4) Headin' Out
June 15, 2025 - What's on the menu? How about some fun, old school, 1950's, vintage retro nostalgia. Headin Out is inspired by Buddy Holly & others. This is going to be a very fun project! I do have Fender Deluxe, Twin, Bassman & Magnatone amp effects to work with (some favorites of the day). I also have some old school mic simulations to use for vocals (Shure 55SH, AKG D12, etc). Definitely going to have to up my snare game. Some of the aforementioned amps & mics are included in the image above. I currently have the verse/chorus section chords worked out. Lyrics are maybe 2/3 finished. The song will be in the key of E.
*** I ended up archiving my Tampa Bay Rays Fan Club at Facebook on the 4th of July. I founded the group around 13 years ago & it had reached nearly 26,000 members. Amongst other things, I was having trouble with some of the other administrators/moderators that led to unnecessary stress. I just wasn't having fun anymore. The group was also very time consuming. Basically we were all working for free. I love our team, but it was cutting into the time I needed to work on things that really matter to me, like my music/artwork & spending time with my family. I am going to be an Uncle for the first time in August! It was a hard decision, but it was the right decision. I am trying to eradicate clutter & simplify my life. Technically, I made a stand on the 4th of July & declared my Independence.
July 27, 2025 - I did it!! Finally got the song structure worked out & the drum track completed. It's gonna to be a very fun, upbeat tune. Very excited about getting it recorded & then moving on to the guitar & bass tracks.
*** The drum track is recorded. It turned out perfectly. Was well worth all the time & patience.
July 30, 2025 - Our little miracle arrived today. One of he happiest days in my entire life. This is Aidan (20" tall, 7.1 lbs). He is the son of my youngest brother Shawn & his wife Ashley. I am well into my 50's, the oldest of 4 boys & Aidan is our first true blood descendent. Miracles do happen!! Aidan will be a fountain of youth for our family. I will wear my new title Uncle Brian with tremendous pride 🦊
Aidan Redmond Fox (b. July 30, 2025)
August 5, 2025 - I got the bass track & a scratch vocal recorded for Headin' Out. I used a Tube Amp effect on the bass. It was a bit of a challenge to control, especially for the parts that required some finesse, but I got it done. It is a very fun & melodic walking bass line. Nice big sound ....
August 9, 2025 - I got the electric guitar track completed!! My PRS is amazing!! I did manage to capture a cool vintage 1950's sound. I also recorded an acoustic guitar track. It will add some extra depth & help accent parts of the song, especially the 2nd half of the verses, which is technically the chorus section. I am contemplating adding some keys/piano to the song & I definitely need to come up with a lead guitar track. We have family visiting next week, so I will have to put this project aside for a bit. A nice opportunity to relax, have fun & rest my ears.
The Million Dollar Riff! - It is a bold term indeed, but a very fitting one. Been kicking around ideas for the lead guitar track & I found the perfect solo riff for the beginning & middle sections of the song. That simple rhythm solo that helps sell the song & is unforgettable. Will also be able to work off of it in the solo section & outro. Riffs like this aren't a dime a dozen, they are one in a million!
August 20, 2025 - Had a blast hanging out with family over the last 10 days! Mom loved her BD get-together & our new addition Aidan is doing very well. I got back to work today & touched up the acoustic guitar track. It is now officially finished. All that is left is the lead guitar. I have my million dollar riff already worked out, so things should come together fairly quickly.
August 26, 2025 - Welp, I had to pull a quick U-turn & double back. The primary rhythm guitar track just wasn't sitting well with me. It's awesome, but the tone was a bit too abrasive with the other instruments. Song needs to have a nice smooth blend. I have been experimenting with using my Spark Amp & lining out directly into my recorder, instead of using the onboard effects. I found an awesome effect that is going to work much better!! I am old-school & my recorder is a bit of a relic, so it makes sense to use the more modern effects. This is also a good example of patience as a virtue. I am in no rush, this isn't a race. Take the time to get it right & be 100% happy.
*** (8-28-25) I finished the new rhythm guitar track & it sounds perfect!! I also re-did the acoustic guitar & it is freaking epic! Now I can relax for a bit focus all my attention on the lead guitar & that million dollar riff I mentioned earlier. This song is going to be a HIT!!!!
