About This:
The making of this album started almost 50 years ago when I first picked up a guitar and learned to play a song. My musical roots sprouted in the coffee houses of Boston in the late 1950s and took hold with the Beatles-bands in the 1960s. Music was the focal point of my life through high school and into college, but a sense of practicality and an interest in science led me to medicine, and I gave up music for most of medical school, surgical training, and my early career in academic surgery. I sometimes regret not starting to write songs seriously earlier in life, but the truth is I could not have written and sung these songs as a young man. These 7 original and 3 cover songs reflect the imperfections, uncertainties and rewards of living, as shaped by my experiences in medicine and as a husband, parent, step-parent (and ex-husband). Developing a true voice took time. The title song One Good Day is about sacrifices made for success. The details are from a medical career, but most people can find parallels in their own life: the only real measure of success is what you achieve on your own terms. Changing Horses is always an unsettling move, whether it is a metaphor or not. Waves On The Water is a tribute to a young patient who was an inspiration to everyone around him and who faced his fate with more grace and courage than I can comprehend. We Don’t Have To Say Good-bye is about my experiences as a weekend Dad, and it always gets a response at live performances. It seems that there are a lot of us out there. These are just a few thoughts to frame the songs on this album – have a listen. “Zierler has a mellow sound that lets his poignant observations come through. He’s affable without being silly, humble without being self-deprecating, and herein lies the record’s strength: We, too, can make it through life’s rough spots and moments of doubt and loss…Welcome to your new career, Gene.” Victory Review, September 2006