Going Out on a LIMB

Do you remember when huge conglomerates like Clear Channel controlled the music that you heard on the radio and what venues in which bands could and could not perform? How about the days where the big 4 record label conglomerates, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI, Warner Music Group, and Universal Music Group, "manufactured" talent by hiring people who could sing and having session musicians write and play the accompanying music? Didn't you hate that these conglomerates also decided who to promote and how much; thus, affecting what music hit your ears and what did not? What about all of the bands that have been screwed over by having their copyrights taken away from them after signing contracts? Was it really fair that their intellectual property didn't belong to them? Was it appropriate for these conglomerates to only pay the bands a small fraction of the profits made from their music? Let's not forget about all of the bands who were forced to pay for their own tours! Many bands have broken up because they essentially went bankrupt.

Wait a second! I must have visited the future because much of this stuff is going on right now! One band that was fairly recently affected by all of this hoopla was Agents of Good Roots. Although I am not 100% certain, I am reasonably sure that AGR broke up shortly after signing on with RCA because the record label was pushing them in a direction they did not want to go. Being that they weren't ready to sacrifice their musical integrity, I strongly believe that they were forced to disband. Back in the day, bands like King Crimson and Genesis were "raped" by EG and Atlantic respectively. In fact, there were points in the 70's where these bands nearly disbanded too due to finances and inappropriate decisions made by the record labels. There are so many musicians who are victims of the huge conglomerates out there today that I could probably fill up 20 pages with 0.5 inch margins on all sides --single spaced!

The first attempt that musicians made to take some control over their destiny was during the late 60's and 70's progressive rock era. Bands such as Genesis, Yes, ELP, Pink Floyd, Rush, King Crimson, and many others strived to keep their musical integrity by flexing their musical talents and pushing boundaries. Some of these bands found ways to keep their musical integrity. However, punk music had the unfortunate side effect of putting an end to the progressive rock era because suddenly people didn't have to sing in tune or be virtuosos. They just had to be angry and against "the establishment". Unfortunately, to many punk rockers, "the establishment" included the notion of progressive rock bands with all of their "pomp" and "self indulgence" and not just the record industry. Another extremely unfortunate side effect of punk rock is that they essentially paved the way for hip hop. In my opinion, hip hop is one of the biggest mis-steps that music has ever taken. An even bigger mis-step than punk rock! Sadly, the music industry went steadily downhill from there.

I could go on and on about how great bands were negatively affected by the industry. However, I'd like to put a stop to all of this nonsense and level the playing field once and for all. My solution would be called LIMB or League of Independent Musicians and Bands. The mission would be to help bands become self sufficient and self sustaining. LIMB would teach them how to promote themselves, how to take care of their own finances, provide any necessary legal assistance, and, most importantly, allow musicians to keep the copyright for their intellectual property. Through the help of some big names in music and some great law firms, LIMB would further level the playing field by forcing companies who monopolize the market such as Clear Channel to sell radio stations to small companies or individuals for a reasonable price. We would also force Ticketmaster to allow competition for the "manufacturing" and distribution of concert tickets. I think it's fair to say that Ticketmaster makes more profit per ticket than just about any band does. I've had the idea for LIMB since about 2003. I would love to make it a reality. However, without some big names to provide initial financing and clout, LIMB will remain but an idea posted in a blog. In order to stay in business, LIMB would have to charge musicians and bands a yearly membership fee. However, the fee would be quite reasonable considering the services that LIMB would provide.

A Diamond in the Rough: Who is Endeavour?

Image: Angel of Siloam by Scott McMahan

Play my songs from the player in the side bar!

Endeavour is a one man band that was born in late 1994. It's sole member is me. I had started serious work on a few compositions in the early 90's. The earliest of these songs is Chinatown Jam which, in it's earliest incarnations, dates back to the late 80's (circa 1988). Chinatown Jam began as a purely pentatonic piece. By time I recorded it in March of 1995, it was more or less in the key of B. However, the pentatonic roots are still apparent. My second composition, which made it to DAT, but not the "final cut" was an untitled song with 3 or 4 distinct sections. In the end, it seemed too much of a hodgepodge to make it on the final cut. This was the longest composition at the time and clocked in at over 8 minutes. I had started working on the third song, Going Away, just after my Grandfather died in 1993. Hence, the title. In some unrecorded incarnation, Going Away including some vocals. However, I ultimately decided to keep it instrumental.

