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Another Film Sountrack piece. I'm not too sure about the lead-up to the ending. Any thoughts, comments or suggestions appreciated. Thanks for listening.

Alan

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_music.cfm?bandID=276329

Hi David,

What a great musical ride. You are obviously a very talented writer.

My only suggestion would be...newer sounds/samples, as these, unfortunately, seem to take away from the brilliant `picture', that's wanting to show it's vibrant colors!

Just my $0.02

Hi Al,

I have to agree with Ponga; your compositions generally are top notch, but your sounds seem at least a fifteen years old. Are these keyboards, cuz that would explain it. Just the free legal stuff alone could keep you going, sound wise, if you transitioned over to PC based sequencing, where your keyboards can still function to record midi information into your sequencer of choice. I personally gave up keyboards for "mousing" notes directly into the piano roll of FL Studio, and use Band-In-A-Box unashamedly to jump start the creative process.

Now I've just made a bunch of assumptions based on the sounds in a few pieces, and if you are already into PC sequencing, please accept my apology for being presumptuous!
And if you are, you have all your pieces saved as midi info, and can always re-orchestrate them after the fact.

The music in this had a Bondish intrigue thing going on for me, and the clock like motif did add that "under pressure" sensation of your title. Heard those added second minor chords in there, near the end, too. Quite enjoyable, overall!

Best wishes,

Mike

Steve,

Thanks for your time to listen and to offer your helpful comments. Glad you appreciate my composition skills. thanks for those words!

I do not disagree with you about the dated sound of the instruments in many of my pieces. They are the sounds that are offered in my software package. I would update to something like Band In A Box if I could. Right now, though it is out of the questions.

Most of what I am about to say is old news to those who have been around here a while (I've been here just over 8 years). Even though BIAB is only about $300.00, a little less on eBay probably, It is out of range. My wife's medication costs almost $9,000.00 per month...that's not a typo...it's really nine THOUSAND dollars per month. Plus her hispital bills for ther past two and a hlaf years come to a little over half a million dollars. I have insurance that pays 80%. You can do the math and see what my part is...a BUNCH!

Unfortunately, my software does not accept any outside loops and only VST plugins. So, all those great free loops and plugins are essentially useless to me. And as far as the live instrumentation, I go directly from my guitar/bass amp into the mic inout of the compouter. I have no mixing board, FX, distortion devices, etc. So, as you can see, I work with a very, very basic and limited set of options.

But, my wife's health is far more important. So, I have no complaints about all that. Someday I might be able to step up to newer and more sophisticated equipment.

But, thank you very much for your kind words about the composition of the song. I appreciate that a lot.

All the best to you.

Alan

Al,

The raw emotional impact of your songs is always foremost. I understand the comments about updating the sounds, but I think what you do is unique and has a spot in this world. I too would like band in the box, but can not at this time.

I am sorry about your wifes health issues, and she is a lucky woman to have you in her life. The same emotional commitment you exhibit is probably why the music you write evokes emotions.

My best to you and your wife,

Letha

Mike,

Thanks a ton for the kind words and observations. You can read my reply to Steve (Ponga) regarding the software and recording issues I work with. Life is sometimes a litany of making choices. Right now, that is where my life is. My wife's health issues take priority over everything else. I TRY to make wise choices. In this case, I think I did!

Your music reflects both your recording and compositional skills. You are one of the folks whom I always try to listen to on the hit and miss opportunities I have to show up here. I always enjoy your music!

The "Bondish intrique" comment you made made my effort worthwhile. Thank you very much!!!! That was pretty much what i was shooting for. I can see this in several different scenarios: A Bond-like character trying to disarm a timed bomb (2) An office worker working frantically to finish the project of his life on time and falling behind (3) An assasin/thug/sniper tailing an intended victim and then getting the victim in his/her scope (4) some rushing to an event (walking, driving, etc) and everything goes againts him/her...red lights, slow traffic, train crossing, etc.

Thanks agin for the kind words and the suggestion I may be able to emply when the checkbook is off its lean diet! I appreciate the insight you offered. good stuff! All the best, my friend.

Alan

Letha,

Thank you very much. You r comment about my music being "unique" brings a smile to my face...thanks!!!! i think most composers would love to hear that! And I am sure you meant it in a complimentary way. that was a nice "warm and fuzzie" today! I'm glad you enjoy what I do and feel it has a plce. You are a very innovative and talented composer and performer, yourself.

