This is a piece I wrote for one of my classes. Really proud of this one. A bit lengthy, but that's because it's basically two distinct songs in one. Simply put, the song shows the evolution of technological reliance and electronic elements in music, starting around the 1970's and continuing through modern-day. I will post a more detailed analysis of it about a month from now, after it's been performed. 

I think it runs the gamut musically. For fans of Vangelis, Jean Michel Jarre, Angelo Badalamenti, Pink Floyd, Yes, Between the Buried and Me, Radiohead, The Flaming Lips, Dream Theater, Snarky Puppy, STS-9, Thank You Scientist, A-Ha, Journey, Daft Punk, Bassnectar, and the film Mulholland Drive. 

Listen when you have some time on your hands. Enjoy!

Analysis:

No Hay Banda is a two-part piece that chronicles the evolution of technological reliance and electronic elements in the history of popular music. Clocking in at 15 minutes, the piece is quite dense at times, spanning several musical styles. The title of No Hay Banda (spanish for there is no band) is a reference to the David Lynch film, Mulholland Drive, in which the main characters visit a nightclub only to figure out the "live" music they heard was actually being mimed over a tape-recording. Simply put, this is allegorical to the fake nature of Hollywood Lynch wished to convey in the film. This serves as a parallel to my piece, as I point out the insincerity of the popular music industry over time.

Part 1: The Face of God, evokes musical characteristics of the early/mid 1970's, when synthesizers found their niche in popular music. The pacing during Part 1 is slow, taking its time, not in a hurried pace to reach a catchy hook. The classic analog synthesizers are interspersed with more traditional electric and acoustic rock instruments to really hammer in the aesthetics of this period of music, as well as to capture the feelings of discovery, wonder, and inspiration that were prevalent in much of the music at the time. 

Toward the end of Part 1, the music becomes more dissonant, eventually "crashing" as a sound-clip from the first televised broadcast of MTV plays, signifying a great change in the popular music industry. This ushers in a new era of music, where catchiness trumps innovation, and popular hits are written for the short attention span. 

Part 2: My Mind is Going, evokes musical characteristics of the 1980's, when synthesizers developed a more prevalent role in the fabric of songs. The beginning of Part 2 is intended to be painfully generic synth pop, with the chorus hook repeating way too many times. The electric guitar is heard briefly for a solo, but is promptly "interrupted" by the returning hook.

The second part of Pt. 2 features more modern-day EDM synths, with a driving, pulsating beat, and the obligatory "drop" heard in much dubstep nowadays. Guitars are utilized briefly in this part, however they, like the rest of the instruments, are heavily-compressed and mechanical. Another staple of much modern popular music is quoting, or out-right ripping off other artists, so in the last chorus, I include the melody from Lady Gaga's Poker Face, which fits nicely over the chord progression. During the last chorus, the song "skips", ending in white noise, revealing that the whole second part of the song was pre-recorded and the performance had been mimed. At this point, the musicians on stage will reveal that their instruments are not even plugged in. A sound clip from Mulholland Drive concludes the piece, conveying to the audience that the second half was all faked, tying the themes together nicely. 

No Hay Banda

Piece I wrote for my Computer Music Ensemble class inspired by the iconic first episode of the classic 90's video game, Doom. The piece contains themes from every music track found within the first episode, altered and arranged in a progressive metal setting. Originally mixed and performed in 5.1 surround with an accompanying game-play video, here it is in stereo. Enjoy!

The Phobos Reanimation

My arrangement of the Eruyt Village theme from Final Fantasy XII

Eruyt Village Guitar Cover - FFXII

My guitar only arrangement of the Twinkle Park Cart theme from Sonic Adventure. All sounds on this recorded on guitar.

Twinkle Part Cart (Guitar Only Cover) - Sonic Adventure

My arrangement of "Pleasure Castle", the theme from Twinkle Park from Sonic Adventure. One of my favorite Sonic themes.

Pleasure Castle Cover - Sonic Adventure

My Halloween-themed cover mashup of "Vampire Hunters" from Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) and "Dracula's Castle" from Castlevania Symphony of the Night.

Castlevania Halloween Mashup Cover

My bluegrass/county arrangement of the Slide Theme from Super Mario 64

Slide Theme Guitar Cover - Super Mario 64

My symphonic metal arrangement of "Lifelight", the theme from World of Light in Super Smash Bros Ultimate

Lifelight Guitar Cover - Super Smash Bros Ultimate (World of Light)

My funky guitar cover of Tee Lopes's old theme for SomecallmeJohnny's Youtube channel.

SomecallmeJohnny's Theme Guitar Cover

My symphonic/progressive metal arrangement of the Gusty Garden Galaxy theme from Super Mario Galaxy.

Gusty Garden Galaxy Theme Guitar Cover - Super Mario Galaxy

My progressive metal arrangement of "It Doesn't Matter", Sonic's theme from Sonic Adventure.

It Doesn't Matter Guitar Cover - Sonic Adventure

Calm electronic piece written for a video.

Hope

Guitarist/Composer. I enjoy playing many styles of music, including metal, rock, blues, jazz, funk, classical, and folk. I am influenced by everything I hear.

Mylezalker

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