September 3, 2025 - I did it!!! All the music for Headin' Out is finished. Just need to find the time & a place to lay down the lead vocals. Took about 2 1/2 months to pull it all together, but it was well worth the time & effort. It's an awesome song!! Very catchy & fun.
January 3, 2026 - I ended up doubling back to this song. I listened to a rough draft cell phone recording that I had & realized it was missing something. The realization was that the million dollar riff is actually 2 lead guitar parts working together. I did it in the outro section, but after listening back I realized I had to also do it for the intro, between the verses, as well as the outro. I had an open track to work with, so all is good. The track will inevitably evolve to include a few other things here & there. Further proof that patience is a virtue. May take a few days, or so, but I will get it done.
*** (1-6-26) - I did it!!! Track is completed. Was such a simple yet massively important adjustment.
5) Son of a Gun
The 3 Amigos (PRS, Taylor & Ibanez)
October 27, 2025 - The acoustic guitar track is completed! I am also working on recording a bass track. The song just felt like it needed something extra. I have 2 tracks with rain & traffic. Been waiting patiently for a nice rainy day to get a live recording to use. Surprisingly, their haven't been many rainy days here in my area of Florida.
October 29, 2025 - I did it! All the music is officially completed for this song w/scratch vocals. I spent the whole day recording a keyboard track (violin effect) & all day yesterday recording the bass. My ears are exhausted!! Between these 2 tracks, I have all the depth & dynamics that I will need. I still want to take a shot at adding a real life rain track to the song. Just have wait for a rainy day to come along. As I have mentioned with my previous songs, I will be renting studio space at some point in time to do all the final vocals. It has only taken 25 days to get to this point. That's some solid progress,
*** Ended up doing a few more edits here & there. Simple little things to help tighten the song up a bit more. There are a lot of stop & go moments. I also added some reverb, compressor & very subtle EQ to the tracks. It sounds pretty dang good. Very unique song!
The Devil's Ballroom
Halloween 2025 - Here I go on another grand adventure! Had a blast working on Rainy Day Serenade, but I have been dying to unleash my inner beast & try my hand at something a bit more heavier. I love horror movies & freaky things. I also have my new PRS guitar sitting there & feeling neglected lately. I need to crank up the wattage & write a blistering Rocker. So far, all I have is a concept & some very raw lyrical ideas, but it will come together. I am in no hurry at all, only goal is to have it finished by the end of the year. Decadence, debauchery, cults, deadly sins, etc. Am I referencing politics & a certain ballroom that is being built during the longest ever government shutdown while so many people are hurting & suffering. Yes, I am guilty, that is part of the inspiration. Greed as the deadliest sin.
November 3, 2025 - Making a little bit of progress. I have 2 verses written & a catch line that will be part of the chorus. I think the song will be in the key of E Minor.
*** Things are evolving quickly!! I am starting to work out all the various sections on electric guitar. It's gonna ROCK!!! Some elements remind me of my Metallica & Megadeth days. Definitely going to be a heavier Hard Rock/Metal type tune. I am also going to do something a bit outside the box for me. The song will primarily be in E Minor, but will also alternate to A Minor & B Minor in various sections.
November 9, 2025 - The lyrics are finished and they are EPIC!!! Very picturesque & dark.
Best drummer ever! Alesis SR18
November 11, 2025 - My Alesis SR18 drum machine! I just bought this beast a couple years ago. Did a ton of research & it was highly recommended as one of the best for the buck. It is has totally lived up to the hype! This is the first album I have ever used it on. I used preset kits on the previous 6 tunes, but I have decided to branch out & create my own custom drum kit for this song. It's going to be amazing!
So dark & savage!! The daily specials at The Devil's Ballroom are the 7 deadly sins!
November 15, 2025 - I have the entire song planned out & the vocals finished. The percussion track is about 2/3 completed.
November 24, 2025 - I have the percussion & bass tracks recorded! Took a ton of patience & hard work. The song tempo is 123 & I also added a splash of swing. The tune is approximately 4 min 40 sec long, which is perfect! The middle solo section is very cool. The song is probably in the Industrial, Goth, Dark Theatre genre. I used a 'Fieldy' effect for the bass which worked perfectly. Normally I would record the guitar & scratch vocals next, but have decided that I will work on the keys instead. It is a very theatrical song. I have to create the proper ambiance. Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!