Helen's hea;lth will never get better. She slowly gets worse and we just deal with it. She's apretty cool gal! there are days she might want to take you to task about that "lucky to have you" line! yesterday would have been one of them!

Thanks again for your kind words and well wishes for me and Helen. We both appreciate it a lot. Wishing you the best, as well.

Alan

Al,

What Letha said counts for me, too!

But I think I need to clear something up. For a composer in your situation who needs "virtual instruments and effects" and not "compositional aids", BIAB should be low on your list of priorities, because it mainly puts into various "styles" the chords you input, it really offers no "virtual instruments" per se (Kevin E. can correct me if I'm wrong), but audio in the form of "Realtracks" which are just that (audio, aka "loops"), and again, loops are "canned music", not really "virtual instruments".

Let me be clear: there are thousands of legally free VST instruments and effects, a good percentage are very usable, here's a database for you to check out:

http://www.gersic.com/plugins/index.php?daCat=-3

Add to this all the "soundfont instruments" to be had, for free; you could really do yourself good by using your "VST plugin" capacity...

You are an excellent composer. Look into those free VSTs; I made music using free legal VSTs and soundfonts for three years before spending one penny on "virtual instruments". It's just a matter of finding the VSTs you need, downloading them, putting them in your "plugin folder", and opening them up after opening your sequencer. That simple.

Best wishes,

Mike

Hey Al,

I liked the ticking time clock quality to this. I think it's very clever how you laid a pretty melody over that punctuated sound. It is a very Bond or Mission Impossible style type piece. I didn't hear anything that stood-out in the lead-up to the ending. It sounded good to me.

It does have an 80's kind of sound to it, but that could be good too. On NPR yesterday they featured a CD by a modern artist who did all Motown sounding songs, so things old can be new again.

I really admire you and Helen. The two of you should write a book. Your relationship has survived through so much adversity. God bless you and Helen.

BOND? Mr Alan David Bond

Nobody does it better, makes me feed sad for the rest...
Nobody does it, half as good as you, baby you're the best !

Hi Again, Mike!

My turn to clarify (You're it!). It is the mixing software I use (Audacity) that accepts VST plug-ns, not my music creation software. My creation software (Soundtrek Jammer 6 Pro) does not have a plug-ins folder. Likewise, it will not accept any plug-ins, VSTs, loops or tracks that are not indigenous to the program. I cannot import anything that was not originally created in Jammer Pro. If I didn't create it there, I can't play it there.

I even contacted the folks at Soundtrek, makers of Jammer Pro 6, and asked about it. The answer was a resounding "NO!!!!!". The software accepts no plug-ins, loops or VSTs what-so-ever. They confirmed that I had not overlooked a plug-ins folder somewhere.

Even though Audacity accepts many plug-ins, that doesn't help me. Everything I save in Jammer Pro 6 is reduced to 2-track stereo upon being saved. There is one way, however, in which I could enhance those sounds, but it just isn't worth the amount of work required. This piece, "Working Under Pressure", has 39 tracks. The only way I could enhance the various instruments individually is to load all 39 tracks, then mute the 38 I don't want, save that 39th track individually, save it as an MP3 or a WAV file, import that file into to Audacity, run it through one of the plug-ins or VSTs, save that track seperately in Audacity...and then do that 38 more times! then I would have to go back and totally remix everything from scratch with the enhanced files. I'll be 62 years old on the 22nd of this month. I want to finish before I die! I have already written about three dozen soundtrack pieces and have 8 or 10 more I haven't yet mixed. It would, literally, be an endless effort.

I do thank you, however, for your interest. You're a class act with music to match. Wishing you the very best,

Alan

Wendy,

Hi...and thanks! Glad ya liked it. Many of my instrumentals start out with me just messing around with my software or my guitar andf then something clicks and I build on that. However, this piece was designed to sound, more or less, as it does. The ticking clock affect (loud tick, eh??!!) was the first sound I looked for and, as you accurately described it, I built everything else around that. There was nothing accidental in this one.

there is a lot of retro sound going on. Baby Boomer old farts like me are a prime target audience for many retailers and service providers. if you listen to the TV commercials, you will hear a lot of 60s soundds and some 70s. Most people tend to enjoy the music they grew up with throughout their lives. So, guess what kind of music id used to lure the baby Boomer audience!

