ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd fˈaɪv hiː plˈeɪd ɹˈʌf ɐkˈuːstɪk dˈɛmoʊz ʌv nˈuː mətˈɪɹiəl tə ɹˈɑːk pɹədˈuːsɚ dʒˈoʊ bˈɔːldɹɪdʒ bˈɛk, fˈæmɪli fˈoːɹs fˈaɪv, dʒˈuːəl, hˌuː bɪɡˈæn pɹədˈuːsɪŋ hɪz ˈælbəm, "ðə lˈɔŋ dˈɪstəns ɹˈʌnɚ", wɪðˌaʊt ɐ ɹˈɛkɚd dˈiːl ɔːɹ mˈænɪdʒmənt.
In 2005 he played rough acoustic demos of new material to rock producer Joe Baldridge (Beck, Family Force 5, Jewel), who began producing his album, "The Long Distance Runner", without a record deal or management.