This project built itself around acoustic guitar. I started playing guitar when I had just turned 18 in Kentucky. My friend John Cooke helped me pick out a Yamaha acoustic for $150 at Carl's Music Center. It's what I learned to play on and, after years of playing electric guitar in bands, I felt like it was time to do something a little quieter.

A number of people helped me make Marginal Street, including Paul "Mo" Moschella and Ray Herrmann, who played drums, Steven Ulrich, who did a very cool guitar part on So Gone, Bob Hoffnar, who played amazing pedal steel on several songs, Eszter Balint, who contributed a great violin part on Over Now, and Chris Condel, who stepped up and delivered a very nice percussion part to save the day on Save Me. Tom Borthwick and Wiggy at Sound Investments had a lot to do with the way the CD sounds.

About the name: I used to live by the East River in lower Manhattan (Map). There's a road that runs underneath the FDR Drive along the river. It's called Marginal Street, and you don't notice it's even named unless you happen to be looking - there's only one street sign that marks it. I saw it one morning and thought the name summed up pretty well my relationship with the music business. I also dropped my last name for this CD, something I had toyed with in the past. Being named Myles Davis has been something of an unwanted conversation piece over the years. Miles Davis has attained the kind of celebrity that lets people recognize his name but not necessarily what he did. I've gotten a lot of questions like, "Wasn't he a singer?". I always enjoy thinking what Miles himself would have said.

One person I credit in the liner notes is Caryl Johnson. She runs Johnson Hand Therapy Associates in New York. I've had a chronic problem with my left hand ever since I tore a bunch of ligaments trying to be a flaming jazz guitariste one summer at Berklee. After many years, and pretty much resigning myself to having a partially-functioning tool to play music, I was referred to Caryl, who works mostly with musicians. She prescribed exercises and hope and, while I'll never be Tal Farlow, I can now play almost like a normal guitarist.

I'm very happy with Marginal Street. I was forced to be patient with it, and patience is a good lesson to learn, over and over again…

Download some songs from Marginal Street and have a listen...