Ned Henry makes Coastal Americana from New Orleans—songs about beaches, boats, good luck, bad luck, getting older without necessarily growing up, and the occasional poor decision that seemed perfectly reasonable at the time.

Raised on Jimmy Buffett, Little Feat, the Grateful Dead, and the belief that life is generally better near water, Henry writes songs that wander between the Gulf Coast, the Atlantic, New Orleans, and wherever else the weather happens to take him.

His latest album, Make Your Own Weather, features some of New Orleans’ finest musicians, along with legendary pedal steel guitarist Doyle Grisham, whose unmistakable playing accompanied Jimmy Buffett for decades. There are guitars, grooves, pedal steel, a little saltwater, and absolutely no attempt to chase whatever happens to be trending this week.

Henry calls it Coastal Americana. Mostly because nobody has come up with a better name yet.

The songs can be funny, reflective, occasionally ridiculous, and sometimes all three at once. They tend to involve people who choose their own path, places that are hard to leave, and the uncomfortable realization that summer always seems to end before you notice it was happening.

The philosophy is simple:

You can’t control the weather.

Might as well make your own.

And keep the party going.