Lynn Patrick - About Water Stones

ABOUT WATER STONES

An expressive, uplifting collection of contemporary instrumental music that balances joyful energy with thoughtful reflection, celebrating life, creativity, and the joy of discovery.

Water Stones is guitarist and composer Lynn Patrick’s sixth instrumental album, with 12 tracks blending folk, jazz, country, bluegrass, and New Age influences. The music features guitars, mandolin, violin and fiddle, upright and electric bass, and percussion, with songs ranging from playful and rhythmic to thoughtful and reflective.

Created during a period of significant change and renewed appreciation for life and creativity, Water Stones ultimately became a celebration of what makes life meaningful. The music moves through playfulness, beauty, contemplation, and discovery, with an overall sense of optimism and forward movement.

“I wrote these songs to feel better,” Patrick says. “After experiencing profound changes in my life, I wanted to create something that brought more joy, beauty, and wonder into the world.”

Water Stones was named Best Instrumental Album of the Year in the Indie Acoustic Project Awards 2025–2026. Six songs from the album have been featured in episodes of The Young and the Restless on CBS. The title track is also in regular rotation on SiriusXM’s Spa channel, while "Surfing Lu Lu" has been featured on SoundsLikeCafe since February 2026.

At the heart of the album is Patrick’s guitar playing, which remains its central voice. Her distinctive approach moves easily between intricate acoustic picking, melodic lines, rhythmic patterns, and resonant lead work. Jonathan Widran of The JW Vibe and Billboard has described Patrick as a “master” of her “optimistic acoustic” fusion of folk, jazz, country, and bluegrass, noting that she has “practically created her own genre.” Writing about the title track, he called Patrick’s ability to share its “complex, ever-shifting narrative” in under three minutes “something of a creative miracle.”

Bill Binkelman of Wind & Wire / Zone Music Reporter praised Patrick’s “diverse picking style on acoustic guitar” and her ability to “punctuate strong, resonant leads between and over the rhythms.” New Age Music Reviews similarly praised the album’s precision guitar lines; subtle and tasteful improvisation; and Patrick’s complete command of the acoustic guitar.

Guitarist Dave Beegle also contributes an energetic and rhythmic guitar voice that adds another dimension to the arrangements. The compositions combine musical sophistication with organic, richly textured arrangements. Guitars and mandolin often work in conversation with one another, while violin and fiddle add melodic color, bass provides a strong foundation, and percussion adds rhythmic drive. The result is detailed and nuanced while remaining natural, melodic, and accessible.

The album was mastered by Grammy Award–winning mastering engineer Michael Romanowski, whose work brings clarity and polish to the recording. Patrick produced, recorded, and edited the album, with Dave Beegle mixing and contributing guitar. Additional musicians include mandolinist Silas Herman, percussionist Christian Teele, bassist Eric Thorin, and violinists Sandra Wong and guest Enion Pelta-Tiller. Album cover photography is by Todd Winslow Pierce, with additional photography by Gordon Timothy Reese and design by Monika Edgar.

CREDITS

Produced and composed: Lynn Patrick

Recorded, engineered and edited: Lynn Patrick

Mastered: Michael Romanowski / Coast Mastering

Mixed: Dave Beegle

CD design: Monika Edgar / Studio Monika

Cover art photography: Todd Winslow Pierce

Photography: Gordon Timothy Reese / Greesemedia

MUSICIANS

Melodies, acoustic guitars and lead: Lynn Patrick

Guitar contributions: Dave Beegle

Upright and electric bass: Eric Thorin

Mandolin: Silas Herman

Violins: Sandra Wong and guest Enion Pelta-Tiller

Percussion: Christian Teele

SONG STORIES

Water Stones was created during a period of profound change. Some of the stories behind these songs are difficult and challenging, but the album is ultimately an uplifting celebration of beauty, joy, and hope. The music became a way of moving through those experiences and creating something positive from them.

1. “Surfing Lu Lu” is a song about my cat Kitty Bean being playful, running through the room, diving into the air, and being silly.
Guitar: Lynn Patrick; Mandolin: Silas Herman; Bass: Eric Thorin; Percussion: Christian Teele

2. “Made Your Escape” was written after a therapy session.
Guitars: Lynn Patrick and Dave Beegle; Upright bass: Eric Thorin; Percussion: Christian Teele

3. “When You Find What You’re Looking For” describes the experience, and the music describes the feeling.
Guitars: Lynn Patrick and Dave Beegle; Mandolin: Silas Herman; Bass: Eric Thorin; Percussion: Christian Teele

4. “Breezy Sassafras” was written while simply being, hanging out, playing the guitar, looking out over the hills of Sugarloaf Mountain, and thinking about the beach.
Guitars: Lynn Patrick and Dave Beegle; Bass: Eric Thorin; Percussion: Christian Teele

5. “Unknown Changes” came about at the beginning of the pandemic. I didn’t know what was going to happen, and anticipating it felt mysterious and unknown.
Guitars: Lynn Patrick; Violin: Sandra Wong; Upright bass and bowing: Eric Thorin; Percussion: Christian Teele

6. “Water Stones.” I finished writing this song the day my mother passed away. I placed my hand on my heart and began singing a melody for her. I then took the melody and played it on my guitar. The energy and feeling that came through was unconditional love, acceptance, forgiveness, peace, and letting go.
Guitars: Lynn Patrick; Upright bass: Eric Thorin

7. “Homecoming.” The inspiration for this song came from sitting on my mother’s porch in Florida with my sister. We looked out at oak trees with Spanish moss, tropical plants, listened to birds singing, and reminisced about our childhood experiences growing up on a lake in the countryside.
Guitar: Lynn Patrick; Mandolin: Silas Herman; Bass: Eric Thorin; Percussion: Christian Teele

8. “Finish Line” was composed while going through chemotherapy. The tempo of the song started out really slow, then got faster and faster as I started feeling better.
Guitar: Lynn Patrick; Mandolin: Silas Herman; Bass: Eric Thorin; Percussion: Christian Teele; Violins: Sandra Wong and Enion Pelta-Tiller

9. “Labyrinth Sun” was inspired after a close friend died. I remembered one of the days we were kayaking and paddleboarding. We stopped and hung out on a beach to watch the sun go down. My friend made a small labyrinth with stones on the sand.
Guitars: Lynn Patrick; Bass: Eric Thorin

10. “Love Is Here.” Love is one of the most important things in my life.
Guitars: Lynn Patrick and Dave Beegle; Bass: Eric Thorin; Percussion: Christian Teele

11. “So Unexpected.” I composed this song after receiving a diagnosis of stage 3 cancer.
Guitars: Lynn Patrick; Upright bass: Eric Thorin; Percussion: Christian Teele

12. “Guitar Dance.” While sitting and playing the guitar, my fingers started dancing and moving on the fretboard, creating this song.
Guitars: Lynn Patrick and Dave Beegle; Bass: Eric Thorin; Percussion: Christian Teele