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The Wicked Forest

2026-04-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

The Wicked Forest came out in 2026, but it was a project that took many years to complete for several reasons. The whole project started after finishing my album The Future Left Behind. I was very pleased with how that album turned out and wanted to do more work with Billy Sherwood and Johnny Bruhns. I had used Billy extensively on guitars for that album, but this time I wanted him on bass. He is very talented on many instruments, but as a bass player he truly excels, having learned to play in the style of Chris Squire from Squire himself. On Johnny’s end, his classical guitar playing was superb, and in many ways I am surprised that major recognition never came his way.

At one point I started a project that I thought would be released either as a single or an EP, but in progressive rock, releasing such short pieces can feel limiting. The idea was to take Yes’s song “White Car” from the album Drama and re-record it our way, adding a completely new instrumental section afterward. The original song was only one minute and twenty-one seconds long, which is quite short. I had always liked it and wanted to hear more of it. My version begins very much like the original, then expands with an additional four minutes of instrumental music at the end.

Originally I had Benoît David in mind for the vocals, but after some text conversations with him, I realized he had largely stepped away from music, especially anything related to Yes. I understood his position, given how things ended for him, including his dismissal and his voice being replaced on the studio album he worked on. While working on the music, Billy suggested we try Jon Davison for vocals and helped arrange the introduction. Jon agreed, and with that the lineup was set. Billy handled bass, Johnny played guitars, Jon took care of vocals, and I worked on keyboards and drums.

We completed the piece and it sounded great, but I could not release it as a standalone track since it would likely go unheard. At the same time, I had a couple of other projects in progress. One was an electronic album built from various unfinished pieces I had created over the previous two decades. I reorganized and remixed what I could, even though some multitrack recordings had been lost, and added overdubs where possible. The other project was an album intentionally created in the style of Pink Floyd, a kind of “what if” concept. As those projects moved forward, the White Car project was set aside.

Every so often Johnny would check in and ask when White Car would be released. I told him I needed more material to build it into a larger project, and he was eager to contribute. He had created a beautiful classical guitar piece for The Future Left Behind, so we discussed doing something similar again. It took a few years to complete and release the other albums, but eventually I reached out to the group and said we should return to the White Car project. This time I wanted to expand it into a full album, using that piece alongside new material written from scratch.

With everyone on board, I began composing new music. Along the way I decided to include several vocal tracks, which was new territory for me since I am primarily known for instrumental work. Some pieces were already mostly complete, so I had to find ways to integrate vocals into them, while others were written with vocals in mind from the beginning. I also wanted at least one track to feel more accessible, something that could serve as a single with broader appeal while still rooted in progressive rock. In my mind, it was similar to what Asia had done in the past. At the same time, I wanted the album to open and close with impact, so the most complex instrumentals were placed at the beginning and the end.

There was a fair amount of planning involved in shaping the album’s flow, and some pieces were composed specifically to fit that structure. Unfortunately, during this time Johnny called to tell me he was battling cancer. At first it seemed like he might overcome it, but eventually things took a turn for the worse and the treatments took a heavy physical toll. Even while facing the illness that would ultimately take his life, Johnny remained deeply committed to the music and found comfort in continuing to create. He recorded his final guitar parts just a couple of months before he passed.

Johnny’s passing changed everything, but it also strengthened my resolve to finish the project. By then I had decided to dedicate the album to him. I approached it as a band effort, keeping the same core group throughout. After his passing, I chose not to bring in another guitarist, so Billy stepped in to handle the remaining guitar work on the unfinished tracks.

My wife Linda, who has a college minor in creative writing, helped refine some of my lyrics and contributed a few of her own. I knew she could bring a different level of depth to the words. In the end, we used one of my lyrics and two of hers for the vocal tracks, while “White Car” retained its original lyrics by Trevor Horn. Writing lyrics to music was for me a new challenge and another way for my music to move forward.

