Piano Composition 2021 - 04 - 23

Flat Line Horizon - by Zoltán Szentkirályi and Joe Altieri
Joe Altieri - guitar and vocals
Zoltán Szentkirályi - drums
Carl Braxton - bass

After my father passed away in 2002, I returned to Los Angeles in 2003, looking for the right outlet for the intense passion of music and sonic release that I grew up watching in my father and cultivating that same intensity in my own heart.

I wrote the lyrics for Flat Line Horizon in late 2003 while processing the grief and implications of my father's legacy and the meaning of my own life.  One day 2003 I stood on the sandy shore of Venice Beach, looking out at the vast cold depths of the Pacific Ocean, struggling with the weight of all my ambitions as a classical music composer's son.  Looking behind me at the hustle and bustle of people and buildings stretched up and down the shoreline, I observed the futility of human striving. The lyrics to Flat Line Horizon came to me in that moment, the waves rolling in and pulling back out, my feet sinking into the sand, with the weight of the world on my shoulders.  The immensity of the distant horizon looming larger than anything I was burdened with carrying in that moment. 

It was in 2003 that I met Joe Rivers Altieri (guitar and vocals) and Jim Cheydleur (bass) while I was auditioning different bands as a drummer. We had a good vibe, and we started rehearsals with a mix of Joe's and Jim's songs, and my interpretations added. The hangout was at Rob Campanella's Figment Sounds studio, Hollywood Knolls, Los Angeles. In 2004, we started recording the songs with Jim, but after some upheaval he was out of the band, and a frequent friend at the studio Carl Braxton stepped in on bass, and we moved forward recording Joe's songs as a trio with Joe, Carl and me, with a tougher more raw sound.

Aside from my drumming artistry and surge of energy I brought to the band, Flat Line Horizon was my song contribution, and Joe took it seriously. Special thanks to Joe for singing my lyrics, and coming up with the low rumbling guitar riff, like the surging swells of the deep ocean building up into intense crashing waves.

Legacy lives, became a part of me... what do I carry, bring along with me...
Bring it to the ocean, to the sun and the sea... standing by the watershore, it's me and only me...
Flat Line Horizon, throwing waves at me... Closer to the end... Closer to the sea
Humankind creation, to see and to be seen... just tune it out, tower behind me
Humankind creation, that I don't wanna see... weight is sinking down into the sand beneath my feet
Flat Line Horizon, throwing waves at me... Closer to the end... Closer to the sea... Flat Line Horizon...
It's my enemy

My vivid memory of the live intensity of this song is from the show that Joe booked at a Hell's Angels bar in Orange County, not a place I would've chosen to play. After the ominous low rumble broke into a fury, all the men stopped what they were doing, and stood still and stared, and then inspired a bloody beating that one guy cleaned off his hands with a band t-shirt. This was not the kind of career environment I imagined as I set out to proudly follow in my PhD composer father's footsteps. It wasn't too long after that I parted ways with the band, in the midst of the personal turmoil and fallout from the death in our family.  They continued with a different drummer, and I went on tour with grammy winning artist and producer Pete Anderson.

This recording is a board mix of the primary drum, bass, and guitar tracks, with scratch vocals that give an inside view into our communications while laying down the tracks, and the raw energy we were channeling into the songs. I am proud of these raw mixes, because the eventual finished mixes that Joe released were overproduced, and the power of the songs was lost.  It's time for me to share the raw sound that resonated the Hollywood Knolls and brought everyone in to see the source of the rock intensity we produced.

Flat Line Horizon

Time and Time Again - by Joe Altieri - guitar and vocals
Zoltán Szentkirályi - drums
Carl Braxton - bass

Description by Zoltan:

After my father passed away in 2002, I returned to Los Angeles in 2003, looking for the right outlet for the intense passion of music and sonic release that I grew up watching in my father and cultivating that same intensity in my own heart.

