Yaaaaaaay, a holiday tune that hasn't been beaten to death or overdone like mad ;)

This is my favorite tune from my favorite Christmas movie, & was a total delight arranging & recording in a 2-day span (guitars/bass day 1, percussion & mixing day 2). As I love this piece dearly, this version is as close to the original as I could get it within the allotted time...maybe one day I'll do a proggy/shredtastic cover of this one ;)

Enjoy!

*Credit where credit's due: special thanks to Kale Daniel for running the board on percussion day (12-4am) & contributing some massive handclaps as well :)

"Linus & Lucy"

Happy Holidays!

This is my second holiday transcription/arrangement cover of 2013, & thus my last recorded performance of 2013. With this one, I tried to stay true to Vince's original performance (oy vey, piano lines on guitar are a whopper!)...for the first half, then I decided to put my own stamp on it :v

This particular recording served as a musical meditation/therapy, both arranging/prepping & recording processes, in dealing with a near-death experience I'd recently had. Through this piece of music I began to realign & put my fragmented self back together.

*Special thanks to Kale Daniel, who [again] served as the button-pusher (& spare hand-clapper) on this recording during the tracking of the percussion. Totally worth it, getting paid in burritos ;)

"Skating"

Probably the truest collaborative effort I've been a part of, "Proggle Balls" is a progressive rock reimagining of Jingle Bells created with my roommate/former bandmate/friend, Wesley Berger. Every aspect of this project was split 50/50, & we couldn't be happier with how it turned out. 

Paying homage to many of our prog (& non-prog) influences, this piece truly is a musical journey that will make you rethink what you know about Jingle Bells. Enjoy hunting for those little hidden nuggets ^_^

*Wesley also posted this to YouTube on his channel, which can be found here:
https://youtu.be/Z96g31DQMTM

Proggle Balls (An Ode to Jingle Bells in 7/8)

Here's another rendition of mine for the infamous "Happy Birthday" tune, this time utilizing bass harmonics in a solo context. Inspired by Jaco Pastorius & Victor Wooten, this version is a bit more somber than most others I've done. Enjoy!

*6-string bass is tuned standard (B-E-A-D-G-C)

"Happy Birthday" (Solo Bass)

2016's submission to the annual Christmas cover(s) is "Angels' Carol" by John Rutter, where I replaced all of the voices with guitars (& used a harp instead of piano). No tricks or gimmicks, just a stripped down tune that I recently heard & enjoyed (thanks Keith!). 

Everything was mixed within Amplitube 4, in order to become more familiar with the interface before using it with this first album of mine.

Enjoy!

*Guitars used: 
"Titan" ~ Richard Leach custom 7-string (soprano & mezzo), 
"Yusuke" ~ PRS SE Custom 24 (alto), 
"Albi [The Racist Dragon]" ~ Fender Telecaster American Special (tenor), "Prometheus" ~ Epiphone USA Pro (baritone), 
"Stromboli" ~ Gibson/Epiphone Les Paul (bass); 
"Jackmerius the Jackhammer" ~ PRS Mike Mushok Signature baritone (baritone 8vb dub), 
"Baba" ~ Ernie Ball/Music Man Bongo 5str bass (bass 8vb dub)

"Angels' Carol" ~ John Rutter cover

When thinking of some unique, "not-so-guitaristic" covers to use for the debut of a live solo band, Imogen Heap instantly came to mind...the choice was made ever easier with Immy releasing her deluxe albums with instrumental cuts of every tune ^_^

The beauty of an instrumental backing track to an established vocal tune is the ability to repaint the canvas as your artistry sees fit. In my case, I decided to replace all of her original vocal layers with guitars, with an almost Jeff Beck-style approach to performing it (enter the RH thumb & index!).

This tune has meant a lot to me over the past several years since I first heard it, & I can't wait to perform it live (both with my new backing guitar layers & with a live band). A special thanks to Jenna & Amber for getting me into this wonderful music!

*Re-uploaded as I updated the mix for this one.

"First Train Home" (Imogen Heap Cover)

So...I was upset that they didn't have this song in the version of Grease I was playing in. As a joke, I started playing the changes in a reggae fashion backstage at a rehearsal. We laughed so hard, we figured we'd do it for house exit music. So here's a bootleg of one of those performances

*We are winging it, so it's not perfect. Neither's your mom...snap.

"You're The One That I Want" - (Reggae Edition)

The first two tracks off my debut album, "Sonic Chef's Circus Absurdities", which you can order below:

www.alexmaiers.bandcamp.com

"Welcome" is an example of my love for Barbershop/a capella music (couple Music Man references in there).
Wesley Berger on tenor voices (2).

"Never Looking Back" is heavily influenced by Steve Morse, Steve Vai, John Petrucci, & Dave LaRue's playing. 
Mark Michell on Bass Solo, Joel Thielman on keys, Spencer Schoeneman on drums...& Ellory Hollingsworth on the voiceover.

Welcome/Never Looking Back

This cover was recorded for/with Jess Martin.

*Featuring my first recorded country solo...ever! Also featuring my first recording with Nashville-tuned guitar AND fretless bass :)

Instruments used:
Taylor acoustic (Dan Crary Signature Model)
Martin acoustic (Nashville tuning)
Buscanti Newport fretless bass
"Albi" (my 2000s American Tele)

"Remember When" (feat. Jess Martin) - Alan Jackson cover

Here's an idea of Wesley's: "Little Drummer Boy", using only basses to achieve the total sound.

Basses used:
4-string Music Man Bongo w/ Hipshot & piezo pickup
5-string Music Man Bongo
6-string Peavey Grind
4-string Carvin fretless (passive)
5-string Carvin fretless (active)

First time recording with my new fretless basses! Works in progress :)

"Little Drummer Boy" - bass cover

A jolly little Christmas collaboration between two lads and their favorite grump. If this brings you joy, we won't be selling it, but any sort of tips or donations are always appreciated! Venmo: @Wesley-Charles

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