I began taking music lessons from Lydia Smutny-Sterba when I started my first year at Morton College, if memory serves. This would be the fall of 1976. Mrs. Sterba had me learn Trepak from the Nutcracker. At our recital she had us wear white gloves to keep our hands warm before the performance. She was a great music teacher and she wanted me to stay with music rather than study art.

This piece is from an 8-track cartridge tape I recorded that I called “Mike In Concert.” I made the 8-track for my brother Buddy's family. That's my niece Donna and nephew Jimmy, Buddy's children, in the picture with me. My brother Monte appears framed in a photo.

Trepak (The Nutcracker)

I wrote and sang this song. I played multitracked instruments: my Yamaha DX7 synthesizer keyboard and my Yamaha RX5 Digital Rhythm Programmer. I mastered the recording with my Commodore Amiga computer with MIDI sometime in 1987 or '88.

Here's where you can hear different versions of this song:
on.soundcloud.com/BfGqn
on.soundcloud.com/3wLUK
https://on.soundcloud.com/iQz9ySGsZ7sNpLQY8.

A version of this tune eventually ended up in my CD "Mostly Acoustic" available here: www.amazon.com/Mostly-Acoustic-M…cz/dp/B00G2O466M/.

Black Whole of Love

"[Verse]
Munchin' on the beetles
It's a tasty treat
Insects on my plate
Yeah they can't be beat
Buzzin' round in harmony
Livin' in peace
Eat the beetles
Save the world
Let the hunger decrease

[Verse 2]
With every bite I take
The future becomes clear
Eating insects
My friend
The solution is near
Buzzin' little creatures
They're filled with vitamins strong
We're helping Mother Nature
Singing this feel-good song

[Chorus]
Eat the beetles
Oh yes
We're on a mission
Changing the world
It's a tasty tradition
With every crunch and chew
We're making a choice
Eat the beetles
Let's unite
And rejoice!"

This song urges us to consume insects, a good protein source, to improve our ecology while dancing to a compelling EDM beat. It was the first song Patricia Ann Happel and I created with AI. We used Suno.

Eat the Beetles

"[Verse]
It's becoming the norm
In the summer heat
Cicadas all around
They're here to party
Jumping up and down
Invasion of the brood
Buzzing in my ear
But I got a secret
That will make you cheer

[Verse 2]
I'm eating cicadas
Reducing brood invasion
A crunchy sensation
My new favorite temptation
They're swarming in numbers
It's a natural phenomenon
But I'll turn the tables
Make it my anthem

[Chorus]
Buzzin' delight
Cicada's on the menu tonight
Crunchy and tasty
Giving them a fright
EDM beats
Dancing to the rhythm of the swarm
Eat cicadas
Yeah
It's becoming the norm"

Lighthearted tune about cicadas as a delicious appetizer in the year of the largest swarm in the US since 1803. Very danceable! Trish Happel and I created this song with Suno AI.

Cicada Crunch

"(Verse 1)
Roger Corman, they chanted your name.
Roger Corman, they chanted your name.
Roger Corman, King of the Bs.
Roger Corman, King of the Bs.
You gave us tales wild and free,
From monsters deep to skies unknown,
In your world, we found a home.

(Verses 2,3)
Through "Little Shop of Horrors," fear and fun,
A blooming menace, second to none,
"The Pit and the Pendulum," a haunting sight,
You wove our dreams into the night.
With "The Raven" and its mystic lore,
And "House of Usher" by the shore,
Your films, a canvas of the strange,
In every frame, you made a change.
Through "Death Race 2000," a future bleak,
Your daring vision, unique,
From "X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes,"
You showed us life beyond disguise.

(Chorus)
Roger Corman, King of the Bs,
You gave us tales wild and free,
Roger Corman, forever be,
The King of the Bs, in our memory."

An homage to the late, great filmmaker Roger Corman. Trish Happel and I created the lyrics with ChatGPT and the music with Suno AI.

Roger Corman Forever Be

"(Verse 1)
In the twilight of the silver screen,
A legend rose, unseen,
With a heart for tales untamed,
Roger Corman, they chanted your name.

(Chorus)
Roger Corman, King of the Bs,
You gave us tales wild and free,
From monsters deep to skies unknown,
In your world, we found a home.

(Verse 2)
Through "Little Shop of Horrors," fear and fun,
A blooming menace, second to none,
"The Pit and the Pendulum," a haunting sight,
You wove our dreams into the night.

(Verse 3)
With "The Raven" and its mystic lore,
And "House of Usher" by the shore,
Your films, a canvas of the strange,
In every frame, you made a change.

(Verse 4)
Through "Death Race 2000," a future bleak,
Your daring vision, unique,
From "X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes,"
You showed us life beyond disguise.

(Outro)
Now the curtain falls, the final scene,
Yet your legacy remains evergreen,
Roger Corman, forever be,
The King of the Bs, in our memory.
Roger Corman, forever be,
The King of the Bs, in our memory."

An homage to the late, great filmmaker Roger Corman. Trish Happel and I created the lyrics with ChatGPT and the music with Suno AI.

Roger Corman, King of the Bs

I consider myself a fringe transmedia conceptual artist and have experimented with all kinds of media like drawing, performance, writing, music, painting, moviemaking, game design since I was quite young. I'd love it if you would check out what I've got going here in the sound department.

Trepak (The Nutcracker)

Bohacz & Frenz

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