Release of drumfish “Memoirs”

In addition to my work in mathematics and physics, music has always been a major part of my life.

I am very happy to announce that tonight my band drumfish will be releasing our latest album, Memoirs, at a live performance in Vienna, Virginia.

drumfish has been writing and performing together for many years, and this record represents a particularly meaningful chapter for us. The songs on Memoirs form a kind of narrative arc — a journey through struggle, reflection, transformation, and ultimately a return to clarity.

You can listen to the album here:

For those interested, I’d like to walk through the album track by track and share some of the ideas behind the songs.

Album Cover

memoirs

Track 1 :: Motion :: 04:07

About “Motion”

“Motion” opens the record and sets the stage for the story that follows.

The song introduces a protagonist who begins to sense that something in the world — and within himself — is not quite right. He feels a tension between the life he is living and the life he believes he should be living.

Lines like “Where is the humanity in the streets?” and “Brothers just don’t love their brothers no more” reflect this awakening.

By the third verse another voice emerges — a quieter, inner voice offering guidance:

“Let your life arise by letting be what is.”

That moment of realization launches the journey that unfolds throughout the rest of the album.

Track 2 :: Without My Light :: 04:31

About “Without My Light”

In the narrative arc of the album, this is where the protagonist begins to act.

He senses that change is necessary and moves toward it despite uncertainty and resistance. The path forward is not clear, but something within him insists that he continue.

The “light” in the song represents an inner compass — the intuitive force that keeps a person moving even when the outcome is unknown.

“I will not run without my light.”

Track 3 :: Poetry in Motion :: 2:47

About “Poetry in Motion”

Each song on Memoirs represents a milestone in the protagonist’s journey.

Songwriters often think of songs this way — as markers in time that capture a feeling, an experience, or a turning point.

“Poetry in Motion” reflects a moment of reflection. The protagonist pauses and looks back over his life — past, present, and imagined future — as if collecting himself before continuing forward.

Life begins to appear as a sequence of moments, each one shaping the path ahead.

Track 4 :: It Just Don’t Matter :: 03:30

About “It Just Don’t Matter”

This is one of the darker moments in the album.

The protagonist faces overwhelming forces in the world around him — destruction, indifference, and the sense that humanity may be heading toward self-destruction.

Throughout the song a chorus repeats:

“It just don’t matter to me.”

At first this line feels cynical, almost nihilistic.

But in the final verse it takes on a different meaning. The protagonist realizes that letting go of certain attachments — fears, expectations, ego — creates space for something deeper to emerge.

In that moment the journey shifts from external struggle to internal transformation.

Track 5 :: Flood :: 03:56

About “Flood”

This song revolves around the image of water — not as destruction, but as awakening.

The idea is that within each person there exists a deep internal reservoir of intuition or instinct. When the time is right, something stirs that reservoir and calls us toward a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world.

The repeated line

“The rest is up to me”

captures the moment when the protagonist accepts responsibility for his own path.

There’s also a small reference to Nikola Tesla in the line:

“On the rocks with Tesla’s boxes.”

That line is a playful nod to my interest in energy physics and Tesla’s work.

Track 6 :: Earthworms :: 04:48

About “Earthworms”

By this point the protagonist has committed to the journey, but the scale of the challenge becomes overwhelming.

Images like:

• “Hell fire in the mother’s breast”
• “Lightning in the distance”
• “Thunder in the middle sky”

reflect a world that feels unstable and chaotic.

He compares himself to

“An earthworm in the eagle’s nest”

— small, exposed, and seemingly outmatched.

Yet he continues forward, reminding himself simply to

“Put one foot in front of the other.”

Sometimes that is all courage requires.

Track 7 :: No Hesitation :: 04:35

About “No Hesitation”

By this point in the story, the protagonist has crossed an important threshold.

The line in the first verse,

“I am what I am, zero to nine,”

refers to an idea that has influenced a lot of my thinking — that numbers, particularly the digits zero through nine, represent a complete symbolic cycle. In this sense, “zero to nine” represents the entirety of one's being: beginning to end, the full range of human experience.

In the song, the protagonist is beginning to accept himself fully. He recognizes the need for change and commits to it without hesitation.