December 5, 2025 - I have created & recorded an absolutely perfect keyboard track!!! This track has totally changed my persecutive for this song. I am actually considering making it an instrumental & sharing the lyrics as a poem inside the album sleeve. I am also positive there will be another keyboard track so I can pan them to opposite sides for some epic depth & dimension. May even add a 3rd for extra effects, nuances, etc. MyYamaha PSR E463 keyboard ROCKS! Huge Thank You to my buddy Jeffrey Cook for the gift. It is amazing! Actually heading to the Space Coast side of Florida to hang out with Jeff & Renee this weekend. It's Renee's BD!!! It's gonna be blast & a much needed get away.
*** I finally managed to record some live rain for Rainy Day Serenade while I was staying with Jeff & Renee. Took almost 2 1/2 months!
November 12, 2025 - Massive progress! I have the 2nd keyboard track completed & recorded!! I primarily used a Carillon & Grand Piano effects. I have decided this will be an instrumental song. The structure & composition are more than strong enough as it is & I still need to lay down a lead guitar track. I may do some simple background humming/chanting & just sing the catch line in the chorus sections "Now all raise, all hands divide."
*** (12-17-25) Dang! Caught myself a nasty little cold/flu. Has slowed down my progress a bit. Probably for the best. Gives my ears a chance to recover, while I work out the guitar track, which is actually going very well. I have done some solid research & have decided that a haunting Metal effect will be the perfect approach for this song. I am still on track to have it finished before the end of the year, if not sooner.
December 23, 2025 - I decided to reach out to my friend Dennis Stadelman to lay down the guitar track for this song. It's a bit beyond my talent level & I am also very anxious to move on to my next song Where Did They Go? Dennis has helped me with a couple songs in the past (America & Shady Deal) & is an EPIC guitarist!! My goal was to have this song finished by the end of the year & I was starting to stress. Huge relief to be back on schedule. I am very fortunate to have some extremely talented musician friends.
December 30, 2025 - Awesomeness!!! Ended the year with a bang & accomplished my goal of finishing this song before the year ended! Got Dennis Stadelman's lead guitar track recorded tonight. He did an amazing job! All the music is now completed for this song.
January 2, 2026 - I spoke too soon!! I was cleaning up tracks & listening back to everything. The song ROCKS, but it was missing something. I still had a couple tracks open, so I started dabbling with a Metal guitar effect & it added the perfect punch & crunch that was needed! Gonna take a few days to fine tune it & get it recorded, but it's going to happen. This song is evolving into something vey unique.
January 4, 2026 - I did it!!!! My guitar track is completed & it is EPIC! Complimented everything perfectly. Punch & crunch! All the music for this song is now completed. I will come back on a later date & work on a kick ass final mix.
(January, 2026) Hanging out with Dennis Stadelman at the 49th Street Pub.
Where Did They Go?
November 29, 2025 - Yah never know when inspiration will hit. I was watching some old episodes of the first season of The Twilight Zone from 1959 & I came up with a brand new song idea called Where Did They Go? The lyrics are almost entirely completed & I am positive the song will be in the Punk Rock genre. A similar approach to what I used for Bad Feeling. I have always been a fan of Social Distortion, Flogging Molly, Ramones & Misfits. I am still hard at work with The Devil's Ballroom, but this song will be the next one that I work on.
December 17, 2025 - I have the lyrics completed for this song! Things are lining up perfectly for it to be my first new tune of 2026! Gonna start the year off with a BANG! I am also pulling together some chords & a progression. The song will be in the key of B Minor. Kind of a cross between Concrete Blonde & 16 Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford. Can't have a song inspired by The Twilight Zone without a cool freaky groove.
Merry Christmas to me! Boss VE-22 Vocal Performer
December 20, 2025 - A new toy to add to my arsenal. I bought this amazing Boss VE-22 Vocal Performer as a Christmas gift for myself. Once I get around to doing the final vocals this preamp is going to come in very handy. My Boss BR1600 CD recorder is obsolete & approximately 20-25 yrs old. It is amazing & I love it, but the onboard effects are also older & obsolete. That is a problem that had to be addressed. The Boss VE-22 has pitch correction, EQ, flanger, compression, distortion & many other effects. It is also a Boss. As far as modern bass/guitar effects go, I use my Positive Grid Spark 40 amp.
