(2004) Rising Portland, Oregon singer-songwriter Lincoln Crockett stands on the shoulders of diverse musical giant influences and lights up this collection of recordings with powerful lyrics and a soothingly sensual sound. The eight home-grown tracks featured on 'Make Love Music' are a versatile run through this up-and-comer's range that leaves the listener with a clean, wide-open feeling: flowing landscapes and numerous points of interest all the way. This music encompasses the soul, lifts you to a yonder place and makes you feel alive with all the beautiful emotions that life has to offer. Cool enough to melt your heart. In addition to his budding solo career, Lincoln is garnering national attention with Portland-based progressive bluegrass band Cross-eyed Rosie. As CER's prolific songwriter, one-and-only mandolin player and male fashion consultant he adds high energy and a contemporary direction to the traditional roots of their sound. The cosmological and unbridled Lincoln Crockett was interviewed for the Cross-eyed Rosie's website in 2005: Q: Who are some of your musical influences? A: Victor Wooten, David Wilcox. I admire what John Mayer has done. It seems like when I am really at my best, I'm reaching into this boiling pot of sounds from my childhood, and the ones like The Police and James Taylor, King Crimson and Steve Reich and the Beatles that my dad would listen to around the house. Q: Where did you grow up? A: In theory, I grew up in Bethesda MD, inside the Beltway in DC, but in practice, and in my memories, I grew up in Colorado, New Mexico, and in deep eastern forests. So it's all how you spin it. Q: How did you come to play music? A: Well, I come from a musical family that loved to sing and my dad could always pick out what key and what chords we were listening to, even in jazz music. Q: Can you do that? A: Sometimes, when it's a 2-5-1 turn-around or something, I can do that. The first instrument I played was drum kit and I used to rock to Nirvana, Rush and The Police. But it was too big to fit into the house, so I switched to guitar in high school and that followed me around 'til a couple of years ago. At which point, I picked up a mandolin to play on a song I was recording with a friend. A year later, I was asked to join CER. Q: How did you feel about playing in a band on a relatively new instrument? A: I was comfortable being in that position because I had done that before playing mandolin with my cousin's Celtic rock band in live performances with no rehearsals. But it wasn't until we played the Wintergrass Festival in Washington [in 2004] that I really felt comfortable with the instrument in my hands. Trial by fire. Q: Do you think being in CER has improved your skills on the mando? A: Yeah, of course, that's the whole point. I have to keep up with some really hot players. Q: What was the first song you learned on the guitar? A: It was probably '2112' by Rush, because it was loud, strange and only had three chords. Q: List the 5 cds you have in your car? A: I actually don't have any cds in my car, but I do have an old mix tape with jazz and rock fusion and Bela Fleck's 'Tales from the Acoustic Planet'. I've mostly been listening to singles lately and the one that gets the most play is off Chris Thile's latest album called 'On Ice'. That one gets me going every time. No intimidation, all inspiration. Q: How do you feel like CER is contributing to your spiritual growth? A: wow... I've learned a lot about love and trust amongst friends. I've learned a lot about having faith in myself. Q: And you biggest challenge in CER? A: Knowing on the days that I'm not feeling like I'm personally anything special, that I can still believe that when I get together with CER and in front of people who want to hear that music that it just flows like a raging river. You can catch Lincoln performing songs from Make Love Music at Portland's best acoustic music venues. Watch for him to effortlessly transition between powerful new mandolin-based songs and beautiful, soothing, sensual and energizing guitar-based originals. This kind of combination just isn't happening in any other contemporary performer today. Still at the beginning of his career, he's one to keep your ears on. Cross-eyed Rosie can be found at www.crosseyedrosie.com and their CD 'Lookin' Up' can be found right here on CDBaby.