Yet the journey is still unfolding. Immediately after declaring

“I have already gone, no hesitation,”

he follows it with

“I have a long way to run, have some patience.”

It reflects a tension that many people feel during personal transformation: the certainty that change has begun, coupled with the understanding that the work is far from finished.

Track 8 :: All For You :: 06:03

About “All For You”

This track represents the emotional breaking point of the journey.

Transformation is rarely smooth. When a person begins questioning old assumptions and identities, the process can become psychologically intense.

Throughout this song the protagonist passes through several emotional states:

• uncertainty
• anger
• confusion
• despair

By the final section of the song he is confronting the darkest possible outcome — the loss of hope entirely.

This moment is critical in the narrative because it creates the conditions for the realization that comes in the next song.

Track 9 :: Already Home :: 03:20

About “Already Home”

“Already Home” represents the turning point.

After the turmoil of All For You, the protagonist suddenly realizes something simple yet profound: the thing he has been searching for throughout the journey was never somewhere else.

It was within him the entire time.

In this way the journey comes full circle.

Interestingly, the number nine plays a symbolic role here. In the numerical cycle used in some of my mathematical explorations, nine sits immediately beside zero — the point where a cycle completes and begins again.

For that reason this song became track nine on the album.

The title reflects the realization that the destination of the journey was always present.

Track 10 :: Remember :: 04:18

About “Remember”

The final song serves as a reflection on the entire journey.

Musically, this track explores the tension between major and minor tonalities. The song begins clearly in D minor, but gradually elements of D major are introduced.

By the time the chorus arrives the harmony has shifted fully into the major key.

Near the end of the song the music briefly contains both tonalities at once. The vocals continue in D major while the guitar returns to D minor, producing a subtle but deliberate tension between the two.

There is also a rhythmic experiment in the section following the chorus. Aaron continues playing in 4/4 time while the rest of the band moves into 5/4, creating a layered rhythmic texture.

In the story arc, “Remember” reflects the protagonist looking back on his journey and recognizing what it meant.

The final lyric captures that realization:

“Life is but a dream.”

The idea is not that life is meaningless, but that what we experience as reality may be only one layer of a much larger experience.

The protagonist has passed through his journey and emerged with a sense of peace and clarity.

At the very end of the record there is a short tag section.

If you let the track continue for about ten seconds after the music fades, you will hear Alex playing an acoustic guitar line recorded spontaneously during the Earthworms session. Our producer Kevin “131” Gutierrez captured it and we decided to keep it.

The line Alex sings is simple:

“I am trying to make a difference with everything I do and say.”

We felt that it perfectly summarized the message of the entire album.

The Band

Here are a few photos of the band.

Alex

Larry

Aaron

About the Band

drumfish was formed in 1992 by Alex Petty, Larry France, Neil Richardson, and Aaron Bertoglio. From the beginning the band blended a wide range of musical influences, combining elements of acoustic rock, world music, and experimental songwriting into a distinctive sound that has always resisted easy categorization.

Rather than focusing on genre conventions, drumfish has consistently emphasized original songwriting and musical exploration. Over the years the group developed a reputation for music that balances introspective lyrics with layered acoustic and electric textures.

The band released its self-titled debut album in 1997, followed by Ra’s Zoo in 1998. Both recordings helped establish drumfish as a group willing to explore unusual musical structures and themes.

Shortly afterward the band disbanded temporarily because of circumstances outside its control. However the creative momentum never disappeared. In 2000 the members reunited briefly to record their third album, Under Under Hill. The record later won a national songwriting competition and received strong praise from critics, although it remained largely unreleased for several years.

Nearly a decade later the band returned again with renewed energy and new material. During this period drumfish began writing songs that explored deeper themes of personal transformation, social awareness, and spiritual reflection.

Those songs eventually became Memoirs.

The album was recorded in early 2010 at Assembly Line Studios near Washington, DC, with double-platinum producer Kevin “131” Gutierrez. Around this time bassist James Hansford joined the group, filling the role previously held by founding member Neil Richardson.

With the completion of Memoirs, drumfish entered a new chapter. The band combines the musical chemistry that defined its early years with a renewed sense of purpose and creative direction.

The group is now preparing to bring the music of Memoirs to audiences through live performances and continued collaboration.

.:.