me again
I’m makin’ a wish, makin’ it twice
Prayin’ on this silent night
If there were angels around
They surely wouldn’t sing
A song of love
for some far distant king
No, I’d shout a request
For a quick round of blues
Or a song of adoration
All just for you
I can’t decide if it’s naughty or nice
To be dreaming on this silent night
Let’s have a round for the broken hearted
For all of those who still weep
Another round for their hopes and their dreams
And the promises still to keep
Bring a round for the wise ones
Who followed the star till its end
And one last round for the one I love
Until I see her again
So I’m makin’ a wish
That next year we’ll see
The lights of Christmas
Shine on you and me
And under our tree
They’ll be a present for you
I’ll wrap it in red
And toss out all the blue
But till then you’ll be out of sight
For one more silent night
Home Away From Home (Hinerman)
Musicians
SH: guitar; vocals
MH: guitar
CM: bass
DL: fiddle
Randy Franklin: mandolin
Betty Soo: bv
I was on the banks of the dirty Ohio
Watchin’ the men who’d lost all hope
Sitting outside the floodwall
Sharing a little of our dope
We were two kids from college
We watched the sun go down
Sharin’ those smokes with a guy who said
“I’m just passin through your town
But let me tell you somethin’
All you need to carry in this life is a knife and a comb
And remember wherever you stay tonight
It’s your home away from home.”
My Great Grandpa was an engineer
He drove the C&O all night long
And every single time he went by his house
He blew that whistle strong
Now my great Grandma like to kill him
She said “How am I supposed to get a good night’s sleep?”
He said “I’m tryin’ to wake this town up
Folks here are just a bunch of sheep.
You just be glad I don’t keep goin’
End up somewhere the wind just blow
And never come back here no more
Just stay in my home away from home”
When I am ever gonna find my way home
When I am ever gonna find my way home
I moved west to Colorado
With a girl who looked like Emmylou
She got pregnant by some guy
Just because his eyes were blue
Then I moved out to California
Where I couldn’t settle down
I fell in love In Austin
Or else I just fell in love with the sound
Where I live now it’s way too hot
And there’s way too much stuff I own
It may be a place to live
But it’s not a home away from home
When am I ever gonna find my way home
When am I ever gonna find my way home
That girl I shared a smoke with
On the banks of the dirty Ohio
I hope she found some peace and quiet
Where everything’s just so
That guy who was passing through
I’m sure he’s long since gone
As is my Great Grandpa
But in me, his spirit lives on
And right now I don’t know where I am
Except that I’m alone
Maybe I just need to get me a knife and a comb
And go search for my home away from home
It’s all I’m really lookin’ for
My home away from home
Welcome to Here and Now (Hinerman)
Musicians:
SH: vocals; guitars
MH: guitars
CM: bass
CRG: drums
Welcome To here and now
Here Being here
Right now Here and now
And breathe Breathe
Welcome To hope today
Hope Being hope
Today Here today
And breathe
We have a choice
To contemplate
It’s up to us
Can’t hesitate
Welcome To change right now
Change Being change
Right now Here now
And breathe