"Struck" is a small collection of tracks prominently featuring my antique upright piano, brought together to celebrate Piano Day 2021.

...

Early in 2020 I found a listing on Facebook Marketplace for a free antique upright piano. If you've ever been in the market for a secondhand piano you might notice that many people are just giving them away for free, mainly because they are cumbersome and costly to move. "Free" is a bit misleading.

So I found myself the proud owner of a genuine Cable Company of Chicago upright piano made in 1904. Shortly thereafter, a sweeping pandemic took over the world and I suddenly found myself more acquainted with this lovely antique. It has been over a year since I've picked it up, and couldn't be happier. Noisy hammers, a stuck Low A, a damper pedal that works on almost all of the notes. It has character. I'm always looking for ways to incorporate it into my music. it has changed how I compose and experience music.

I wanted to participate in Piano Day this year because I feel like I finally have something to contribute. This is my musical offering and I hope you love it. Please leave a comment!

~Michael Southard (Time Rival)

Natural Void

Time Rival is the ambient music project of Illinois native Michael Southard.  At a young age, Michael became interested in music production and recording engineering, creating countless albums of esoteric, cross-genre music.  He earned a bachelor’s degree in music business from Southern Illinois University in 2007 and has continued honing his production and songwriting skills.
The music of Time Rival is ambient in nature and has been described as “music for dreaming”.  Mostly piano and synthesizers heavily effected by computer wizardry.  It’s generally warm and pleasant with tiny hints of tension.  Music to help the listener decompress and provoke deep thought in this digital age.

Michael also creates technical, beat driven electronic music under the name @SupplyFi, is one half of the duo @Amberglow-3, and collaborates regularly with @runninginslowmotion and @belial-pelegrim.  He is a co-owner @triplicaterecords,  has a monthly radio show on Threadsradio.com and curates mixes and playlists for TRIP FM
For inquiries: msouthard.music@gmail.com

Ionut Mirel Udrea (Member Of APRA/AMCOS) is a music composer, piano player and music producer based in Sydney - Australia. 
Ionut Mirel Udrea composes emotive piano-based instrumental music.