In 2003 I met Joe Rivers Altieri (guitar and vocals) and Jim Cheydleur (bass) while I was auditioning different bands as a drummer. We had a good vibe, and we started rehearsals with a mix of Joe's and Jim's songs, and my interpretations added. The hangout was at Rob Campanella's Figment Sounds studio, Hollywood Knolls, Los Angeles. In 2004, we started recording the songs with Jim, but after some upheaval he was out of the band, Carl Braxton (bass) stepped in and re-recorded the bass lines, and we had a tougher more raw sound and played mostly Joe's songs.

This is one of Joe's songs, Time and Time Again, an epic rocker among friends.  Every time we gathered, had a few beers, enjoyed good times and fun, but when we geared up and let the sounds fly, a raw chord of the depth of emotion in the plight of humanity rang out through the vocals and the music.

My friends are so tired of waiting for me...
Don't look back, there's nothing to see...
Yeah It's hard being everyone's friend, at once...
Time and Time Again, they reach out for me...
My time is passing, passing quickly... my days mean more to me

This recording is a board mix of the primary drum, bass, and guitar tracks, with scratch vocals that give an inside view into our communications while laying down the tracks, and the raw energy we were channeling into the songs. I am proud of these raw mixes, because the eventual finished mixes that Joe released were overproduced, and the power of the songs was lost. All the extra effects and echoes added everywhere washed out the focused punch and growl of the raw tones. It's time for me to share the raw sound that resonated the Hollywood Knolls and brought everyone in to see the source of the rock intensity we produced.

Time And Time Again

Planted Headfirst - by Joe Altieri - guitar and vocals
Zoltán Szentkirályi - drums
Carl Braxton - bass

Description by Zoltan:

After my father passed away in 2002, I returned to Los Angeles in 2003, looking for the right outlet for the intense passion of music and sonic release that I grew up watching in my father and cultivating that same intensity in my own heart.

In 2003 I met Joe Rivers Altieri (guitar and vocals) and Jim Cheydleur (bass) while I was auditioning different bands as a drummer. We had a good vibe, and we started rehearsals with a mix of Joe's and Jim's songs, and my interpretations added. The hangout was at Rob Campanella's Figment Sounds studio, Hollywood Knolls, Los Angeles. In 2004, we started recording the songs with Jim, but after some upheaval, Carl Braxton (bass) stepped in and re-recorded the bass lines, and we had a tougher more raw sound and played mostly Joe's songs.

This is one of Joe's songs, Planted Headfirst, one of his intense visions of fate.  This imagery is like a twist on Jesus' famous parable, that like a tree planted by the rivers edge, you will prosper and flourish, and not run dry, even in a time of drought.  Except in this vision Joe had, the wicked are planted upside down into the ground, reaping a darkness of seeds sown.

This recording is a board mix of the primary drum, bass, and guitar tracks, with scratch vocals that give an inside view into our communications while laying down the tracks, and the raw energy we were channeling into the songs. I am proud of these raw mixes, because the eventual finished mixes that Joe released were overproduced, and the power of the songs was lost. All the extra effects and echoes added everywhere washed out the focused punch and growl of the raw tones. It's time for me to share the raw sound that resonated the Hollywood Knolls and brought everyone in to see the source of the rock intensity we produced.

Planted Headfirst

Wrote these lyrics for my deaf brother who lost his hearing at age 9, and we clashed many times.  This is my plea for anyone raging with anger and resentment.  Turn it around, your loss is found.  This was my vocal audition for the band Apex Theory in 2003.  Music written and recorded by them.  Vocal melody and lyrics by me.  My vocals recorded and mixed in by my friend John Graves in Los Angeles, former guitarist for the hard funk rock band Sugarbuzz from my hometown Bowling Green OH.

