When Tiff and I first sat down to write this song we had an idea or a basic premise for this project. Tiffany and I are an interracial couple and that by its self in todays world is not out of the ordinary. What separates us from the ordinary, is our age difference. And it is the age difference that initially brings out most of the awkward stares, the doubting looks, and the initial surprise when first meeting us. To Tiff and I, age is nothing but a number. We don't see our age differences because we look past the obvious to what really matters, and that is what's in our hearts and soul. But we recognize and respect other peoples feeling and or opinions. We try to be respectful as we present ourselves to the world. For the most part it has not been a difficult journey, but at times it has caused us some sadness. But because of our love and respect for each other, we move on and live our lives.The song "Unique by Design" written by Tiffany and I was our attempt to capture the challenges, the opportunities and the unconditional love of committing ourselves to each other. We wanted to share how love can be designed and agreed to. Recognizing we are a unique couple, we felt the name for the song would appropriately be, Unique by Design. We have been married now for over fourteen wonderful and challenging years. We did much brainstorming and had long evenings talking about how to present this song. We wanted a song that had a beautiful melody to convey how we feel about our lives. At the same time we also felt the need to express in words how we see ourselves and more importantly how other people view us. So the lyrics were important to us. Tiffany and I have always felt the need to collaborate because when in a bind between the two of us we always manage to find what we feel is the right approach or solution. This song challenged us. When we write music, Tiffany is usually the one who comes up with the words and phrases, while I begin to assemble the musical idea and look for a solid melody. But this song was personal to us. So what would normally be easy and fun to put together became a brainteaser. I saw my wife working to put together meaningful words and expressions but this was a tad bit more complicated. So as we always do, we stopped, challenged and chose something that we both came up with. Then we applied the idea until it fit. The same holds true for me when working the melody and the groove. Long story short this song was like baking a cake, we molded the ingredients till it hopefully tasted good. I guess the proof is in the pudding, so to speak.In any event, this song "Unique by Design" is the result of a labor of love. It became an exciting project to work on. Tiff is the singer in our family, yet she encouraged me to take on more singing than I normally like too, while at the same time, I challenged her to put a strong piano part in the melody. A fun part in making music is when momentum becomes obvious. Momentum challenged us to do try riskier harmonies and delicate timings. It was a fun song to play and sing. On the music side, I was having fun with my guitar tracks. The blending of the guitars was my objective. I had a blast setting up the guitar parts.The drumming and the bass parts were more challenging but as usual, I never turn away a chance and/or an opportunity to find a groove.Assembling all of the tracks is the fun part for me. Tiff is amazed as to how I can listen to each track and balance to tonal qualities and using the equalizers. My Tascam DP32SD is a versatile and reliable recorder. It allows me to multitrack and master the song. I like to use EQ and some basic form of compression to finalize the song.So until next time, Tiffany and I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to those of you who like our music. Music is the universal language of love, so thank you for listening to our music. It is truly a labor of love...Best Regards,Gary & Tiffany AKA "Exit4luv"

Unique by Design (Exit4luv Original)

Hey all....

(Entry December 2023.)
Time really flies. It's been roughly nine years now since I wrote that original bio. We are now into our thirteenth year of marriage and a whole bunch of songs. What a journey it has been. 
One day while driving back from Houston, Tiffany and I were talking about our music, which we both played together on and sometimes collaborated on original songs, when we decided to give our music some legitimacy, and decided to give our music project a "band name".  
After what appeared to be a long extended moment of silence, we realized just how hard it was to find a name for our band. For miles and miles we tossed one name out after another, yet nothing stuck or sounded legitimate. Finally after what appeared to be hours and noticing our gas tank was getting low, we decided to get off the freeway to get gas and hopefully a bite to eat. We then decided to find an "exit ramp", and all of a sudden a lightbulb went off in my head. 
We are very much in love with each other and usually out of nowhere and at any time, one of us would look at the other and just say, "I love you". Well it just so happened that as I was looking for the nearest exit off ramp to fill up our car, Tiff looked at me and told me she "loved me". It was at that moment when I saw the exit ramp coming up, she told me that she "loved me" and I said wow this is an "Exit4luv" off ramp, so I looked at her and smiled. What if we called our band just that? So there is a little insight into how we named our musical project, Exit4luv. True story. It happened on interstate 10 just outside of New Orleans. 

(Original Entry 2015.)
As you can plainly see and it's not too hard to notice, Tiff and I are kind of a unique looking couple. We stand out in a crowd in many different ways. It has not been easy on the two of us by any stretch of the imagination, however, don't ever doubt our love for one another. The bond forged between us runs deep and true. However, the actual secret to our love and understanding of each other is really kind of simple. Tiffany who is younger, is really old beyond her young years, she is kind of like the proverbial "old soul".  Where I, the actual "old person" on the other hand, has never grown up.  I say this "tongue and cheek" of course. 
Actually at first, she thought I had the maturity of a 15 year old. She was actually being generous, just kidding... 
I think right now I act and feel like I'm still in my early twenty's. To our way of thinking, age is truly just a number. 
So you see, this is where we are as a happily married couple. Sounds intriguing and funny, in a cute kind of way, yet it is so very true.
To play my guitar, my drums, and teach myself the bass guitar all the while trying to learn how to record music was my retirement dream. Life was just too damn busy to do both, provide for my family and play my music. 
For some reason that only God knows why, after working for what appeared to be a lifetime and felt like an eternity, I find myself living that dream. 
I raised a family, earned my Doctorate, retired from management, became an entrepreneur and taught college as an adjunct professor of "applied mathematics".
And fortunately for me, after what appeared to be a pure chance encounter, I met Tiffany in 2010.  Unbeknownst to her, she understood my passion and zeal for music and encouraged me to focus and prioritize my life, and to stay true to that dream. It is so cool that I can say "dear friend", because after a couple of years,Tiffany became my wife. We became friends first which was important to both of us.
I am retired, and a two tour Vietnam combat service disabled Vet. I have lived a great life. I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams. 
The rest is just Blah, blah blah...

Unique by Design (Exit4luv Original)

Exit4Luv