Although there are some obvious similarities to Yes, mainly the White Car reinterpretation, which I titled Man in a White Car due to its extended arrangement, and the participation of two current Yes members on the album, this was never intended to be a copied “Yes” album. My goal was to create a progressive rock record that incorporates the elements of the music I grew up loving.

Keyboardists such as Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, and Tony Banks were among my earliest and most significant influences. Their impact can certainly be heard throughout my work, and it is something I fully embrace. Their music has been, and continues to be, an important source of inspiration for me.

The title track was the final piece we completed and one I am particularly proud of. There are many moving parts throughout, yet in the end it is essentially two musicians handling all the instrumentation. Billy performed the bass and all the guitar parts, while I took care of the keyboards and drums. At one stage, the arrangement included additional layers, but I chose to scale them back during mixing to achieve a more cohesive sound.

I believe the piece turned out exceptionally well. For me, it represents one of those moments when everything comes together naturally. Interestingly, the most complex composition on the album was also the one that required the least time to write. Billy’s bass work on this track is, in my view, some of his best, and the variety of keyboard textures adds significant depth to the overall sound.

The album itself has been well received with many positive reviews with only the complaint that the album may be too short. I make all my albums to make sure that they fit on a vinyl record. Some of them are available on vinyl as well. It is the medium I grew up with and there's a nostalgic factor to make records to be not too long.

1. THE BIG BANG
2. BEYOND
3. URBAN DISTURBANCE
4. CHASE IN THREE
5. WHITE CAR
6. LOST IN THE FOREST
7. THE WICKED FOREST
Leon Alvarado: Drums, Keyboards on all, Backing vocals on 5
Billy Sherwood: Bass on 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, Guitars on 3, 6, 7
Jon Davison: Vocals on 2, 3, 5, 6
Johnny Bruhns: Guitars on 1, 2, 5. Sitar on 2
James Griggers: Extra guitars on 3
Lyrics on 2,3 by Linda Alvarado
Lyrics on 6 by Leon Alvarado
All songs by Leon Alvarado with the exception of Man In A White Car
by Alan White, Geoff Downes, Trevor Horn, Steve Howe, Chris Squire.
Produced and Mixed by: Leon Alvarado
Mastered by: Maor Appelbaum
Cover art by: Synergy Design
leonalvarado.bandcamp.com/
mrrmusic.com/leon-alvarado
©2026 Leon Alvarado

This one is for the electronic drummers out there.

2024-11-18T10:46:00.000-08:00

This one is for the electronic drummers out there. I own a couple of Roland kits, and to me, Roland sets the standard when it comes to electronic drum kits. Their sound-generating technology is impressive—it doesn’t just use samples but also models them in real-time based on how hard or soft you strike, producing dynamic and nuanced tones. The sounds are excellent, and the drum pads feel great as well. Roland, with the help of Remo, invented mesh head kits, which now dominate the electronic drum market. (I believe part of their patent expired, which is why so many others now produce mesh heads.)

As good as Roland kits are, my main issue has always been with their cymbals. While they’re good, they don’t truly replicate the feel or sound of acoustic cymbals and, in many ways, fall short. You could argue that the drum pads also differ from acoustic sets, but with some adjustment, you can get sounds from them that closely mimic an acoustic drum recorded in a professional studio. Cymbals, however, are another story. In my opinion, sampled cymbal's produced sounds often decay too quickly, so when recording, I route them through their own channels and tweak them with various reverbs and tape delays to make them sound more realistic.

The rubber pads for the cymbals also take some getting used to, but once acclimated, they’re workable. Still, I’m always open to see ways that a company could improve the feel of the cymbals. Simmons Drums, for instance, pioneered the percussion sound of 1980s pop music with their iconic hexagonal drums, seen all over MTV back when it primarily aired music videos. However, the brand fizzled out after the fad passed. Guitar Center later revived Simmons to sell their own line of electronic drums, which initially consisted of rebranded Chinese knockoffs. Despite their low quality and cheap interfacing, these kits sold well due to their competitive pricing. I bought my son a Simmons kit when he was ten, but it only lasted a couple of months before the pads stopped working. While the warranty replacement process was smooth, the kit failed again within months.

