Remember how we were so incredible done with 2019 and couldn’t wait for 2020 to be our year?
Well, few people had bigger whiplash than Christopher Paul Stelling. Having prepped a worldwide tour to promote his incredible album Best of Luck — and getting ready to take it on completely sober — things changed rapidly for Stelling. During the downtime, he took time to reflect and to record his upcoming album, Forgiving It All, in his recently deceased grandmother’s house. With the release of the album’s second single “Cutting Loose,” Stelling tells Adobe & Teardrops about the new record and the ups and downs of touring.
It’s the second single that the acclaimed singer/songwriter and fingerpicking guitarist/force of nature Christopher Paul Stelling is releasing from his forthcoming album, Forgiving It All (out 9/25). The song is a song of personal liberation and renewal for whomever chooses to approach it. Christopher wanted it to stay light, buoyant, determined, and brief. Like most songs, its meaning continues to evolve beyond the place of its conception — which is also its meaning.
CPS has returned to his roots on the new album, which just might be the long-awaited gentle folk album that Stelling’s never made; it’s also the first album that the dexterous finger-picking guitarist has self-released since 2013’s False Cities, having released his third and final album for Anti- (at the worst possible time in modern history lol) in February 2020, the Ben Harper-produced Best of Luck.
Explain the title of your album.
Forgiving It All: I’ve had to give up nearly any and all expectations over the past year and change… if I didn’t I’d probably self destruct. The last record I made (Best Of Luck, 2020) took a couple years to put together, a lot of planning, and pain, and expense went into it and then it was gone. I mean the record exists, but I didn’t get to go out and tour it and that’s my primary source of “making a living”… so I’ve had to reconcile with my “career” and my life as an artist and how I can find a sense of peace in my creative life… there was a lot to let go of and a lot to forgive.
Does your album have an overarching theme?
It’s reflective, I dare say somewhat nostalgic. I return to many of the same themes I’ve tackled in the past, but as a new person. It’s a humble record in a lot of ways, at least I hope.
Do you have any songwriting tips you can share?
Be available to yourself. Be honest. Make time to do nothing. Be the villain and the hero.
Never be afraid to finish a bad song… just get it down and fix it later. Try to break your own rules on occasion. Ruts are just resets.
What have you missed about touring?
My friends, driving, having a little spending money, waking up with a destination.
What have you not missed about touring?
Waiting around, bars, drunk folks, worrying if anyone is gonna show up. Always being cold.
How do you kill the long hours in the van?
Podcasts, news, silence: all these things speed time up…. music slows time down for me, you can fit a whole world into a 35 minute album…
How do you manage having a good time at shows, but also trying to stay mentally and physically fit?
Well I used to drink a LOT. I quit drinking, I quit smoking…. I was having less fun before and after the shows, but I find I was having way more fun on stage… it took a little time… made me tougher… I play much better and I get better sleep.
Tell us about your favorite show you’ve ever played.
I got a legit standing ovation once opening for Ben Harper at the Ryman. It was the night Prince died. The entire tour I did with him in 2016 was probably the best time I’ve had on the road. The kind of venues a guy like me would be lucky to even play once in a lifetime.
What’s your biggest pet peeve about venues?
When they don’t have a little space for the performers, it doesn’t even have to be a green room per se, a broom closet would suffice… that’s about it though. Most venues are run with love and the performer in mind.
What’s the best way a fan can support you?
Pre-order a physical copy of Forgiving It All.
Christopher Paul Stelling — Official, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Bandcamp, Spotify