Seasons Come

Seasons Come  This is my latest album.  Its a preview.  Not finished yet, but listen and enjoy. :)

Nils Rurack - Slightly Off Center

Nils Rurack - Slightly Off Center
Independent Spotlight

I was first introduced to Nils when I heard him collaborate with two other friends of mine from Broadjam, Peter Olach (JACK the Blues) and Morgen La Civita.  He struck me as a very talented lead guitarist and composer.  I heard some great blues and hard rocking leads out of Nils that were very powerful, but there was this underlying genre trying to peek out from behind the rock roots.  

Recently, Nils tagged me in a post on Facebook asking me to review his latest effort.  A collection of Jazz and Jazz Fusion instrumentals that he had recorded recently and over the years.  If anyone knows me, I love to review music from people who love to make music.  So I waited for the appropriate time to listen and when I could give full focus to the material.  And while listening to this album, I finally figured out what genre was peeking from his other tracks.  This is where I heard the true beauty of Nils' talent shine through and I can't recommend this collection highly enough.  I know that he is planning to release this album as a release soon, so I will update information on here at the time of that release, as to where you can purchase this CD/MP3 collection when it comes out.

I have been a huge fan of the band Gamalon for years.  Especially their release entitled "Ariel View" which I have written about on this blog.  Another favorite Jazz fusion album from my past is Rob Mullins "One Night In Houston", especially the song "Polka Dot Dress".  What I hear in this album from Nils is both of these fusion powerhouses.  I've listened to plenty of jazz and jazz fusion since the 90s, but nothing has sparked my love of the genre since these two albums, like this album from Nils has.  The skill of playing, the great compositions of the songs, the power behind each track, is just incredible.  Can you tell I loved this?

Below is my track by track review of the album.  

World of Phreaks - What a great feel this track has.  Brilliant fusion.  Very original and driving.  Great opening track.  Strong and vibrant.

Al Dente - I'm digging the clean and sustained lead.  I always love songs that have a composition like they are climbing to a peak of a mountain.  Scaling...pardon the pun.  Great track.  I love how Nils' ends this song.

JC - This song features the excellent saxophonist Dave Frank.  The keys are awesome.  The song is nicely constructed.  I'm definitely hearing flavoring of Rob Mullins in here.  I hear some Steely Dan and Larry Carlton too, and that's a good thing.  I love the heavy lead guitar toward the end.  A kick ass song!

Rhodes Rage - This one flows in an extremely funky way.  I really dig the Rhodes.  Strong snare driving the beat and just another great track.  I love how Nils pieces together the phrasings in his songs.  One section leads to another and each flows in its distinctive Jazz mix.  This takes me back to 70s Jazz/Funk/Fusion.

Eleven - This kicks some major ass all the way through.  Pure and simple.  One of my favorite songs on this album.  No other words here, except, just listen and enjoy.

Fishies - I love this track. Very smooth intro with the drums kicking a nice groove.  This one definitely takes me some place outdoors, cruising along a beach highway, convertible top down, sun setting in the distance... yeah, I need a glass of wine with this one.  The mix is perfect and the tonal quality of the guitars is excellent.

Funky Farm - Again, Dave Frank is kicking my ass with that sax.  Nice runs together with the guitar.  This song kicks ass! :)  There are some seriously powerful moments in this song.  Another favorite track on this album.  

Wok - Nice drive back to a groove.  I love the way this goes back and forth between driving guitar and softer jazz guitar.  This also has become a favorite track.  I had to listen to this 4 times before I moved on to the next one. 

October Day - This is a great title for this track.  It takes me to an October day.  Fall colors, leaves falling, winds picking up, temperatures changing, darker days, it captures it nicely.  I love where this goes.

It's All Wrong - No, its all right. This guitar sings, no, really, it does.  Nice breaks between the sections, and nice tie-backs with the drum breaks. Loving the wah/tremelo on the backing guitar.  The lead not only sings, it walks and talks.

247365 - I like this song.  Strong opening.  I love the switch-up and then to the bass break.  Great chicken strut (Jagger style) at the halfway point.   

I think this is some of the best Jazz I've heard in years and I've listened to a lot of stuff in the last 20 years.  

Update 2-23-2014: 
The album is now available for purchase and download from CDBaby:  Here is the link to this great album. Please go and buy this, and support independent artists who work very hard at releasing their material, like Nils has.  You can also purchase his latest release "Thrillseeker" at CDBaby as well.  Another stellar album that deserves a review from me soon.

 "Slightly Off Center" (CDBaby)

"Thrillseeker" (CDBaby)
 

Shy - Shy

As I sit here and listen to this masterpiece of melodic metal, I can't help to think what a tragedy befell this band in October of 2011. The guitarist extraordinaire, Steve Harris (not to be confused with the bassist from Iron Maiden), died from a brain tumor. He leaves behind a 13 album discography that spans almost 30 years. I loved this band in the 80s and still do.  When I heard this latest offering last year, I was floored. The songwriting on this album is well crafted. Great lyrics with excellent guitar playing and the powerful voice of Lee Small.

