This is Athena's pizza, located in Amherst, MA. It used to be called Bell's Pizza back in the early 1970s when my old man taught at UMass. Our family were regulars there. 50+ years later, I am the only one…
Read more
No Kings...
See the curtains hangin' in the window
In the evening on a Friday night
A little light a-shinin' through the window
Lets me know everything's all right
“Summer Breeze” by Seals & Crofts
Versioning out Song Demos using AI
With all the negatives that come with AI (and there are plenty), let me offer a few positives I've come to discover as a songwriter who only uses his own original material and demos. First, it's a great studio tool…
Read more
The Glorious Rickenbacker 12 String
For me there have only been a few instruments that carry in them a certain extra special magic. One in particular is the Rickenbaker 12 string electric guitar. I first heard it's jangle on the Beatles VI album. Then later…
Read more
Messages thru Time...
I was recently listening to a few songs I wrote back in the 1990s. Both tunes were very personal and were trying to address the emotional troubles I was having in a relationship at that time. What is fascinating to…
Read more
Comfort During Uncertain Times...
Behold! This is a photo of Nat King Cole's Steinway piano along with Frank Sinatra's Neumann U47 microphone both still at their home at Capitol Records in Hollywood, CA. One of a handful of pics that always brings comfort on…
Read more
A Simple Desk is Enough...
After watching so many takes on the home studio set up, it was finally my turn to take a more serious stab at it. As great as those traditional workstation or DAW desk designs are, the recurring theme seems to…
Read more
Sometimes the Cheapies do the Trick...
I bought this little SX travel guitar from Rondo Music back in 2024 for only $125 (including the case). It's magic is the super thin real spruce top. The size of the body places the sound somewhere in banjo/mandolin territory.…
Read more
Stretching your Boundaries...
Sometimes it's personally rewarding to stretch your songwriting to a genre you've never tried before. Back in the 90s, I was a bit taken by the tune "Con Te Partirò" performed by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli. In truth, it…
Read more
A List of Temporary Privileges...
I've been to MN multiple times over multiple decades. It's a great place with wonderful people (including the Somalis I've met). I've seen the footage of the murder of Renee and now the murder of Alex. I no longer recognize…
Read more