So, it was late 1994. I had 17-20 minutes worth of music. Each song varied in length every time I performed it. This might be a good place to mention that most of my compositions are largely improvised. Anyway, my goal was to end up with about 45 minutes worth of music. By my self-imposed completion date of April 1, 1995, I fell a bit short of that goal. Nevertheless, these songs showcased my musical capabilities at the time. By April 1, I had composed 2 more songs. Journey of the Decaffeinated Turtle and Miracle of Sequencers. I had also recorded 3 piano improvs and a "synthprov". The improvs and "synthprov" were untitled until I made my CD master from DAT in 2002. A friend, Scott McMahan, provided the cover art. Alas, the CD was never officially released on any record label. Nevertheless, it is available upon request.

"Why am I writing this over 14 years later?" you ask. Excellent question! In short, I'm at a point in my life where I want to get heavily involved in music composition again. Honestly, I have no desire to ever do extensive touring regardless of whether or not my music ever becomes popular. That said, the idea of performing at special events here and there could be attractive. Anyway, let me refocus on "now" for the moment. I honestly feel like I am a diamond in the rough. I think I have the raw talent for music composition. Having said that, I'd like to make it clear (although it should be obvious if you listen to my songs from 1995) that I'm not interested in becoming a "pop star". In fact, in the next 10 years, I'd prefer to become more of a household name among professional musicians than the general population. What I might lack in capability of playing truly complex pieces, I feel that I more than make up for in "vision". As is evident in Miracle of Sequencers, I can invision music. I seem to have a knack for playing music in my head and then, perhaps painstakingly, writing "visually" note for note using sequencer software. In fact, I can tell you that this wasn't a one-time occurance because I began "visually" composing a new song in 2007. For various reasons, it currently stands incomplete. The main reason being that I wanted to compose it in 13/8. However, the software I was using only allowed for 12/8. Thus, rather than completing it and then rewriting it later, I put it on the back burner. I plan to acquire software that will allow me to compose in 13/8 as well as, hopefully, other "exotic" time signatures. I am also one who likes the idea of "time signatureless" music. Since I typical use a piano roll editor when composing "visually" as opposed to a sheet music editor, it doesn't seem like the notion of "time signatureless" music would be that difficult to accomplish.

I suppose I still haven't completely answered the question "why am I writing this?" Well, I am actually hoping to get discovered by a person (or people) who would be willing to nurture my raw talents and understanding of musical composition. Person(s) who have similar musical tastes and ideas, but who are more accomplished and refined than myself. I'd like to befriend a person (or people) willing to make this diamond, with all of it's character and imperfections, shine. So, if you like the songs that I have provided, think you might be on a similar musical wavelength, and are willing to take on this challenge, please leave a comment with your contact information (i.e. name and e-mail address).

Life After Triumph: What happened to Rik Emmett?

Remember the second famous Canadian rock trio called Triumph? They formed in 1975; about a year after Rush. Triumph reached their peak in popularity with the 1984 release of Thunder Seven. Due to artistic differences, Rik Emmett (guitarist extraordinaire) was kicked out of the band. Shortly thereafter, the two remaining members, Gil Moore and Mike Levine made sure that Triumph was quite literally none of Rik's business despite the fact that Rik was 1) the major talent in the band and 2) the major composer in the band. Triumph released one more studio album in 1993 with Phil X filling in for Rik. I bought the album back in 1993 because a sticker on shrink wrap indicated "The triumphant return of Canada's rock 'n' roll machine!" Everyone who's a fan of Triumph knows that Rik Emmett was the "rock 'n' roll machine". Thus, I thought they were back. I unwrapped it and noticed that Rik wasn't on there, but I played it anyway. It was dreadful!! The songs were horrible!! The vocals definitely were not of the quality I was used to hearing from Triumph. I took it back to the store and got a refund.

So, where is Rik now? Working at a gas station? Did he become a real estate agent? No! He's still an outstanding guitarist and has a string of solo albums dating back to the 1990 release of Absolutely. Though quite different from much of his work with Triumph, Rik's solo material is worth checking out! Since then, he has released a string of rock albums, some acoustic albums, jazz albums as duo Strung Out Troubadours with Dave Dunlop, and progressive hard rock as Airtime featuring Michael Shotton. Rik plays bass and guitar on Airtime's album!

