Shipwrecked... My Sentiments was inspired by the many events that took place in 2005. It was a particularly tough year for me, with my cousin Mitchell taking his life in February and my band, Lightly Toasted Touché, going on indefinite hiatus in May. I continued to play in a number of bands but none of them worked out. Many of my disappointments and personal troubles surfaced throughout the year, leaving my life in a tangled mess. I vented this energy into the music on Shipwrecked...

Here's a track by track analysis of the musical influences that helped shape this album:

Six Sides
Eric Clapton's bluesy guitar style had a significant impact on the direction of this song. I wanted to put my own spin on a typical E5-G5-A5 type chord progression, so I turned the chords into dominant 7ths. Technical jargon aside, this makes up for the jazzy/bluesy sound you hear on the song.

Not By a Long Shot
The Mourning Widows had a lot to do with how the chorus took shape, and Further Seems Forever inspired the backing vocals for the chorus. Some of the jazzier parts of the song were likely (but unknowingly) inspired by Remy Shand, Ivana Santilli, Eric Johnson, and Wes Montgomery.

Too Weak
This song came about when I slapped a capo on the 3rd fret of my guitar, and started playing around with some chords. It was one of those rare moments of inspiration that turned into a full-fledged song. To some extent, worship music inspired the direction of this song.

Clay to Mold
One of my favorite bands, Extreme, helped inspire the funk-rock groove on this song. It wasn't originally written the way you hear it on the album, but it's one of those songs that keeps changing and evolving, even now. The Mourning Widows inspired the backing vocals.

Afraid
Remy Shand and Further Seems Forever provided some lyrical inspiration for this song. It's the darkest song on the album, addressing some of the tougher issues I was dealing with.

Human
Extreme had a big influence on this song. I think The Police may have also had a part in this, but inspiration is a funny thing because it isn't always taken deliberately. It's a happy accident, because The Police is a wonderful band and I love their music.

Cartwheels of Life
Harem Scarem's acoustic ballads provided much inspiration for this song. During summer 2005, at camp, there was a particular Harem Scarem song running through my head the whole time. I wrote the song about the events that took place during the few days I was at camp.

Pin the Tail
In retrospect, I think Collective Soul had a lot to do with the direction of this song. It was also one of the first songs written for the album along with Six Sides. To some extent, worship music may have influenced this song.

Between the Lines
Extreme was a big influence on this song (particularly their III Sides to Every Story album). I felt that the chorus made an important personal statement.

Live for This Day
Extreme, Van Halen and Harem Scarem had a lot to do with the musical direction of this song. I think it's about the only song on the list that was suited for the end of the album.