Fast-forward to today: Simmons introduced a promising idea—drum pads compatible with most major manufacturers' modules, offering a fresh, innovative approach. They released cymbals resembling real ones, available in 13", 16", and 18" sizes—closer to actual cymbals than Roland’s 13"or 14" pads. Intrigued, I bought a 16" Simmons cymbal pad to test it out. My plan was to replace three of my Roland cymbal pads if it worked well, keeping the Roland hi-hat pad, which I’m satisfied with.

The ordering process was seamless, and the cymbal arrived quickly—within one or two days, despite not choosing expedited shipping. Unboxing and setup were straightforward. Swapping out the Roland pad for the Simmons was as easy as removing the former, attaching the latter, and plugging it in. For a ride cymbal, you connect the ride plug to the MAIN port and the bell plug to the AUX port. For a crash cymbal, only the MAIN port is used.

Setup was a breeze, taking just minutes. However, my enthusiasm waned once I started playing. The metal construction makes the Simmons cymbals heavier than the Roland pads, despite the latter being thicker and seemingly more substantial. While the Simmons pad felt closer to a real cymbal, it still wasn’t quite there. The surface is rubber-coated—harder and stiffer than Roland’s—but didn’t fully replicate the feel of an acoustic cymbal. I began questioning whether these pads offered more than just a “cooler” look.

During play, I noticed a lack of sensitivity. Subtle edge strikes didn’t produce consistent sounds, and fading swells were difficult to achieve without significant force. The choking feature also felt awkward due to the thicker rubber underneath, making it feel squishy when gripping to choke the cymbal. This wasn’t a deal-breaker, but it was notable. The bell was another issue—it required precise, forceful hits to trigger properly, often registering better near the base than on the bell itself ( I never found the sensors's sweet spot). After just five minutes, I concluded that this cymbal wouldn’t work as a ride.

I reinstalled my Roland ride pad and tried using the Simmons as a crash. While the bell issue was irrelevant for crashes, sensitivity remained a problem, and it became clear that this pad wasn’t for me. I repacked it and returned it to Guitar Center, where the process went smoothly, and I received a full refund, including the warranty and taxes. Kudos to Guitar Center for excellent customer service.

It’s disappointing because the concept of larger, more realistic cymbals with metal surfaces is appealing. I was genuinely hopeful these pads would work, but this first-generation product doesn’t do the idea justice. Hopefully, Simmons will refine the quality and technical aspects in future iterations.

For context, I tested the Simmons pads with a Roland module, so it’s possible they perform better with Simmons modules. However, I tried to remain objective and ensure they worked as expected. Based on my experience, I can’t recommend these pads to Roland users. Roland’s cymbals, while not perfect, outperform the Simmons in sensitivity and compatibility. Additionally, Roland pads’ wedge-shaped bases lock into stands more securely, whereas the Simmons pads fit but not perfectly. The Simmons pads include an adapter, but Roland stands (at least mine) don’t appear designed to accommodate it.

For now, I’ll stick with my Roland cymbals. They’ve served me well, though I still believe there’s room for improvement.

The Simmons MC Cymbal pads are for sure pretty.

The Roland CY 13 or CY 14 just worked better with my Roland kit.

The artwork for The Changing Tide

2024-09-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

Major labels have departments in-charge of creating and coordinating all the pieces that go behind an album release. When an album comes out, there are the usual CD or vinyl covers but there are also a lot of other materials related to them that deal with promoting the record. Ads, print and web, social media items, posters, merchandising, etc. In a world where people are over-stimulated and constantly bombarded with content, it becomes increasingly harder to "stand out" from the crowd.

