Putting together the final touches to my next project, “Eclectic Collaborations”. Working on the cover art design and final content media on the CD package. I started working on this project right after the release of the “Test Drive RAW” CD. It’s been in the works for approximately 7 months. I have 14 songs on the CD with collaborative efforts from Kimo (guitar, vocals, harmonica, and percussion) and Joezworld (2 songs in which “Z” played all instruments and I added lyrics and vocals). Joezworld also contributed the art work for the front and back cover and the background art. Very excited to finish the project and release by the end of February. Will also have a few video’s to coincide with the release.
This song was written when my daughter and her husband bought a new house and left our home after living with us for a few years. It was a bitter sweet moment, but I felt this empty feeling inside of me as we did love having them at our home daily. They only moved about 15 miles away in a new house that they purchased and I’m so very happy for them that they are now on a road to start a new chapter in their lives.
This song came out of me a few days after they had just left.
Yes! – It will be an exciting 2018! Why, you may ask?
Well, I have been working feverishly on a new project since the release of the first CD, “TEST DRIVE RAW”. I have been working with a few musician friends – Kimo and JoeZworld. Kimo is in my neighborhood so it’s easy for him and I to get together and jam and write. Mr “Z” on the other hand is down in Florida, so we are trading off on idea’s and sending files back and fourth to be worked on. All in all we are looking to release another CD sometime in the first 6 months of 2018. The name of the album will be, “Eclectic Collaborations”. Looking at 14 brand new songs with a bonus track for a total of 15. Will be working on the finishing touches after the 1st of the year and the CD cover art design. Can’t wait to share as there are some really good music that we put together that i’m sure you will enjoy listening too. Hopefully, I can also complete a few video’s to go along with the release.
So stay tuned in, it’s going to be an exciting 2018!
How do you write a song? This has always been a question I get asked by many people. Some musicians will tell you it’s a long arduous process, some say it just comes to me or it’s in my head, some don’t have a clue. For me it’s the one in the middle, for the most part I either have an idea or hear a sound or sit down and bang out a riff on the Bass Guitar and start from there. It’s always been a free flowing process for me, sometimes it sounds great and I continue and sometimes it goes to the save file for a future development date. As I develop the foundation of the song, now my mind starts to go into overdrive for the different layers, melody, sounds and ornaments I can add to the developing song. A guitar riff, a synthesizer sound, a percussion instrument, this is what I hear in my head as I listen to the new project over and over again. Sometimes I have lyric’s on the ready and develop the phrasing to those lyrics to go with the music, sometimes the lyric’s just come out as a natural progression to the song. In all of the above, I am consistently burning CD’s and on my drive to my day job (in which it takes me on average about an hour and a half to get to work) I listen to the developing song over and over and over again.
Think about it? A 3 minute song played in an hour and a half car ride is played approx 30 times –ONE WAY! The only problem I have with that is, I want to tweak the song right now, in which obviously isn’t going to happen. So I must store those tweaks, changes and additions in my puny little brain until I can get back in front of the mixing console. Thank God I have a good memory and Alzheimer’s hasn’t kicked in as of yet. Song projects has always come pretty easy for me and I can usually, not disturbed, write a song within a few hours. What takes the time after the song is written is the refinement of the song and mixing down of the project to make it all clear, balanced and worthy to release and to be proud of. Be it released to just me for my own listening pleasure or to you my friends and fans, I take pride in making a good song. I have so many songs in my repertoire that are experimental that I do not release, as snippets of those songs can be the beginnings, middle’s or ends to new projects and songs. I never throw anything out as it may fit in and or be used later on. Many times I’ll come back to a riff that I laid down months or years ago and say-“Shit”–this is great and start to develop it into a song. The creation of music is such a fulfilling joy and I can only hope that it will continue until I’m pushing dirt!
Finding some of my old band mates, as I have lost contact with them over the years, has been a new pursuit of mine in the past few years. With the use of social media, I have been able to track down a few of them. I have re-connected with Gary Sabshon the last drummer from the Lampshades-in which I was able to go over to his house and jam it up a bit. Although compared to him, (he’s been playing all the time) I was a bit on the rusty side, but fun never the less.
Gary Sabshon Far Right Then! Also Gary Citro (middle) and Ken Kern (between the 2 Gary’s)
Gary Sabshon Now!
I have recently this year have been able to re-connect with a band mate from the Vinyl Flesh Band, Joe “Z” World (Joe Menghini). He currently lives in Florida, he is a very accomplished artist and still plays and writes music at a prolific clip. Go to Pinterest.com link to see some of his art work: https://in.pinterest.com/guitarizt/ “Z” and I have been trading music clips and stay tuned for an upcoming CD I’m working on that will have a collaboration of music from “Z” and myself. Don’t currently have a photo of “Z” now–but here is a picture of him then!
Joe “Z world”
I have also been able to get in contact with Gary Citro (Keyboards), Pete Fagiola (Drums & Percussion) 2 of the original members of The Lampshades and Chris Connolly one of the drummers from Vinyl Flesh. Gary is a music school teacher, I think Pete owns a restaurant and still play’s and composes, Chris is an avid bike rider!
Here are some current pictures of Gary, Pete and Chris Connolly:
Gary CitroPete FagiolaChris Connolly
Have not been able to re-connect with Ken Kern whom I really miss, as he is a hell of a guitar player and just a sweetheart!
Also another band mate, that sorry to say has passed away Any Blinx.
Aldo Buzzi Music 
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