Songwriter John Mark Nelson hails from St. Paul, Minnesota, but his ties to Virginia run deep. His story is a testament to the power of songwriting and music to bring people together. It was almost 6 years ago that host Jonah Grinkewitz heard one of John's songs on Minnesota Public Radio's The Current, sparking a long and winding road to Jonah's apartment for a house concert and the newest episode of Lyrical. John's songs are mostly autobiographical and you can hear him wrestling with the challenges he faces and the complicated emotions that come with them. Blended into this episode are moments from his house concert performance where he describes very accurately what it's like to be an independent musician. His musical career hasn't been easy, but it is evident from talking to him and hearing his lyrics that he won't give up anytime soon. The episode ends with the full story of how John and Jonah met, and they play the song that brought them together - "Reminisce."