Thanks for the kind words about me and Helen. She's a pretty cool girl. As far as writing abook...I have writtne three novels so far and have three in the works. None of them are about us, though. Helen would allow that! They are all fiction. Two of them are humorous detective books and the others or drama/mysteries, usually set in the 1950s and 1960s.

Thanks fo the kind words. Much appreciated! Wishing you well,

Alan

Herbie, my friend!

You are much too kind, But, I could get used to it! Glad this workls for you. I have at least a dozen soundtrack pieces I've never posted here. Some ar emixed and some aren't. I'll post a couple more from time to time.

Hope all is well with you and Polina. Please give her our best...and the same to you. Thanks so much for the continual encouragement and kindest of words. Wishing you all things good,

Alan (and Helen)

Al, I like the sounds of your instrumentation. I too use a keyboard to compose some of the songs I do for Justice. While most are re-performed by Bill Creel and by Mike Dunbar and his guys in Nashville, some of them went straight to the cd, after mixing my Bill. I think that you can and do come up with some good sounds on a keyboard.

That is a lot of money for medication - my best wishes.

Tom

Tom,

Good evening. And thanks for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed the song. Actually, other than keyboard sounds per se, piano, organ and clavinet, none of it is from my keyboards. It is all from my software. When you hear a keyboard sound, about half the time it is from me actually playing the keys. The other half of the time, it is from the software as I am a mediocre keyboardist at best. So, unless it sounds like a piano, organ or clavinet, it didn't come from the keyboard. My software package really does have a lot of options; it's just that the sounds produced sometimes sound "too fake" or dated.

An yep, that's a bunch of bucks for meds. But, if it keeps the patient alive and somewhat functional, you don't worry about it...you just do it. One of her meds alone...just one...costs $4,446.00 each month. It is because it is used by so few people. The drug crooks...er, companies, make a huge profit per sale, rather than by volume. There are about 300,000 people in our county. Helen is one of only two people who use that drug outside the hospital environment.

Anyway, glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me know! All the best to you.

Alan

David....really a good piece of work here....excellent....no suggestions from me....hope you are doing ok....Helen too....Bob

Al,

Wow...I feel like such a jerk. I should have known that you were unable to upgrade, for financial reasons. I am new here, so I obviously had no idea about your situation, but...I am still saddened by my obtuse comment.

I get so frustrated when I hear people with little (and that's being generous) talent, `creating' music with all of latest `toys'; especially when there are composers, like yourself, that have great music, that are far more deserving, IMHO.

Bob,

Good to see ya, friend! Thanks for the kind comments. Hope all is well with you and Terri. Helen and I are getting along okay. All the best!

Alan

Steve,

Don't worry about it! The old timers are aware but many of the newer folks are not. I don't say much about it anymore. Don't want to sound like I'm doing the "poor me" thing! Feel free to give any comment you choose to. Short of a personal attack, I'm pretty hard to offend.

I always enjoy reading your comments and insights. You have a lot of talent and knowledge. Please comment on anything I post. I would appreciate it! All the best to you!

Alan

Al, you have quite a flair for whipping out these interesting instrumentals. I thought of James Bond as well. Was it my imagination or not but I thought I heard a faint phone ringing around 2:23, maybe I'm hearing things (maybe it was my phone w/some famous artist calling wanting to sing one of my songs LOL) I was okay w/the ending but maybe alittle bit more drama right at the very end. Take care.

Best,
Lynn

Lynn,

Good Morning!

I think it was probably Brad Paisely calling you. You should have answered the phone!

I just went back and listened twice with some pretty decent headphones and didn;t hear a telephone sound in the background. But heck, I'll be 62 years old next week...so who knows!

Glad you liked it. Thanks for letting me know. I've written about three dozen of these things. I've posted but a few here. Wishing you the best.

Alan

Alan

Good afternoon Al,

How are you and Helen doing these days? I wonder sometimes how your circumstances play into your music...consciously or otherwise...

Regardless, your pieces never fail to engage me, and this song is no exception.

I'm glad to see it was a Film Soundtrack piece, because that's definitely what I was hearing....but the actual film it might work for? I'm almost embarassed to tell you what my first thoughts were....

But HA! AS IF that would stop me from sharing it with you!! Just try not to laugh at me, or more importantly, take it as a negative....