Rik has a masters degree in Music Composition from Berklee College of Music in Boston. From the beginning of his career, he composed both intricate acoustic pieces and rock songs equally well. Most of Triumph's albums included at least one acoustic guitar piece performed solely by Rik. Over the years, Rik has done little cartoons and had his own column in guitar magazines. He remains a well respected musician within the industry. Rik's latest release is Push & Pull by Strung Out Troubadours which was released May 2009.

Landscape Renders

This is fractal mathematics at its most complex. Yes, folks, all of the images below are completely computer generated. Although some are darn near photorealistic, they were all created with Terragen 0.9x.

I welcome comments on these. However, please keep in mind that not all of them were meant to look real. Some, Solem River on Mars especially, were meant to appear more as a painting than a photo.

These are definitely best viewed full size!

Kaliekahaer Peak (morning)

There is also an "evening" version of this where the sun appears in the background. However, I chose to post this one as I feel it is the better of the two. As you can see, Terragen is capable of some pretty cool lighting effects.

Lake Traleon

A tranquil mountain lake scene. I had Terragen make use of reflections on the calm water.

Mount McKittrick

A fictitious mountain that is said to be located in a remote area of northern Alaska. Terragen 0.9x does not have the capability of showing glacial formations. So, the snow was made from water (as it is in reality). I just changed the water color to white and adjusted the reflectivity.

Solem River on Mars

This was generated from a "surface map" I created using one of my fractal designs. It marks the first time I used an external image to create a surface map for Terragen.

Spiked Highlands

An imaginary place where dragons roam. Only the brave travel here.

Treasure Quarry Jin 8

I was going for a specific lighting effect here and think I pretty well nailed it. It's not obvious from this render why it is a "treasure quarry". However, there is an alternate render that reveals the land as quite golden.

New Releases: June 2009

Saga is revamped and, to use a Crimso term, "highly thrakked" on their new release, The Human Condition. You can hear 4 tracks in their entirety on the Official Saga site. Great stuff! Whether you're a veteran Saga fan or just like intelligent, melodic rock, you'll love The Human Condition. As some of you know, this is Saga's first album to feature the new lead singer, Rob Moratti. While his vocals are significantly different from Mike Sadler's, I think Saga made a great choice for a new front man. They certainly could have done worse. For instance, I don't know what Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford (of Genesis) were thinking when they chose Ray Wilson. While not a bad vocalist overall, he wasn't a great fit for Genesis. Hence, their disbanding shortly after the Calling All Stations tour. Anyway, in short, Saga is back --and with renewed energy!






Once down to just 2 official band members with the 2002 release of Cry, Simple Minds came back with a vengeance with Black And White 050505. As the title implies, the album was released in 2005. This album marked the return of Mel Gaynor (drums) and the addition of the best basist they've had since Derek Forbes . . . Eddy Duffy. Now, Simple Minds is back again with some strong material and the June 2009 release of Graffiti Soul. This album features the same lineup as Black and White 050505. Thus, the band still has a solid rhythm section and Andy Gillespie adding keyboard atmospheres. Currently, Graffity Soul is only available as an import. However, they are planning a US release on the Decca label in the fall. I've been a Simple Minds fan since their 1985 release, Once Upon A Time. Since then, I've bought nearly their entire catalog and collected quite a few (read 3 CDs worth of mp3 audio) "rarities". That said, I think the latest 2 Simple Minds albums have their strongest material since Good News From the Next World (released in 1995).

King Crimson Hits 40!

"Born" in 1969, King Crimson turned 40 this year!



Bassist extraordinaire, Tony Levin, is back in the current incarnation of the band as is Pat Mastelotto (Drummer). King Crimson is a dual drummer beast again with the addition of new recruit, Gavin Harrison (from Porcupine Tree). An excellent (and legal) live recording of the line-up can be found here. It is a complete concert and includes a very energetic rendition of The Talking Drum leading into the classic Larks' Tongues in Aspic Pt II. This performance also includes a very cool, funked out version of Thela Hun Ginjeet clocking in at nearly 9 minutes!

King Crimson is arguably the only band (let alone prog rock outfit) from the late 60's that is still a big influence for some of today's bands. There has yet to be an official announcement for a new album, but I'll bet that Crimson hits the studio before the end of the year. With a little luck, we might have new music from them by late fall or early winter. With Tony Levin back from touring with Peter Gabriel, I sure hope Fripp doesn't pass up on some new material!