Songs I wrote - the good, the bad
and the ugly, ranging from 1987 to 2010, not in any order. I play all the
instruments, guitar, bass, drums, vocals, etc., except in the 2 songs that
have guest musicians as mentioned in the text. It's a lot of fun, but it also
takes a lot of time, skill and effort to play, record and mix all the parts.
Bouncy hoedown - I wrote this in about 10
minutes, playing the guitar chords first, making it up as I went along.
Lyrics have the right mood, but they sure dont make
any sense. Smoothie - I wrote this one to
showcase Joe Palkovick's fine jazz brushwork, which
he demonstrates as a guest on this recording. I made the chords sound like
they are in a different time signature, which makes it more interesting. I
recorded guitar and drums first, and then added bass
and synthesized marimba. Cool1 - I did this in about 10 minutes. I just wanted a
cool drum and rhythm, then the lead just flowed easily. Dugway blues - I wrote this about our
biosensor not working perfectly when we took it for field trials. If you
never made biosensors, you just dont understand the
kind of blues you can get when its
not working right. Fee-fi-fo-fum - I wrote a vocal
arrangement of the Fee-fi-fo-fum poem with a mood that is fitting to the
meaning, dark and forboding and with a slow walking
tempo. Flower - I just wanted to play some
riffs with cool synthesizer sounds. Ends up that the lyrics actually tell a story. (~1999). Drivin
- I wrote the
chords, Andrew Gipe wrote the lyrics. I've been trying to get him to come by
and record the vocals, but studying architecture takes up a lot of his time. Gonna go to Florida
- Have you ever gotten a free trip to a nice resort where they
just ask you to listen to a sales pitch? Aharter1b - This was a collaboration with guest
Berndt Harter, a keyboard-playing friend from Germany. He came by to visit
one night and we recorded the keys and drums. I
added all the other stuff later. I kinda like the
guitar lead. Headin' out to see my baby
- Wrote this one at the SPIE conference in 2010. Took about 10
mins. Recorded it when I got home. Hendrix1 - Wanted to sound
like Jimi Hendrix. Loose and easy, slow and heavy. I didnt touch her -
LOL! Honest, I didnt.
Wrote this around 1987. Wasn't Devo still around then? Amber twilight - A nice, peaceful
jazzy number. Sorta begs for a melody, tho. The El train - Jazz arrangement
that I think would work as an arrangement for a big band. I wanted something
that would showcase traditional jazz drum licks, and I like the chord cadence
on the guitar licks. Limbic system - Well, she's gone.
But she's still in my head. Do you know what the Limbic system is? Marsh paddies -
Cool, smooth, nice chords and changes. I like the drums, too. My everything -
Mr. Joseph Flowers wrote the lyrics for this, but he intended it to be a slow
soulful ballad. I liked the words and found a new way to use 'em with a totally different melody. My cane - LOL! Gettin' old's a hassle aint it?
And when's the last time you heard an arrangement for guitar and tuba? Rock3 - A Hendrix-like jam
on a straight blues progression. How did you know? -
A showcase for guitar licks, I was just havin' fun
with my new strat, with lyrics that almost make
sense (~2004). Rocky2d - Cool chords and
neat lead hook. Time with you -
We'll spend some time together soon, I promise! |