Okay...it sounded to me... like... it could be used for ...."Oompah Loompahs meet Mission Impossible" ! Somehow, sections of the music early on reminded me of the little fellas.....and though the the song has a definite sense of mystery and dilemma, the pace for "resolution" is not frenetic. Maybe the queen Oompah Loompah has been kidnapped and held for ransom at the Wicked Witch's palace or something! :o

I know that's whacky, but I calls 'em like I sees 'em!! Obviously, a more marketable/realistic screenplay would need to be developed ...but there are enough nuances in the arrangement to allow for great flexibility with placement.

For the record, though, once I got the vision of the Oompah Loompahs in my head, I couldn't tap into the pressure cooker mode you were aiming to establish. I imagine them all having an underlying mellowness.....

So, there's my kooky interpretation, Al !! But no matter, since I enjoyed it a great deal...and wouldn't change a note!!

Keep up the good work, and send my regards to Helen....

xoxo,
Beth

I like it, Al. First part, I pictured some guy at his desk under pressure to produce something with the clock on the wall prominent in his view. Then he gets up and grabs his coat and goes for a walk and sees something (don't know what) that changes his outlook. At the end, he's back at his desk but with a smile.

Not sure how I got all that out of an instrumental.

Nice work. Hope the wrist is on the mend.....

Scott

Hi Beth!

You write the most interesting and entertaining replies/comments/reviews! I have to apologize for being a little in the dark about your description. I used to watch the old TV show, "Mission Impossible", back in the 60s. If I recall, it came on directly after "Man From U.N.C.L.E" on Sunday nights.

However, the movie part is where I find myself inadequately versed. I am not a movie person. I do not go to the theaters because the smell of popcorn absolutley nauseates me to the point of upchucking within seconds. Plus, I am not particularly entertianed by movies. I haven't a clue about the "Oompah Loompah" reference. It sounds like a very bad disease from the jungle that could cause a horrible pandemic.

In the past ten years, including the TV/VCR/DVD Player at home, I have probably watched a grand total of 6 or 8 movies, if that many. There are a couple, however, that I really did like along the way, ie: "Cat Ballou" (sp?), "Paint Your Wagon" (in spite of Clint's, um, um...singing), and a more recent one, "Bucket List".

All the said, and that's more than enough said, I appreciate that you liked it. I have writtern about three dozen soundtrack pieces. Some I have written to prescription (for specific movies), but most just "happened". I would see or hear something that made me think "Wow, that would be great with a soundtrack behind it!", so I go and write a soundtrack for whatever it was that caught my attention. I am working on a CD right now that I am going to call, probably, "Sounds Of The City". It's all oriented around the sounds and activities I experienced in cities such as New York, Denver, Atlanta, Hong Kong, Tokyo, etc. I am trying to capture the mood of a city at work, at play and in slumber.

Thank you so much for the very kind words about this one.

Oh, I received something rather unexpected in the mail today. It came from an address a little southwest of Boston. I'll send you a PM tomorrow telling you all about it!

Luv & hugs to ya!

Alan

Scott,

Good evening! So glad ya stopped in to listen and comment. Glad it works for ya. And wow, I couldn't have explained the sequence of events any better than you did. Were you channeling me as I was putting this together? That would have been in September or October of last year. I just "finished" the mix on it last week. But, I am going to remix it. I have too much of it panned left. I need to get me an orchestral chart and out things where they belong in the mix.

The scene that played out in my mind as I was writing this was very similar to what you described. A guy or lady is working under pressure to finish an important project and he/she keeps looking at the clock as the progress falls behind schedule. He/she catches up and is pleased. As he'she gets to the copy machine, it jams and they cannot get a service person out for a day or two. He/she frantically runs through the office complex looking for another copier that will meet the tough demands of his project. The "ticking" picks up again as he/she keeps looking at the time. Finally, a suitable copy machine is found and the last page spits out and all is assimilated just minutes prior to the deadline. Smiles around! You nailed it!

And yes, every time I write a soundtrack piece that is not intended for a specific movie I might be working on at the local college, I create an entire, fully scripted scenario in similar detail to what I just described for this piece. It really makes me work hard to get the right feel. As the movie scene plays out in my mind, the music takes flight. If what I am hearing from my tracks do not match the visual image in my mind, I try something else until they match. That's my process.

Thanks agin for the kind words. Your description makes me feel I accomplished my goal with this one. Thanks!!!

