Folk Rock singer-songwriter Gabe Parsons, hailing from Hopewell Valley, NJ, released his full-length album, Long Road Traveler last month. Known for his intimate, reflective songwriting and captivating live performances, Parsons has been steadily growing his presence in the Northeast’s independent music scene. Let’s dive in and learn more about him, his creative process and what his album represents.
“Long Road Traveler” is a personal record. What was the first spark that set this album in motion?
I was pulling into the driveway of the house I grew up in New Jersey – it was sometime in January and I heard the coyotes howling in the field next to me. I thought it was such a lonely forlorn sound in the cold winter. Hearing it matched this feeling I was experiencing which was a sense to break free but also of deep caring for my hometown and way of life I have always known. The record has a lot of themes of maturing and seeing the world through a new lens. I think those coyotes sonically represent to me the beauty and harshness of the world.
The title alone suggests a journey. What kind of “road” were you traveling — emotional, creative, or literal — while writing these songs?
I called it Long Road Traveler because I feel like I’ve known these songs for a long time. I’ve had a long relationship with their development. From multiple bands, setbacks and self discovery, It’s been a long road, and I am the long road traveler. From the time I began writing the songs when I was a student at music school to now I’ve grown a lot. The album cover has several clues to that journey. I used to have short hair and I started growing it out when I began to record the first demos of the songs. Many of the songs deal with angst about where to call home; The necklace you see I got at Jazz Fest in New Orleans where I was living for most of the year and where I wrote and recorded much of the album. The leather jacket appears in a line in silver rest about feeling unsure of myself; The hat has become a major part of my style which developed over the process. Finally, the location of the photo is at the Stockton bridge over the Delaware River where scenes from The Heartland Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 occur. So I feel the cover is truly emblematic of the name.
How would you describe the evolution from your earlier songwriting to what we hear on Long Road Traveler?
I’ve written 3 albums previous to this body of work. “Beyond The Seas” I made when I was 17, that is no longer publicly available, “Cape Adare” that was very much experimental in concept with themed songs and “Frisbee Nights” that was a collaborative project between high school friends that we recorded mostly live. None are longer than 7 songs. Each one was an experiment full of trial and error. I think this new album is the most complete songwriting and production wise. I think my earlier songs are good but are definitely told from a younger person’s perspective. I started posting music from a young age and I think like anything you learn as you go – Production wise I wanted to blend the atmospheric world building I started on Cape Adare with the fun summer anthems I forged on Frisbee Nights. Playing the songs live also makes a huge difference. For the first 3, I didn’t play gigs on a consistent basis. The songs on LRT are battle-tested. Since I began work on it, I have played over 150 shows across the country with those songs being the meat and potatoes of my show.
Were there any particular moments or experiences that became turning points in shaping the album’s sound or message?
I initially was writing this album with the intention of developing it into a rock opera – which I did for my senior thesis at music school at Loyola University New Orleans. I had a band called “The Heartland” which I wanted to release the project under. It was my goal to continue that group but things changed and the band broke up, and I eventually moved from New Orleans to New Jersey. From that point on during the last year of development I was gigging a lot and producing the tracks simultaneously. I realized that these songs have been on a journey with me and that they told a larger story of a young person taking their first steps into the real world.
Can you walk us through your typical songwriting process? Do lyrics or melodies tend to come first?
I will typically sit with my guitar in my lap or at a piano and start playing chords. Sometimes the thing that I play first is what sticks. I then just sing gibberish and let my words form random melodies until I get a phrase I like. I’ll go back and refine playing the same thing over and over again until I’ve got a chorus – which I always write first. I find it important to not judge myself. I find that when I feel like I’m close to writing something similar to a famous song, or something truly ridiculous is actually when I’m the closest to a fresh idea. I write songs almost every day.
Voice memos is probably my favorite app. I have thousands of ideas stored there. I’ve written songs everywhere, in my room, in the studio, on the train, even at work off the clock! But my favorite spot might be the corner of my porch which has a beautiful view of the field behind our
house. There’s something about it – just a cool energy that flows there for me. I typically will write 2 verses and a chorus and let it sit for a while, I will even play the new idea at gigs sometimes to see how I feel about it when an audience is able to listen too. It’s a rinse and repeat process.
You’ve mentioned themes of home, distance, and transformation — were these intentional from the start or something that emerged naturally as you wrote?
They definitely appeared naturally. I cannot deny that I write from experience. My songs and characters are all different shades of me. I wrote a lot of this while in college. When my life was split between New Jersey and New Orleans.
Was there a specific song on the album that challenged you the most to finish, emotionally or creatively?
On Our Way Up. I felt so much pressure to get that one right. It’s the big finale in my live show, it wraps up the message of the record and one of the ones that people seem to resonate with. I’ve played it at every single gig for years. It was actually finished in the same demo file that I started it in, except everything changed. I started writing it in 2021. I made the initial demo in 2022, my friends added real drums and bass recorded to the scratch tracks in 2023. I then let it sit forever. I didn’t love it. I even took a session band into the studio and re-recorded in early 2024. I was about to take the re-recorded version to be mixed and my dad convinced me to play the producer the demo as well. The producer named Glenn Barratt actually really loved the demo and thought it had a better feel. So in early 2025 I redid the guitars and piano and we recorded the vocals and mixed it in Glenn’s studio. The vocal performance you hear was the very last thing recorded for the album, and I think the emotion of the project shows in that performance.
Which track do you feel captures “you” the best right now and why?
Adelaide. It’s the oldest song on the album. I wrote it with my friend Natalie in 2020. It’s where the name Long Road Traveler comes from. Even though its the oldest song it resonates deeply with me. I think the Gabe who was writing that song was expressing ideas and emotions that I feel to this day. Ideas of where do I belong and fit in? Where does this all lead?
What do you hope listeners feel or take away after hearing Long Road Traveler for the first time?
I want them to connect with the music emotionally however they choose to do so. This record is very personal to me, and I know what the stories in them mean to me, but I think there is room to find your own path in these songs. The themes of a personal journey, reflection and changing are universal. I would actually encourage people to write to me and let me know how they interpreted the piece. I think that would be cool!
If you could send one message to your younger self — maybe the one just starting out in New Orleans — what would it be?
You have time, let the music flow the way it’s going to. I would also tell myself that life happens wherever you are. In every moment we are living. So enjoy the small things and don’t get too hung up on the future.
Listen to Gabe’s new album, “Long Road Traveller” over on Spotify!
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