9-8
Lyrics
Vocal (by Dave "Fritz" Ayala)
Vocal (by Dave "Can't Sing" Wesner)
Non-vocal
Korg Trinity, Guitar, Bass, Vocals
Here's the song that had me plugging away from the fall of 2001 until I finally finished it in the spring of 2003. My friend Dave "Fritz" Ayala helped out on vocals, for which you'll be grateful. Heavy in (several) spots, varied, complex, LONG (over 9 minutes) - everything I've always wanted to write. And it only took me a year and a half! Like it? Hate it? Let me know: Send E-Mail.
Pseudo-Science (Working Title)
Korg Trinity, Guitar, Bass
I worked on this song for almost the entirety of 2000, and made this, my first MP3 of it, on December 31. I guess I'd call it progressive metal - it has heaviness, odd time signatures and keyboards. I'd like to write some lyrics - I left room for some, but to this day I still have no idea what it's about. Any ideas? Drop me a line!
Getaway
Lyrics
Vocal (by Paul Lackey)
Non-Vocal
Korg
Trinity, Guitar, Bass, Guest vocals
As I
mentioned, the vocals here were done by my friend Paul Lackey from the
Epigram For The Last Straw Mailing List. He did a great job, proving
that my music really can be compatible with singing, provided the singing
isn't mine. Musically it's another progressive metal piece for the
most part. Lyrically, well, let's call it an allegory.
Just Because
Lyrics
Vocal
Non-Vocal
Korg
Trinity, Guitar, Bass, Vocals
This
is one of my older prog-metal songs, written in about 1992, then
re-recorded in the late '90s to take advantage of some much-better
equipment I'd acquired. The performances aren't as good as the
original, but the sound is okay. the lyrics are based on one of my
brother-in-law's favorite phrases: "Just because you're paranoid doesn't
mean they're not out to get you."
A Break In The Clouds
Ensoniq ESQ-1, Kawai K-1 II, Guitar, Bass
This is definitely not metal - it's an attempt at sounding like I
understand jazz. I'm currently working on re-recording it on that
new, better equipment now at my disposal, 'cause I really like the song,
but I'm a little hung up on the horn arrangements. Seems you
actually have to know what you're doing to arrange a horn section
properly. Who knew? This is an older recording, then, and for
some reason the unsophisticated horns of my old Kawai K-1 II seem to work
just fine.
Four-Banger
Korg
Trinity
I
wrote this to submit to the Trinity Haven website when the Korg Trinity
Mailing List was an active and beautiful thing (R.I.P., KTML). The
'Haven called it "a nice mix of techno and jazz influences." That
works for me.
ATEC
Korg
Trinity
I've long had
the practice of doing songs in genres I didn't really like or respect, for
the sole purpose of being able to say, "that stuff is easy! Look
- I did a song like that in a couple of hours. Here is my version of a
"techno" song. It's not really perfectly in that style, but incorporates
some of the sounds. In spite of myself, I rather like it.
LONG0
Ensoniq ESQ-1, Kawai K-1 II
I used to
co-own a used video game store. My business partner was an amateur
computer animator, so we got the idea that we'd make these in-store demo
videos of the latest games. He'd do the graphics, I'd do the music. I did
my part, and he - well, I don't talk much about him. This is electronic
music, groovy, kinda cool - at least I think so. The name derives from the
Ensoniq ESQ1's song naming conventions. A new song is automatically named
"SONG01" by default. I wanted to make a long song, so as a placeholder
title, I just replaced the "S" with an "L." Eventually the "1" got
dropped, and here we are.
Abrouhadldl9
Ensoniq ESQ-1, Kawai K-1 II, Alesis HR-16, Guitar, Bass
First of all, that's a "schwa" symbol at the end of the song name - I just used a lower-case "9" 'cause I couldn't find ascii code for the real schwa. It's pronounced "Ob-roo-hod-ld-luh." It means, "that proggy, not-too-heavy-not-too-wimpy instrumental I wrote in 1994 and only recently converted to digital form." It's one of my favorite of my songs, and is a complete blast to play.