Some of the greatest highlights from this album are, "Save Me", "Sanctuary" and "Blood On the Line". The latter being one of my favorite tracks. This song just rocks from beginning to end. The riff at the end of the song is just killer as well as the chord structure in the last few minutes. You'll find yourself banging your head up and down with the horns up in the air as they come out of that last solo. "Sanctuary" is an epic song, from beginning to end. The bluesy lead guitar work through the whole song and the fist pumping power after the intro, just remind me of standing in front of a stage at a concert and screaming songs like this at the top of my lungs, banging my head to the band.

All of the songs on this release are great and the hooks in each track are reminiscent of the glory days of the late 80s, when this style of music ruled the airwaves and it took us away from our everyday worries and cares.

If the band or the family ever reach this little review, I hope they know how much this album means to one of its fans. Steve will be sorely missed, but his legacy lives on in a masterpiece that I will listen to quite a bit over the rest of my years. I just love this album! RIP Steve Harris, thank you for rocking us all!

Please support Shy by purchasing their music from Amazon or iTunes

Visit their official website.

Blood On the Line

Sanctuary

Seventh Wonder - The Great Escape

Seventh Wonder - The Great Escape

This is one of my favorite progressive rock releases for 2011. Hands down, some greatest songwriting, storytelling, singing, arranging and musicianship I have heard in years. I have listened to this album a countless times this year. There are some moments of grandeur here that just shine an immense brightness on this band. "Alley Cat" is one of those tracks that has a catchy progressive rock hook that I have not heard in a chorus in a very long time. 


The talent in this band is very technique oriented with a strong sense of emotion.  This is something that is lacking in some progressive rock bands who chase the "angry chipmunk" with their flashy chops.  Not with this band. The bass player, Andreas Blomqvist, is a monster on the six-string bass and Tommy Karevik has one of those voices that just pierces the veil when he sings. I don't know how else to describe his vocal style, except that he is one of the purest tenors I've ever heard sing outside of Jon Anderson of Yes.

"The Great Escape" is an epic prog-tale of 30 minutes which is an ode to a dying Earth. The song starts with our Earth Mother singing her song of sorrow to us as we leave her behind to die. Just that piece of the song alone has a power in its lyrics that bring a tear to your eye. I kid you not. I loved the melody line so much when I first heard this piece, that I had to look up the lyrics. When I read the story behind the album and this song, it brought a tears to my eyes. A very profound statement on how we are destroying our planet and for what.

I can honestly say that there is not a bad track on this album. The harmonies are excellent as well as the music itself. I look forward to listening to this album many more times in the future and cannot wait for new music to come from these gentlemen. Please support bands like this and purchase their music.

Official Site: Seventh Wonder

Buy this album at Amazon.com or iTunes

The Great Escape:

Alley Cat:

Gamalon - Aerial View

Gamalon is my favorite jazz fusion group!  Some would consider this more of a progressive rock/metal album.  I was turned on to this instrumental masterpiece back in the early 90s by a very good friend of mine.  Its been in my CD case ever since then.  Like an old friend I get hooked on this CD over and over again.

I know its been out of print for a while now and I am hoping that its re-released via MP3 version or even CD again someday.



The first track off of the CD, called "Beat the Heat".  It sets the pace for this album of great music.



The title track off of the CD "Aeiral View" I have always wanted to do an animation video with.  Picture an alien strolling through the air trying to figure our world out, not paying attention and then getting seen by a jet airliner. The airliner reports him to air traffic control and a couple of Air Force jets are sent to investigate.  The alien has no idea he's being followed, until its too late, because he is still taking in the beauty of what he sees with the buildings and sky scrapers.  All of a sudden, he notices the two jets chasing him (when the drum solo starts) and the music kicks back in, he revs his jump engines and starts to pull away from the jets and launches into space and hyper speed at the end, flying away.  The last scene, is the alien whisking the sweat from his brow goin...whoa.  I will create this someday.



The ninth track on the CD is called "The Lost Ghost" and is probably one of my favorites.  It has an intense bass track with one of the coolest keyboard, electric violin and guitar runs ever done. The track is so catchy, I can see it being used in a Scooby chase scene.



Gamalon still does shows, from what I am seeing posted on YouTube.  I have uploaded these tracks in hopes of turning people onto this excellent group.  Go find this CD and buy it.  Its worth every penny. 

I've always liked their first (Gamalon) and third (High Contrast) albums too, but this one, to me, is their masterpiece.  Every song on it is perfectly written and executed.  If any of the band stumbles upon my post here, please know that I am a HUGE fan and always have been.  I really wish I could see them live sometime.  There are some videos out on YouTube of the reunion concert, which is really cool.  There are also some videos with Nori Bucci, that are amazingly good and I would love to see more footage of those shows. 

These tracks that I've posted here I have done a small amount of remastering too. I widened them and added a little spacial feel as well.  It was mastered with a high amount of treble in the mix on the original, so I brought that into balance as well.  I hope that you all enjoy these tracks as much as I do.  Please click on the links I have here as well to check out information on the band, their members over the years and some of the other videos out on YouTube of them.  Most of all, if you see their recordings for sale online or in the store, support them, purchase the CDs or downloads.

