One by One

Keep In Step

The World Changed (We Waited)

Marzipan Flower

Victory Of Hyperion

Wander

Bone Marrow

In Sideout

Balmoral Castle

Tell Tale Heart

My Dream

By the Sea

Kitabet Beat

We Shall Overcome (World Beat Edition)

Good Life New

Miracles

MiraclesLightVers

This track is the title track of an album that I started working on in early 2013. By the time I finished the album, I had over 40 songs (or motifs) to work with, and I am still writing more music.
This track is really about the Military Industrial Complex, and all that it means to us in terms of force and domination over people and the earth.

American Bridge

"I would love a life where nobody cries..." What more can you say in a love song? I recorded this one out of thin air too. It was the first real song to come out of a short recording session at a makeshift studio in Hollywood, CA in the summer of 2013. The guitar part came to me first, so I played the guitar along with a simple drum machine, Then I added the bass line afterwards. Later (the next day), I over-dubbed the lead guitar solo and rough vocals.

I Would Love

I play all of the instruments and sing on this self composed arrangement of the Howlin Wolf recorded, Willie Dixon classic blues number. Anyway. I always wanted to cover this song, ever since I heard the 1960's version by Cream. As you can tell, I adhere pretty closely to the original. Huh? No.

"Spoonful" (Howlin Wolf/Willie Dixon/Cream cover)

This is my feeble attempt at recording my rough interpretation of the Rogers and Hammerstein show tune which was turned into a semi-gospel song by the likes of Elvis *The King. Here I simply sang the basic verses and a chorus over a West African beat, with a little added synthesizer, topping it all off with the riff rock guitar at the end.

"You Will Never Walk Alone" (Rogers and Hammerstein cover)

She Has

Like Air

Meaningful

Anyway

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Sgt Pepper album!! I played all of the instruments in this version.

We were talking
About the space between us all
And the people who hide themselves
Behind a wall of illusion
Never glimpse the truth
Then it's far too late
When they pass away
We were talking
About the love we all could share
When we find it
To try our best to hold it there
With our love, with our love
We could save the world
If they only knew
Try to realize it's all within yourself
No one else can make you change
And to see you're really only very small
And life flows on within you and without you
We were talking
About the love that's gone so cold
And the people who gain the world
And lose their soul
They don't know, they can't see
Are you one of them
When you've seen beyond yourself
Then you may find
Peace of mind is waiting there
And the time will come
When you see we're all one
And life flows on within you and without you

Within You Without You (George Harrison cover)

Seventeen Dance

We Are Bears

Jerry Was a Nazi

Save Us From Plastic

My music ranges from Punk to Eastern to Folk to Riff Rock to Reggae, with touches of Jazz, Hip Hop, Swing, and of course some Blues.
https://www.youtube.com/user/LawrenceofVA

Except for a few covers, all songs are written and composed by myself. I play all of the instruments on all of these tracks (except for the occasional guest on violin). 

SONGWRITING PROCESS: Most of this material came out of thin air. It is all recorded in one take (or occasionally two) sessions, using very basic recording equipment. I often start by recording these spontaneously improvised sessions on guitar. Working with whatever I get on the first or second take, I then add vocals and other instruments, including bass guitar, additional drums, and synthesizer sequences. The first phase of recordings began in early 2012 in Hollywood, and ended in the fall of 2013. The second phase began in early 2015 at Watts Passage (with incredible acoustics).
All of my tracks are essentially live sessions with live over-dubs recorded on the first or second take. The reason behind this methodology is that it is expedient and has a "live" feel. These are spontaneous recordings. 

RECORDING TECHNOLOGY:  There are no ProTools being used here. This is about as basic as it gets. Most of my raw material is recorded onto a simple $25 micro recorder (like the ones students use to record class lectures). Once I record a part, the data is put into a basic video editing program that allows me 4 tracks for audio editing. I usually record and edit the tracks very quickly.

INSTRUMENTS: The electric guitar parts are played on a Carlo Robelli with the same type of three pickup, active electronics found on a Paul Reed Smith. I play through a Crate Amp and run everything through the famous Korg ToneWorks Pandora, which enables me to change tunings, program beats, and achieve virtually any sound. On several songs, I even make the guitar sound like a Sitar. I get lots of colorful harmonics and over/under-tones that add layers of depth to the songs. 

The acoustic guitar parts were all played on an old acoustic/electric Mitchell with extra thin strings. I also play an Oud and a Bonsori used on a couple of tracks.

Many of the drum and bass parts were programmed, but I play a borrowed bass on some tracks (like "Stupid Fool").  I have a basic Pearl Export Series drum kit that I often use to lay down some steady beats that can be looped for recording the guitar parts over. Virtually every song features a hand drum (made in Montana by the Drum Brothers). There is also the occasional timpani, sleigh bell, and tambourine.

VOCALS: I am someone who connects with the music more than the lyrics of a song, so my vocal parts are often just a suggestion of the harmony. The lyrics for songs like "Goodbye Lou" and "I Would Love" just seemed to come to me from out of nowhere. On other tracks I have struggled to try to find some lyrics, and nothing worked. Thus, over half of my songs are instrumental.

This is my music.
Enjoy and share. 

Check out more Demos on YouTube.
Feel free to contact me regarding record deals, soundtrack composition, licensing, studio work, or if you are looking to form a band with someone with my particular talents and musical interests: LawrencofVA@gmail.com

LawrenceofVA

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