I have some incredible news to share. Can hardly believe it myself.

Out of a few hundred applicants, I am one of 15 people invited to join a songwriting retreat in the hills of Los Angeles in June, taught by Ben Folds.

Y'know. The Brick guy.

If you know anything about my music, you know this is an impossibly gigantic deal for me. Hearing Ben Folds Five blaring off a burnt CD of Triple J's Hottest 100 when I was a teenager made me want to pursue this music thing in the first place. I'd never heard a piano played like that and I've been trying to figure it out ever since.

The retreat takes place over four days at a beautiful property in Topenga Valley. My fellow songwriters and I will get writing assignments from Ben every morning and afternoon and just generally jam and hang for a few days and it's all pretty bewildering to me this is really happening. Submitting to attend was a moonshot I wasn't expecting to land.

It feels like an opportunity I can't pass up but taking this trip will be pretty expensive for me. Life's getting more expensive all around but if you are in a position to chip in a few dollars to make attending a little easier for me, you can support me directly on my website, buy me a coffee on Ko-fi, or become a Patreon supporter for $2 or more per month. A remarkable sentence full of real words in 2026.

Supporting me financially for any amount will grant you access to all the music I have available on BandCamp, the complete archive of podcasts I have been involved in, and a small pool of exclusive content I will endeavor to grow as it's the only bait I've got.

I've been writing and performing songs for a long time, but there's only a handful of recordings of my own songs out there. I'm hoping this retreat gives me the boost I need to bring a proper album of my music to the world. Whatever happens I know it will be a unique and memorable experience. I'll aim to write some sort of blog post about it so encourage anyone who might be interested to subscribe to this mailing list!

Lastly, I'll be in LA from June 20 to 26 so if you know someone or are someone I should try to meet while I'm in town please reach out!

Thanks for reading. Alright here we go!

Bryce