The wrist is getting noticeably better. I can now use two fingers of my right hand for typing, as well as my full left hand. But, no guitar or piano work for several more weeks.

Alan.

Oh dear!

The intended zaniness of this post was the dramatic juxtaposition I posed between the aforementioned Oompa Loompas and "Mission Impossible" !!! And yet you still found me entertaining.....hmmmm....

ANYWAY, let me see if I can help you out a bit with a little history and then some video.

First, Oompa-Loompas are fictional creatures featured in Roald Dahl's books [i]"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator". They come from Loompaland, which is a region of Loompa, a small isolated island situated in the Pacific Ocean. In the book (and ultimately the movie), they are the only people Willy Wonka will allow to work in his factory, because of the risk of industrial espionage.[/i]

In the following musical snippet from the movie version, perhaps you'll understand my association between your song and theirs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw0zZttfUaw

As for Mission Impossible, you're absolutely correct about a TV version in the 60's, which chronicled the high-stakes assignments of three government agents. It has gone on to become a huge movie franchise, starring Tom Cruise -- I believe there have been three installments.

But, vis-a-vis your instrumental, I was thinking back to the theme music from the original TV series. Following is another clip....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k55NuWQCh78

NOW, knowing what you know, and having heard what you heard, what do you think of my observation? Off-the-wall, yet on-target?

Regardless, I hope you enjoyed these pop culture moments as much as I enjoyed YOUR soundtrack!

See ya!!

Beth

Hi Alan

Another great musical journey - I sure enjoyed the ride All my best to Helen . Jm

Hi Alan..

Wow..I happen to think this is a great piece of work,but alas I know nothing about the music side,to give any constructive feedback...

All I know is it intrigued me enough to listen all the way through,and it sounded great to me..

I was reading the posts and I didn't know about Helen..She is lucky to have you!!..and, you just keep doing what you do!!!
And, I hope to meet the both of you when you move to Nashville!

here's wishing you and Helen a great day!!

Thanks again for all your kind comments and compliments on my song with Brad...its apprecaited from the bottom of my heart!

Hugs
Bren

Hi There Beth!

Good to see ya back with some clarification for me. And, yes, I can clearly see the point you were making. It's that incessant, repetitive percussion in the background that bleeds from ne to the other.

Should I now feel more intelligent that I know what an Oompa Loompa is? I'm not sure!

Thanks for the links to YouTube. I loved seeing and listening to the opening of the old "Mission Impossible" Theme. That was terrific!

And Beth, you are always a little off the wall....but yet so danged intelligent with it. That's why we love you so much!

Wishing you well and a speedy recovery.

Alan

jm,

Thanks for the listen and the kind words. Glad you enjoyed the journey. Hopefully, I'll write on soon that requires good seat belts to be safe on the journey! All the best.

Alan

Hi Brenda!

Glad you liked this. technical savvy isn't always required. A heartfelt "I like it"or "I don't like it" works just fine for me.

Helen may disagree with you at times about the being lucky to have me! But, she'sa pretty cool girl, anyway.

Wishing you well. And, BTW, you are welcome. That is a fabuolus song you guys did. Allthe best to you.

Alan

Quite realistic sounding and well done. Very nice composition. I am not sure that "Working Under Pressure" is the right title. Is sounds bigger and more important than that. Really sounds good.

Kevin

Kevin,

Thanks a bunch! Glad ya like it. I had several different working titles. I'm the worst at naming instrumentals...and 80%of what I do is instrumental!Some of the titles were "High Voltage", "Tension", "The Incessant Clock", "Running Out Of Time", "Short Deadline" and a few others.

Thanks for the kind review.

Alan

Hi Al,

This screams tension, just barely contained. Like a cork ready to pop! Another fine musical journey. I'm glad to be here for the ride.

Ricki

Congrats Al! Sounds great! The lead up to the ending was fine.

This track sets an interesting mood(s). It's both intriquing ala James Bond, and at the same time kind of happy-go-lucky.

As far as the "sounds" go, I'm open to all sounds old and new. My main concerns with sounds are if they work for the music. In this case, they do.

Best, John

Al,

This is another great one from you! I love the intertextual reference to the James Bond theme, and I can easily hear this in an episode of "Cold Case", "CSI" or something like it. Of course the citicism of your samples are fair, but I think this has a decent quality that might work well enough for pitching to TV.