Walls
Lyrics
Ensoniq ESQ-1, Kawai K-1 II, Alesis HR-16, Guitar, Bass, Vocals
I wrote and recorded this in about 1993, and, 11 years later, brought the 4 tracks off of cassette into the computer for a (partially-successful) clean-up. It's another one of my "can't we all just get along?" songs, this time questioning the reluctance of various groups to join society, instead of just existing within it. Whatever. So I was an idealist in 1993. More importantly, it's sort of a middle-of-the-road "rock" song with an interesting keyboard riff, a nice solo, and a horrible drum mix, un-fixable for a number of really boring reasons. There's only a non-vocal mix for now (with keyboard holding down the vocal melody) - a vocal mix will follow once I (a) clean up my own awful vocals, or (b) hoodwink some well-meaning individual into providing something better.
(I'm Not) The Enemy
Lyrics
Ensoniq ESQ-1, Kawai K-1 II, Alesis HR-16, Guitar, Bass, Vocals
Another in my series of early '90s race-relations songs. This one tried to combine a "white" style (metal) with a "black" style (rap), presaging by a good bit the "rap-metal" movement I now find myself loathing. Judging by people's reactions, I was well ahead of my time, since 'most everyone I know loathes this song, but I still like it (not least because it's a nitro-charged BLAST to play). It's also my favorite set of my lyrics (complete with "hidden" homages to a few of my favorite bands, just for the hell of it).
The KURGAN
Lyrics
Korg Trinity, Guitar, Bass, Vocals
This one's a little hard to explain. I'm on a few progressive metal e-mail lists, where some people post under made-up identities. One such person posts as "The Kurgan" (I'm convinced it's a female, but the persona is male). (S)He challenged me to write a song called "The Kurgan," and to include at least some death-metal grunty vocals. Never one to shrink from a challenge, however silly, I put this together during the fall and winter of 2004. It's abstract, heavy, fun to play, and probably a bit better than it has any conceivable right to be (at least The Kurgan liked it...).
Incomplete Songs
Oath of Office
Lyrics
Korg Trinity, Guitar, Bass
I
wrote this during the 1992 Presidential campaign. It's kinda heavy
and a little proggy, but a bit simpler than I prefer nowadays. A
friend of mine wanted to come to town and do vocals for it a coupla summers ago, so
I dusted it off and re-recorded it on my way-better-than-I-had-in-1992
gear. The result sounds *WAY* better to these ears than the
original, and will fare even better one day when my friend and I finally
hook up to save it from my vocals (this version has none - I can't bring
myself to record any).
Surrender
Lyrics
Korg
Trinity, Guitar, Bass, Guest vocals
Back
in '95, I wrote a really sappy love song to perform at my wedding
reception. I played it for my fiancee, who stared blankly for a
minute and finally concluded, "it sounds like the theme from Doogie
Howser, M.D." Fine, I thought. You don't want a sappy love
song? I'll write a dirty, exploitative sex song. A few months
later I had "Surrender." It's one of her favorite of my songs.
A friend of mine said he'd like to take a shot at the vocals, so I dusted
it off, and re-recorded it. My friend laid down some incredible
vocals at his home in Las Vegas, NV, and sent them to me on CD.
Unfortunately, I just realized I don't have the vocal version on the server, or here at work where I'm writing this, so for now, you're stuck with the non-vocal version.
???2
Korg Trinity
Not long after
getting the Trinity, I found my well of ideas drying up. I thought it
might help to do a little creativity exercise. I'd come up with a song
idea - any idea, good or not, for each day of a week. Day One turned into
"Four Banger" (original title: "???"), and this was, I believe, Day Three.
It's similar to "Four-Banger" in many ways - the jazz influence, the
almost-danceable beat, but I could never really make it go much of
anywhere. A couple years later I dusted it off and brought it to a close,
but I can't bring myself to call it "finished." It's short, it's
listenable - it's probably worth the brief download.
Runaway (Working Title)
Lyrics
Korg Trinity, Guitar, Bass, Vocals
I still can't make up my mind about this one. It could only honestly be called "rap-metal," but it predates the current "nu-metal" rappy stuff by a few years (it's circa 1997). It practically wrote itself up to the point where it abruptly ends, and try as I might (which is, admittedly, not very hard), I can't seem to take it anywhere from there. Another problem is that this song uses a detuned guitar, so any time I want to work on it, I have to spend about a half a day tuning and retuning my guitar, and adjusting everything else that that entails. Maybe one day I'll get back around to it, but don't hold your breath. For now, here it is, as is, and as it likely will ever be.
