This song was composed using AI, Machine Learning, and Algorithmic musical techniques to the fullest extent possible. The band’s name, song title, lyrics, melody, harmonic structure, drum track, images, mixing and mastering process were all performed using AI, ML or algorithmic software commonly available to the consumer. Team members: Jason Palamara, Joel Matthys, Justin K. Comer, Matt Vice, Lori Palamara, Mohammad al Hasan.

Zillion Inch Keytar, Body Of A Nightmare (AI Song Contest 2021!)

Bonus points if you can tell where the samples are from

Scarlet Sunrise

Vanessa Porter, violin
Greg Martin, piano

Vanessa Porter is a violinist who has made her own way in the world of music, rather than only following the usual paths of a performer of concert music.  Consequently, through projects like her Green Dot Journeys and her National Parks commissions, she has forged a unique road as a performer, bringing her playing into a number of concert venues that are off the beaten path: into the homes of music aficionados, into the national parks, and other non-traditional venues.  I had the great privilege to help her with a composition contest for the Green Dot Journeys (named after the roads in Rand McNally maps that are considered very scenic), and I loved the entire process she undertook to make this project work.  As she began to plan her next composition project based on the National Parks of the United States, I hoped that I would be able to write a piece for her based on the park in my home state of Montana: Glacier National Park.

This sonata is a very accessible, single movement, thirteen-episode piece that uses as a framing device the beautiful scenic elements of the park that are close to, viewed from, or a short walk away from the marvelous roadway called the Going to the Sun highway, the only road in the park which crosses the park, west to east.  In a land of wonders, so many of which can only be seen by back country hiking, the amount of stunningly beautiful scenery that can be seen from this road is nearly overwhelming.  Each episode relates to various places along the highway, traveling from Lake McDonald in the west, and moving along the road to Lake St Mary in the east.  Along the way, the traveler rides next to McDonald Creek, by the trail of Cedars, past Heaven’s Peak, the Weeping Wall, up to the top of Logan Pass, past hidden treasures such as the Triple Falls, the Garden of the Gods, moving up and across the Continental Divide, down around Siyeh Bend, past St Mary Falls, Baring Creek, Sunrift Gorge, and then to St Mary’s Lake.  My hope is that the music reflects at least some of the beauty of this part of Montana with its clear, tumbling streams, cloud-crowned mountains, green forests, red and grey rocks, multi-colored meadows of flowers, and its calm, cold lakes.

During the composition of this piece, I was greatly assisted by viewing the photography of many folks, but I would like to single out and thank a friend of mine who regularly photographs the wonders of Glacier National Park, Mr. Blake Passmore.  You may view his photography at FineArt American: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/blake-passmore.html

Additionally, I was greatly assisted in my writing by a wonderful violinist colleague, Dr. Davis Brooks.  His suggestions and editing of the violin part made this piece better in every way.  Mille grazie, m’amici!

Commissioned by and composed for Vanessa Porter

Violin Sonata No. 2 (Going to the Sun)

This track was composed, performed, mixed, and mastered by artificial intelligence for the 2022 AI Song Contest. Indy Rubbish Mice is a team comprising of musicians, AI researchers, physicists, and technologists based in Indianapolis, Indiana, and led by Dr. Jason Palamara. The vision of this team is to use popular music-making as a way to deeply engage in the intersection of technology, creativity, and musicianship with artificial intelligence tools. The diversity in expertise in this team creates opportunities to explore structured sound through both technical and creative lenses, investigating how algorithmic methods balance or even compete with the idea of traditional aesthetics and music theory in songwriting. The team members consist of university faculty in music technology, acoustics, and physics, and include Ph.D. students, Master's students, and undergraduate students that are a subset of the Artificial Intelligence in Music Working Group (AIMWoG) housed at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis.

Indy Rubbish Mice, "Only If You Wanna" (AI Song Contest 2022!)

Almost everyone agrees that you should not put yourself first in life. This seems to be a universal rule. Yet, we often violently disagree on what we should lift high up and put on that pedestal. It also seems that much of the world's strife, misery and bloodshed can be tied directly to what some people put up on their pedestal. This piece reflects my attempt to push everything extraneous off of my compositional table and see what remains. None above me was premiered by the JACK Quartet in 2014.

none above me (2014), performed by the JACK Quartet

look dave, I can see you're really upset about this
I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly
take a stress pill
and think things over

sub-routine C1 532/4

The lone track on the B-Side of this EP offers a change of sonics and emphasizes the beauty in an otherwise solumn soundscape. Available for Free Download at FREE DOWNLOAD or at my BandCamp! 

https://urbanessence.bandcamp.com/album/the-real-ep

Free Download

Ozzy's Dub

This minimal yet up-beat tune uses all of its elements to their full potential flexing any system it is put through. Available for free! Just click FREE DOWNLOAD :) I appreciate you all, peeeaaceeee <3

The Real

This track explores deep and meditative tones to set the mood for any dark and expressive musical journey. Free Download available at FREE DOWNLOAD or my Bandcamp!
https://urbanessence.bandcamp.com/album/the-real-ep

Meridian

More stochastic minimalist weirdness, inspired by BurgerBot 4545 on Facebook

Borger Machine

Ethiopeakin'

Jason Palamara is a performer/sound artist from New Jersey living and teaching in Indiana. He teaches electronic music and composition at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.  He also has teaching experience from Indiana Wesleyan University, Butler University, Indiana State University, Grinnell College, The University of Iowa, and The University of Louisville and ten million other places. He has composed music for many dance, film and theater projects, and specialized in new music technologies, collaboration and improvisation.  He was a founder of LOUi, the Laptop Orchestra at the University of Iowa and is currently building the world's first laptop orchestra made of 100% recycled machines, #trashchestra. He is also one half of the electro-acoustic sax and violin and laptops duo JC//jp with Iowa composer-musician Justin Comer.  You can find links to his music, events and more info at www.jasonpalamara.com.

none above me (2014), performed by the JACK Quartet

jason palamara