Fennell’s latest offering, Nobody Lives Here , marks his clearest, crispest writing. Written, recorded, and produced by him and his longtime collaborator Brian Eichelberger, it is fueled by the keen understanding that life is a contradiction, a fleeting moment. But as we accept the presence of loss, we can still welcome others into our space with melody, lyrics, a slide guitar, or a cello’s hum. His sense of humanity is his musical compass. As an artist, Fennell takes license to both gut and be gutted. “ If the dark inspires the good, that’s a good thing to be honest about, ” he says.