December 23, 2025 - I started working on the percussion for this song today. I have the chords & most of the progression worked out. I also changed the name of the song from When the Trouble Begins to Where Did They Go?
*** (12-30-25) - I recorded Dennis Stadelman's lead guitar track for The Devil's Ballroom tonight. Everything went perfectly! I can now focus all of my attention on this song. It will be my first new song of the New Year & #8 towards my new album.
*** (1-5-26) - I spoke too quickly. I ended up adding my own guitar track to The Devil's Ballroom. I used a Metal effect to add some punch & crunch (it ROCKS!). I also needed to double back & make some adjustments to a lead guitar track in Headin Out.
*** Buccaneers were eliminated from the playoffs yesterday. Such a horrible season. We went 6-2 in the first 8 games & then 2-7 in the last 9. Total collapse! Arrrr ....
January 15, 2026 - Finally made it back to this song! Spent the whole day grinding out parts for the percussion track. Actually using the same custom kit I created for The Devil's Ballroom. It works perfectly. It's gonna be a cool tune. I should have the track finished within a week.
*** (1-20-26) - Percussion track is finished & recorded! It's perfect!! Stepfather Eddie's BD today. 2 awesome things to celebrate.
January 18, 2025 - I got distracted again, but in a very good way. I have been working on some of the albums graphic design. Today I nailed the front cover & disc image. Absolutely perfect!!! I will eventually share the works much later in this blog (Phase 4), but the magic all started right here this weekend.
January 23, 2026 - The bass track is recorded! I was up until the wee hours of the morning & back at it when I woke up. My fingertips are sore & my ears are burned out, but I got the job done.
January 26, 2025 - Some technical issues today. I got the HDD Full prompt on my recorder. Just to be extra careful, I backed up the data for all 8 songs (I had already done it once for each song). Ended up having to scrub my hard drive & delete everything back to factory presets. Everything went perfectly, there's no damage to the drive & I also reloaded all 8 songs with no troubles at all. My BR 1600 will be running like it's brand new. Huge relief that everything went smoothly.
February 2, 2026 - Started the month off on the right track. The rhythm guitar is finished & recorded. I experimented with a ton of different amps & effects over the last few weeks trying to find the right sound. It wasn't a complicated track, just needed to have the right sound/mood to compliment the song theme. Ultimately, I ended up using a bass guitar effect that was built into my recorder & is called Lowdown. It has a very unique low end grumble (adds a cool tension) & the strumming came in nice & clean over the top of it. Perfect mix of dynamics! The next obvious step is to record some scratch vocals and then move on to some keys & effects (will be a huge part of the tune). The last track I work on will be the lead guitar.
February 4, 2026 - That was a blast!!!! I got the scratch vocals recorded. Such a fun song to sing. Perfect for my low voice. I have a feeling this tune & Rainy Day Serenade will the first 2 that I work on when I get around to recording the final vocals. My new Boss VE-22 Vocal Performer pre-amp is going to work perfectly. Sound effects & keys are up next. Should be fun!
February 7, 2026 - It's happening! The keyboard track is starting to come together! Nothing more epic than the Grand Piano. I also have a Trumpet effect happening in the 2nd verse & a Music Box in the 3rd. Perfect accents to fit the mood! Just have to work out something for the 2 Chorus sections & the Main/Outro parts. Chorus 2 is the big one. Only section that breaks away from the normal catchy groove. Has to be big & awesome! The song is in B Minor, but that Chorus 2 section is more in D (the relative major). Just a matter of elevating my vocals. Should have the keyboard track finished in a few more days & then all that is left is the lead guitar.
February 10, 2026 - I did it!!! The keyboard & effects are finished!! I worked my butt off & came up with something that compliments the song perfectly. Very memorable!!
*** (February 14) - Fun afternoon at the Tampa Bay Rays FanFest with Jeff & Renee. Go RAYS!!
*** (February 16) - I got the new iPhone 17 Pro Max today!! My 12 Pro Max was starting to wear down. I got a lot of use out of that phone. Filmed around 10-11 music videos. Excited to have a new updated model with even better photo & camera features.