Spock's Beard - Say Goodbye To Yesterday

As I sit here this morning, I think about all the videos that I've shared out on Facebook lately and wondered to myself, why haven't I just put them on my blog like I was wanting too last year when I started writing this stuff. :)  Well, this is the first one of the myriad of songs that have been going through my "sharelist" lately.

Spock's Beard.  An incredible band formed in 1992 by brothers Neal and Alan Morse.  The name came from the alternate Universe episode of the original Star Trek series where Mr. Spock had a beard and when they presented the list of names to call the band, Alan thought it would be funny to throw the name on the list and the band chose it.

I love every album this band has released.  Some are better than others, but they have progressed so well, even after the departure of Neal Morse in 2002.  Neal left to pursue his own solo career and calling in the Christian community and has quite a successful career and following in that genre.  The band had varying belief backgrounds and kept their lyrics very spiritual in meaning but never preachy.  They remain so in the absence of Neal, with Nick D'Virgilio as the bands main singer now and they continue on in the same vein as the band progresses into more heavier and intricate pieces on their last two CDs.

This is one of my favorite songs from this band.  There are too many to list here, but this is one of my favorites.  "Say Goodbye To Yesterday".    I think one of the coolest tracks on the V CD for its meaning.  Very deep and introspective, my favorite line is "Do you have your baggage or do your bags have you?"

If you can, please check out songs like "June", "Distance to the Sun", "The Doorway", "Waste Away", "Thoughts", "Gibberish",  "The Good Don't Last", "Day For Night", "The Light", "At The End of the Day" when you have a moment. If you like them, then support them by purchasing their tracks or a CD.  

Here is "Say Goodbye To Yesterday" in it's entirety:

Is There Anybody Really Listening?

I started my company Is There Anybody Listening, Inc. back in 1996, incorporating as a consultant who did contract programming on a machine called an IBM AS/400. A shift of events happened in that next two years that led me to the client I was at for the last 12 years; Abercrombie & Kent, Inc.

When I initially set up my company, I had ever intention of working towards multimedia or music. The name comes from a song by the heavy metal band Queensryche, from their album, "Empire" and the song that just fit my life story to the fullest, "Anybody Listening?". I thought, "what a great company name. It will fit consulting, music, video, art, photography and whatever I can do to have someone listen to the dreams and goals and for me to help provide a service to them to help them with that.

Are they truly listening? Maybe not on the receiving end so much, but I am.

Lately, I've been gently shoved into rethinking my future, who I am, what I want to do when I grow up. Programming pays the bills, but had I lost the edge it required to keep up with a fast paced world? Was my heart in it to win it anymore? Was I truly listening to my own higher-self and finding peace deep inside with wanting to do this for a living anymore? The answer is yes. Do I need to retool my skills and bring them up to speed? Yes. Do I need to pick myself back off the ground, dust myself off, let go of the past and move on? Yes. Do I still want to follow my dreams of someday, having my music in film and TV? Yes. All of the questions are answered with YES, when I ask myself these questions.

So am I "in it to win it." as Guy Feiri would say on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives? You bet I am.

See, I lost myself somewhere along the way in the last 12 years. I needed a shake up of sorts, I think, to get back being me. To get back to the never-ending creative side of myself that cranked out 4 CDs worth of music in 2 years time. To get back into the photographer, artist and designer side of me that found joy in creating something that I can still look at to this day and go "Wow! I did that?" But most of all, to get back to the solid business person I once was, who could kick ass and take names when it came to coding, problem solving and being there for a company that I believed in.

I think everyone needs a little "awakening" from time to time. It a good cleanser for the soul. "Some times you have to hit them in the head to get their attention!" -Carol King from Scrooged. It's a death of the old self and a rebirth from a cocoon that had been holding me too tightly into comfort and conformity where I was at.

So, its time to let all that go and move on.

Universe! I'm ready, bring on the next step of my career please. Its time for me to dig in and have some fun again in my work life. I love the creative side of programming. Its creativity on a whole other level that I forgot how much I loved and that this was what I got into it for in the first place.

Here's hoping everyone is doing fine and hanging in there and having a wonderful Summer! Hey, if you aren't doing anything and your reading this before the 1st of August and you're in the Chicagoland area, please, come out and see the band that I have been playing bass and keys for. Syrens are playing Sunday August 1st, 2010 from 8 pm to 10 pm at the Neighborhood Boys and Girls Club Festival in Chicago at Irving Park Road and Rockwell in the park! Its supposed to be beautiful outside that day, so come on out and see us.

Peace and love to all of you. Thank you for your prayers, suggestions, concerns and thoughts through this bump in the road that we have been going through. Its greatly appreciated. I'm truly grateful for the friends that I have.

Dave

"You and I, long to live like wind upon the water. If we close our eyes, we'll maybe realize, there's more to life than what we have known. And I can't believe I've spent so long living lies I knew were wrong inside, I've just begun to see the light...."

- Lyrics by Queensryche - Empire - "Anybody Listening?"



If the embed on this video ever disappears, here is the EMI version. The don't allow embedding.