This is my cover of Aaron Guidry's The Path, which was originally performed by the Ronald Reagan High School Marching Band for their 2021 competition season.  This cover is dedicated to the 2021 RRHS Band, its composers, directors, volunteers and families.  

I took the audio from Reagan Band's finals performances at Super Regionals and Grand Nationals, laid it on top of Aaron's original audio stems, mixed it, and then added my own interpretation on top of it all.  Additional instruments are guitars, bass and drums.

This project was initiated in November 2021 with permission of Aaron Guidry, taking five months to complete.  While I enjoyed putting my heavier spin on it, it was done in honor of the original arrangement and the students' performances.  They're the reason I pursued this project to begin with.

I hope listeners of my cover can hear how differently others can interpret music from the stands, compared to how its performers must focus all of their energy upon performing the music presented to them.  It's quite different.  My 20+ years of writing heavy music surely influenced how The Path hit me upon first-listen, but what shines-through is how demanding, unforgiving and apologetic it is.  I wanted to take it a step (or two) further.

What I would offer to younger listeners is that as a musician, you don't ever get to decide how others will be affected by what you create and perform.  That's why you must always write and play from the heart, never questioning the outcome.  You never know whose lives you'll affect, and what you'll get back from it.  That's the beauty of music.

Thank you again to Aaron and everyone who put this wonderful music and program together.  It arrived at a time in my life when I couldn't have needed it more.

The Reagan Collection

A Heavier Path

A Heavier Path (2021)

This is my cover of Aaron Guidry's In Plain Sight, which was originally performed by the Ronald Reagan High School Marching Band for their 2022 competition season.  This cover song is dedicated to the students, design team, directors and staff, volunteers and families.  

This project was initiated in July of 2022 with Aaron's approval, taking nine months to complete.  Having more time to study his composition was what I had hoped would make for an interesting experiment, given how the competition music can morph throughout the season.  What I learned was that the lead time really didn't change the end result; I needed to 'feel' the conclusion of the season via the band's final show to really solidify my approach.

I took the audio recordings from Reagan Band's final performances at both Super Regionals and UIL State, aligned them  to the original composition's tempos, mixed them...and then added a one-man metal band to it all.  Additional instruments are (lots of) guitars, bass and drums.  Sonically, the goal was to make the cover sound as live as possible.  Balancing the performances of 300+ students with a virtual band is a daunting task; I hope the end result still amounts to a unified sonic experience.

While I'm certain students would say that In Plain Sight was very demanding music, I believe they'll look back and appreciate being challenged by it each and every set they performed.  That's the thing about marching band - as a performer you usually don't get to pick what you play.  You have to trust in the small piece that you own, and embrace the chances you have to play it down to the last second.  

If A Heavier Sight serves to do anything purposeful, it's to accentuate the sheer power and dynamics of the original music, and to hopefully make listeners smile as they compare their own experiences to such a different take.  As a parent and musician, sitting in the stands and watching the band get closer to the music's original intent each week...was bliss.  I have no doubt that many years from now, the students will look back at their 'dots' and relish the wonderful sounds and shapes they were part-of.

Lastly, I hope that Reagan Band can look back on their final UIL performance with utmost pride.  Every other performing school that day could have been 'technically flawless'...but no other band was able to demonstrate the preparedness, composure, focus and commitment Reagan put on display.  It was unforgettable, and that's why I tried to pay homage to it at the opener.

Thank you for listening, and I hope you enjoy A Heavier Sight.

A Heavier Sight

A Heavier Sight (2022)

This is my cover of Aaron Guidry's "From Chaos", which was originally performed by the Ronald Reagan High School Marching Band for their 2023 competition season.  This cover song is dedicated to the students, design team, directors and staff, volunteers and families.  

This project was initiated in July of 2023 with Aaron's approval, taking ten months to complete (working about an hour-a-week on it).  As before, I took the audio recordings from Reagan Band's final performances at both Super Regionals and UIL State, aligned them  to the original composition's tempos, mixed them...and then added a one-man metal band to it all.  Additional instruments are (lots of) guitars, bass and drums.  With this being my third effort at combining a live marching band and what people in my tiny circle would call 'progressive metal', I wanted to really challenge myself with everything from production quality, to programming, to metric modulation.  This project was so much fun, and I'm forever grateful Aaron trusted me to pursue it.

If there's anything I hope "...To Chaos" offers the familiar listener, it's to hear how far you can take a melody or a rhythm from its starting point.  Aaron's composition is so brilliant to me that I wanted to see just how far I could take a moment or vibe, and send it 'into chaos'.  I'd never expect anyone outside of this genre to understand or even enjoy this song, but for the committed musician, I hope it makes you smile or even laugh.

Lastly, I want to especially dedicate this project to Reagan Band directors Greg White and Katy Fehr.  Their leadership, passion for music and selfless example is felt from the stands, is resident in our children, and is appreciated more than I can convey.  I will miss them greatly.

Thank you for listening, and I hope you enjoy ...To Chaos.

...To Chaos (2023)

This is my prog-metal mash-up of Aaron Guidry's production 'Fallen', originally performed by the Ronald Reagan High School Marching Band for their 2024 competition season.  This project was initiated in July of 2024 with Aaron's permission, and took 13 months to complete. 

Easily the hardest project I've taken-on of its kind, I elected to take my time with it and try to again capture the power of marching band in a unique way.  More than ever, I'm in-awe of what the program design team create for their students, and how they challenge them to deliver it to their audiences.  I know that many years from now, everyone involved will have so many fond and inspiring memories to reflect-upon. 

Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoy Fallen...Harder.

Fallen...Harder (2024)

Coping via headphones, a guitar, a bass and some pretty good software.



Gear: 

Panasonic RP-HC-720 headphones
Dell XPS8300 (circa 2011)
Scarlett 2i4 audio interface
Warmoth Telecaster w/Tom Anderson H3/H1 pickups
MTD Kingston Heir 5 w/Bartolini pickups

Software:

FL21 (Fruity Loops)
DFH2 w/metal and pop expansion packs
EZMIX2 w/expansion packs
Waves Audio 13 (full bundle)
Neural DSP guitar plugins
Flux eye fatigue reduction

Justin Martin

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