February 19, 2026 - Finally!! The lead guitar track is completed & the music for this tune (w/scratch vocals) is officially finished. May be one of the best songs I have ever written. Huge hit song potential! Pretty sure it will be track #2 on the new album.
Mr Swampy
February 21, 2026 - This is going to be a, very, very fun project! Mr Swampy will be one for the ages. Some good ole Florida folklore. It's just meant to be! My buddy Jeffrey Cook has been on me forever to learn some Blues, so I'm gonna learn me some Blues. I already have about 2/3 of the lyrics written. The song will be in the key of C Major Blues. It all starts today.
(2-23-26) - Lyrics & a very basic song progression are worked out. Should have the percussion track pulled together within a couple weeks. I have spent a ton of time researching the Blues & learning as much as I possibly can. Things are coming together rather quickly! Planning on having Jeff play keys & maybe Dennis on lead, so that makes my job so much easier. Just have to focus on drums, bass, rhythm guitar & scratch vocals.
March 1, 2026 - Starting the month off with a bang! Drum track is finished & recorded. Kept it very simple, yet powerful & effective. I used a Blues 01 effect in my Alesis SR-18. It is a very upbeat Blues Rock tune at 130 BPM. Next up is a very simple strum acoustic track & then some scratch vocals. The acoustic is just to give me something comfortable to sing over, it will erased once the rhythm guitar is finished. Once those 2 tracks are completed, I can move on to the bass & rhythm guitar.
March 9, 2026 - It was an absolute grind, but well worth the time .... The bass track is finished & recorded!! I worked my ass off on this track. The song now has a nice solid foundation to build upon. I am going to tweak my scratch vocals a bit & then re-record the acoustic guitar. The acoustic fits the swampy song mood to a T. I am going to save my PRS for some lead guitar work. I have been watching a lot of Blues tutorials at You Tube. Have also been getting familiar with the C Major Blues Pentatonic key. I feel like I am working on my first ever hit song!!
*** (3-13-29) Friday the 13th!! Decided to use my PRS guitar through the Spark 40 for the rhythm track. Still fine tuning the effect & settings, but it shouldn't take much longer.
*** I have the effect locked in & it is solid! Also realized that I have a harmonica in my arsenal that is in the key of C. May be the perfect background accent instrument. Nope, I have never played one, but this song has become a canvas for new experiences.
March 15, 2026 - The rhythm guitar track is finished & recorded! I used the Tweed Bassman Blues effect in my Spark amp with some subtle delay, reverb & tremolo (the secret sauce). Front pickup on the PRS with the tone set around 6. It lurks, slithers & even bites at times. Perfection!
Happy St. Patrick's Day! I am musing. My 1 year anniversary going without hard liquor.
March 15, 2026 - I am making some amazing progress with the lead guitar track. I have discovered ToneCloud at my Spark App. A HUGE game changer. It has a ton of presets that others have created & shared. I dabbled around with a lot of them, but ended up settling on a cool John Mayer effect. I already have the tremolo happening with the rhythm guitar, so no need for that. This effect has reverb & some awesome delay. It is a clean sound, but also has some bite when needed. I should have the track finished within a few days.
March 24, 2026 - The lead guitar track is officially finished & recorded. I am very happy with how it turned out. My first dabble with the Blues. As mentioned earlier, it is more of a Blues Rock song. Upbeat, fun & danceable. Next up will be some very simple keys. I also have another track set aside for effects & whatever else comes along. Birthday is coming up in about a week, so hopefully I will have the song finished by then.
March 25, 2026 - After some very intense thinking, I have to come to realize that the music for this song w/ scratch vocals is completed. I did add a cool swampy background effect to the Chorus sections which is perfect for the storyline. I am also considering adding some harmonica when I do the final vocals, but I can't do that now. I worked my butt off on this tune!!! WOW!!
THIS is an example of how hard I worked on Mr Swampy. Not broken, just very sore.
April 1, 2026 - Hey Hey! It's my Birthday & I started off the morning in my favorite place behind my recorder with a guitar in my hands. I heard a few things in the lead guitar that I could polish up a bit. I am also dabbling with an acoustic guitar track, something way in the background that will add some depth. It may work, or it may not, it's still fun trying.
Oxygen
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