I have always say that I put as much into the visuals for my albums as I do for the music. The Changing Tide is no different than any of my previously released albums in that respect except for the fact that everything about this release has been a monumental task. The album came out on CD, it came out on Vinyl, it exist as a digital download and it is available through every major streaming service out there in the world. A single came out first with two songs on it and that one was available on CD as well as digital. There are two songs from the album that have their own videos.

As far as the personnel goes, there are the musicians, other than myself we had Edoardo Scordo, Damian Darlington, John Helliwell, Tony Franklin, Gary Gnadinger, James Griggers, Jeff sanson, Liz Hall and my wife Linda. My Mastering sound engineer Maor Appelbaum and my "clean-up" sound engineer John Douglas. Then there are the video artists that I worked with for the videos, Aleska O and Nutti Kataja. Other people involved are my PR firm which is Glass Onyon, my record label rep which is Nick Katona, the president of Melodic Revolution Records, then the myriad of outlets, magazines, webzines, etc. There are also my bandcamp page, my facebook page, Instagram page and Threads, (sorry, no X).

So you do your album cover and then you prepare materials for an electronic press kit as well as other material for social media and so forth. In the end, there's a ton of work that goes on after the record is done.

For this album, it is almost like a portfolio in regards to the artwork created. All with the hopes that someone "sees you" and gets interested in hearing your work.

With that in mind I am posting some of that artwork for you to view and inspect.

The vinyl album

The vinyl (front and back) and the CD (with booklet)

Vinyl and CD

Brain Damage/ Dance of The Pink Elephants CD

Single CD back cover

Dance of the Pink Elephants poster for the video

Poster for The Changing Tide video

Social media promotional image

Instagram promotional image for the video

Second promotional image for the video

Third promotional instagram image for the video

Fourth promotional instagram image for the video

Album promo image

The actual CD front cover for the album

Actual CD back cover

Photo for one of the pages in the booklet

Photo for another page in the booklet

The front cover for the booklet

Here is an example of how one of the presented images was created. Although not everything required an extensive photoshoot, some did. this one of my son and myself in an upside-down room that's underwater was actually taken in an inverted room studio with the water coloring, the bubbles and the fish added later in Photoshop.

By using an inverted set, we were able to create the effect of being upside-down reaching for the floor.

My bandcamp website

Indeed Hipgnosis have always been a huge influence and source of inspiration for me but I try as well to add my own visual ideas into what I do. All of the images for the album and booklet were created using, retouching and digitally manipulating conventional images using Photoshop. Some of the images promoting the video were basically crops from screen shots from the video itself. the videos were creating using Artificial Intelligence technology under the direction of myself and the video artists who I worked with. It took some planing, some storyboarding and or mood boards, color palette studies and lots of testing to finally get the AI to generate what we were envisioning. Thanks to the advent of the digital world we live in we were able to work in Serbia, Finland, The Netherlands, England and the US for the project. As the creator of the vision I had to do the bulk of the work except for the videos themselves were my role became more of the Creative Director who guided and worked closely with the artist towards achieving the vision's goal. There are more art and images that we had to come up with for social media and digital promo that I am not including on this post. In all, it has been a very satisfying but exhausting amount of work involved with the project. My goal has always been to put out a good effort in creating compelling music along with a strong visual side so that the whole experience of listening to my records become something like it used to be before everyone decided to just stream and do away with album jackets, liner notes and cool visuals.

You can see the videos here:

Leon's Youtube Channel

You can listen to the album here:

Leon's Bandcamp page

Facebook:

Leon's facebook page

Behind The Changing Tide

2024-07-09T16:02:00.000-07:00

Every project I embark on carries personal significance. Motivations vary, each presenting different elements and challenges. The idea of The Changing Tide was an unpretentious one; it happen on an afternoon in the studio, a musical riff evoked memories of Richard Wright's artistry, sparking a creative epiphany. The prospect of creating an album inspired by Pink Floyd's unique style filled me with enthusiasm.

