Lou Reed/Velvet Underground always struck a melancholic chord with me, and this is a little experiment conducted with his music in mind: what kind of composition and performance could I render with simply a single guitar, a little EQ, some reverb and a looper pedal?  This is the result, all played with my Gibson ES-330.

The “drum beat” is played thumping the strings and slapping the pick guard.  An 8 bar chord progression is looped over and over.  Then I have to turn those simple and potentially monotonous elements into something interesting to listen to for some minutes, with only a single guitar lead/melody track to do it.

Here’s the result of the experiment.  Does it work?  I dunno, you tell me.

Pretty - Little - Thing

Rust's climactic descent near Red Square in Moscow.

Piercing Moscow's Veil

Sometimes I think "this is it," and this is what it (kinda) sounds like in my head...

This It

Written by Cinco Barnes and Lance Woodson.

Reunion

A simple song I wrote about the rural valley where I live.  Photo credit to Drew Stawin (https://www.drewstawin.com/)

Wet Mountain Valley

Gemini, our debut release, is a tale of brotherly estrangement and how one can often find themselves worse for taking an unyielding position -- even when there is ample justification for it.  It is meant to be allegorical and relate to the dissolution of the American brotherhood that is happening as we are encouraged to pick sides and push each other away.

Musically, this song is a paean to the progressive rock epics of the early and mid 1970s.  Long-form songs with complex arrangements from bands like Genesis, Pink Floyd and Yes.  We hope you enjoy it.

Dearest brother,
How fortunate we are
To have each other
We'll never stray far
United we are
And thus shall we be
Together, forever
We'll always be free

Dearest brother,
What have you done?
I know that we
Are to always be one
But this is too much
You've strayed far from
Where we were born
When we were young

Dearest brother,
Is that you at the door?
I can see your face
But I can recognize you no more
Its not a good time
You shouldn't have come
Go back to your home
Beyond a distant sun
Far away from me

Dearest brother?
I don't seem to recall
Ever having had
A brother at all
I'm all that I need
A monument of stone
Austere and unmoving
Cold and alone
(Cold and alone)
Forever and ever
Cold and alone
Forever and ever
Cold and alone
(But I'm in control)
Forever and ever
Cold and alone
(I'm in control)
Forever and ever
Cold and alone

I'm in control

Gemini

This is an orchestral/symphonic piece I composed and recorded about the arrival of Spring.

Herald Of Spring

A song about the impermanence of even lifelong human relationships and the importance of them despite their transience.

Something That Might Last

A tale of a warrior and his faithful hound and their ultimate triumph over death.

In war-torn lands, where shadows loom, and chaos rules the night,
Our hero strides with faithful hound, their bond a guiding light.
Together they will face the storm, their destinies entwined,
Conscripted souls, to face the foe, against the shifting tide.

On fields of blood they stand,
The wolf and man.
A blade shines bright,
Claws can split the night.

The trials they endure,
Victory is sure.
Their's is a bond divine,
Two spirits intertwined.

As twilight falls, a somber truth revealed.
The faithful hound, now wounded deep, his fate is cruelly sealed.
Now alone, with tearful eyes, his master's silent plea,
To carry on, through mournful cries, in sorrow's reverie...

With vengeance in his heart,
He fights, though torn apart.
It weighs him down,
In grief to drown.

The conscript carries on,
Though hope is nearly gone.
Their bond will never sever,
As they join in death...
Forever

Mori (Dog Of War)

The fourth offering from The Velvet Ropes, Night’s Fire is a hard rock tale of a one time encounter and revisits the sounds of the 1990’s metal movement.

Night's Fire

The third movement is the heart of the concerto. Whyte states that “Gratitude is not necessarily something that is shown after the event, it is the deep, a priori state of attention that shows we understand and are equal to the gifted nature of life.” In “Gratitude,” my goal was to create the most beautiful and lyrical music I could to showcase the gorgeous vocal-like sounds of which the saxophone is capable.

Solace III. Gratitude

I am a musician & producer with influences from rock, R&B, funk, metal, jazz, folk and Americana.  I enjoy making my own music, and collaborating with others.

Pretty - Little - Thing

DevQuixote

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