Your Loss is Found

Your Loss is Found ... Los Angeles 2003 ... Zoltan vocals with Apex Theory band

expressive instrumental piano and drums, a hopeful plea

Mommy Love Daddy ... Dallas TX 2011 ... Zoltan composition

lyrics, lead vocals & bass - Elisa Johns
guitar & backup vocals - Mike Lord
drums - Zoltan

Elisa and Mike started the band Rendered Useless with Mike (usually a guitarist) on drums, Elisa on bass, and a dude in a chicken suit on guitar.  Zoltan arrived to Los Angeles in 1999 with the Chicago indie rock band Fire Bug and became friends with Elisa and Mike at the local rehearsal studios in Van Nuys CA.  When shakeups happened for both bands, Elisa boldly asked Zoltan if he wanted to play drums in their punk band, and the trio took off from there.  To this day, Zoltan still plays on the Gretsch drumkit from Mike. The song "Serial Killer" comes from Elisa's experience with a guy who later turned out to be exactly that.  High energy, high speed, high intensity, irony, humor, beer and great times!

Rendered Useless - Serial Killer

Rendered Useless - 11 Cents

Juliette Tworsey - lead vocals
Jules Shapiro - guitar
Jeff Eccles - bass
Zoltan - drums

Fire Bug - Long Time Ago

Fire Bug - Somethin' Strange

Fire Bug - Ten Years

Fire Bug - One In A Million (Shining Stars)

Fire Bug - One Mile In Your Shoes

The Ugly Lovemakers
Tony Lowe - lead vocals and guitar
Justin Payne - guitar
Chris - bass
Zoltan - drums
(additional band members?)

In 2003, Zoltan returned to his hometown Bowling Green, OH to find a flourishing music scene, and had the opportunity to collaborate with several musicians and bands throughout 2003 and 2004.  Tony Lowe on lead vocals and guitar, Justin Payne on guitar, Chris on bass, Zoltan on drums (and additional musicians?), played several live shows in BG and Toledo, including Chris's wedding on Halloween 2003.  These songs were recorded in the studio across from Madhatter Music in downtown Bowling Green OH.

The Ugly Lovemakers - Track 4

Miguel Marin Montenegro - guitar, keys, vocals, composer
Jared Christofferson - bass
Zoltan - drums

Sedated Grief Recovery Jams

As a drummer among struggling artists in Los Angeles, I got to pick and choose who to play with.  It was a breath of fresh air to jam with Miguel and Jared.  I was like a big brother to Miguel, who had countless unmentionable demons he was battling, especially growing up without his father.  When I lost my father in 2002, our jam sessions in East L.A. became a private place for me to let out the depth of my grief as we jammed. Eventually though, in trying to steer Miguel in the right direction, I myself became susceptible to his demons and downward spiral.  Miguel was my first close friend who took his own life.  It was several years after I had escaped the clutches of L.A. and moved to Dallas, where I became a father, and committed to following Jesus.  Out of self-preservation, I distanced myself from Miguel, looking to regain the honor and integrity I had briefly tarnished in L.A.  He called me the months before he took his life, but I delayed returning his calls, although I knew he needed encouragement, and I intended to share Jesus with him.  My regret, along with two others, my cousin in Ohio and a librarian colleague at SMU who committed suicide, resulted in my mission to encourage the life destiny in every person, especially those battling suicide.  John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”  This memorable jam we played so many times in 2003-2004 was a blessing, I am grateful, to throw down some grooves from my heart, with friends I knew would not judge me, literally pouring out my own tears, my own deep loss and grief after losing my father who was such a hero in my life.  RIP Miguel Marin Montenegro, a talented composer despite the demons that plagued him.

Miguel / Jared / Zoltan ... D4B ... Rock Trio ... Los Angeles 2004

The Doctor knows what ails you, and gets straight to the point.  Before discovering the composing software Sibelius, my limited piano skills kept me to playing just the basic grooves.  In May 2011 I bought a Korg piano for the living room, in June 2011 the Dallas Mavericks made an inspirational run to the NBA championship, and by July 2011, I had tested my recording setup with these 2 minutes of piano groove with the drums creating the changes.

The Doctor

Zoltán Szentkirályi
Drummer, Composer, Author, Statistician, Coach
Champion of empirical evidence
doctorzoltan.com
Breakthrough New Life, LLC
Master Your Lifetime of Evidence!
Professor at Southern Methodist University
Researcher of spiritual and physical health
Disciple of Jesus and His healing ministry of miracles
Son of music composer Dr. András Szentkirályi

Doctor Zoltan - rock drums & compositions

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