About the final build, I think it could use just a wee more tension and perhaps end it with the increase in pace, like the person under pressure has to make it before... something :-)

Hi Ricki,

Thanks for the listen. So glad you enjoyed and that the feeling of tension was so obvious to you. For an instrumental composer, having someone tell you that your music spoke to them as evenly as lyrics is about the best compliment we can hope. I sincerely appreciate it. Thank you! Wishing you the best.

Alan

John,

Good evening! And thank you for your time to listen and comment so nicely. Glad you enjoyed it. I appreciate you telling me. And thanks for the other kind words as well. they are appreicated! All the best to you.

Alan

Magne,

Thank you so much for the warm review. I try to weave at least two emotions into my instrumental compositions. Sometimes they mutually comptable; sometimes they are competitive...depends on the song.

And I am very much aware of the dated sounds of some of my instrumentation. but, as I've said before, I work with what I have. I'm glad you feel the quality of the work might override the quality of the sounds. thanks! And I, too, feel this might be a good placement for those very TV shows you mentioned.

BTW, just wanted to tell you how impressed I am with your command of the English language. I am assuming your native language is Danish. I speak fairly fluent German and enough Spanish and French to get by in an emergency. Folks who do not speak a foreign language have no idea how much work it takes to master another language. Kudos to you!

Thank you again. All the best to you.

Alan

Hi Al,

Thanks for the thanks :-)

Actually, I found the sound in this quite good/appropriate to place in TV, and not just because the composition overides the sounds.

Actually my native language is Norwegian, and I speak danish, swedish and english quite fluent. But these scandinavian languages are very related and norwegians, swedes and danes can understand each other by speaking in their native tounge only. My mother was from Finland, but sad to say I never learned the language. I speak a little German too, and I started to learn French, but never got beyond the basic training. My english is due to my reading and writing from many years at the university, I think. All I read is in english, and that helps. But I have a harder time writing in conversational language, which I try as a country writer. That is the hard part for me.

Always fun to talk with you, Al.

Magne,

Norwegian, eh? I have to say that you are the first Norseman I have come to know. I have a friend from Stockholm and he made the same comment about the significant similarities in the various Scandavaian languages. I lived in Germany for almost 12 years. Denmark is the only Scandanavian country I have visited. Once, enroute to Keflavik, Iceland, my plane landed at the airport in Oslo. But, I never left the terminal. So, that really doesn't count!

Your English souns veru comfortably conversational. There are very few indicators in your writing that you are not a native English speaker. All the best to you, my friend.

Alan

Al,

Tlank yu vey muss! I appeciale t

I wish I have learned spanish like you, though. I loove spanish, and there is soo much great spanish music.

Alwais loosin ferwerds to lesten to yur musk, Al :-)

Magne,

Al
you always knock me off my chair with you beautiful music. Every one is a journey

Thank you my friend for allowing the listen
what a joy

Dan

Dan,

Thank you very much. I appreciate that. I'm delighted you like this and, apparently, some of my other work. I really enjoy doing this kind of stuff. It's quite a challenge to put it all together. But, when it works out (it doesn't always work out!), it's a nice feeling of accomplishment.

Thank you again. Wishing you well.

Alan

Dan,

If you get back to this, I was just wondering about something. Under your avatar it says you're from western NY. Do you mind saying what part? I have a good friend who lives in Watertown, up on the lake.

When most folks think of New York, the city is almost always the first thing that comes to mind. They do not realize who beautiful and rural the western part of and upstate New York is. I have another freind form Ilion, NY...up by the Finger lakes. It's absolutely gorgeous up there.

Just wondering.

Alan

interesting piece, I felt the tension build, hope it finds a home

Thanks a bunch, Ande. I appreciate the kind words from you. Take care!

Alan

Hi Al
sure do know watertown It is about 4 hours maybe less from me. I am right next to the Pa border. My town's population 2800 all grape farms. We are right on lake erie. Great fishing but lots of snow in the winter.

i hear you on all that! upon someone's (excellent) suggestion, i recently worked up a piece that was trying to be an 80's action show theme song. that was a LOT of fun ... complete with purposely pulling out the old 80's roland sound module for samples.

check it out here if you want:
http://griffbear.com/_vault/solo/soloaudio/prime_time_theme_2-16-09.mp3

i like the impending march in the "pressure" piece.

thanx.

p.s. i'm new to these boards. is it bad form to link to another song outside the "topic" song? i hope not ... just making/furthering conversation.