It has been quite some time since Pink Floyd released their last album, and its remaining members have since been exploring music that, while related, embraces a somewhat different style. I found it intriguing to resurrect that iconic sound by infusing new compositions with my own personal touch. This album wouldn't simply pay homage, but rather seek to revive the unique musical style that many of us deeply cherish.

Like any project of this nature, I approached it understanding that some may view it as somewhat heretical. However, I also recognized that there are many Pink Floyd fans who would welcome an album that resonates with the musical and nostalgic vibes they hold dear.

My initial challenge was to find a guitarist capable of capturing Gilmour's distinctive style of playing. In my view, Pink Floyd had three distinct phases: the Syd Barrett-led era characterized by psychedelic sounds, the Roger Waters-led era known for its creativity, and the David Gilmour-led era celebrated for its musicality. Witnessing the band's evolution over the years amid internal conflicts and lingering tensions was fascinating. While these dynamics are well-documented, the band's musical legacy remains astonishing. "The Dark Side of The Moon" stands as one of the best-recorded albums in modern music history, sounding fresh and relevant even fifty years later. Much of Pink Floyd's fame can be attributed to David Gilmour's melodic guitar style, which treats the guitar as a vocal instrument. His solos resonate as deeply with listeners as the vocal melodies.

Several years ago, I did some promotional work for The Australian Pink Floyd Show. During that time, I vividly remembered Damian Darlington and subsequently learned that he had established Brit Floyd, a band that gained significant success in its own right by enhancing a similar formula than the one used by the Aussie outfit. I reached out to Damian to discuss handling the guitar parts for my project. Damian proposed collaborating with Edoardo Scordo, which I immediately agreed upon. Beyond merely playing David Gilmour's parts, both musicians have meticulously studied every facet of his playing style and techniques, ensuring they capture the correct guitar tones and nuances. Bringing Damian and Edoardo on board for the album effectively addressed the challenge I faced.

The next step was finding a bass player who could complement the musical style. While Roger Waters isn't known for technical prowess, he excels in placing notes effectively and displays great creativity, compensating for any technical limitations through his compositions. Following his departure from the band, Pink Floyd's first album featured Tony Levin on bass, marking a significant change in their sound. Although I had worked with Tony Levin before and considered him for at least one piece, I ultimately chose to collaborate with another skilled bassist, Tony Franklin. Working with Franklin proved seamless, and I've long admired his fretless bass work during his time with The Firm alongside Jimmy Page, Paul Rodgers, and Chris Slade.

As the recording of the music continued, we faced the challenge of Brit Floyd's demanding touring schedule, which slowed our progress. In my studio, I pushed to keep things moving forward, but Damian's responsibilities as the leader and musical director of Brit Floyd eventually became overwhelming, leaving him with limited time for recording new music. As a result, the majority of the guitar work was expertly handled by Edo, who, in my opinion, did an outstanding job.

With Damian contributing slide guitar work, Edo handling the majority of guitars, Tony on both bass and fretless bass, and myself on drums and keyboards, we essentially had the band necessary to complete the entire album. This lineup comprised the core personnel for most of the recording process. However, John Helliwell, renowned for his saxophone with Supertramp, contributed a crucial melodic layer to the song "A View from a Different Room," enhancing the album's overall impact. I am deeply appreciative of his involvement.

The major departure occurred during the recording of "Brain Damage," the sole Pink Floyd cover on the album. The idea for this recording originated from my regular Wednesday night band, where we often cover various songs, including a few by Pink Floyd. We decided to propperly record it in a studio setting, giving me control over its production. This was crucial for ensuring it harmonized sonically with the rest of the album. Gary Gnaedinger contributed bass, along with some guitar and keyboard backing tracks. James Griggers handled the main guitars, while I took on drums and keyboards. Additionally, I assumed the lead vocals, supported by Jeff Sanson, Liz Hall, and even my wife Linda on backing vocals.

The title track posed an intriguing challenge for me. As often before, I initially recorded out a guide for the bass line myself, with plans for Tony to replace it later. Edoardo and I meticulously layered guitars and keyboards, some prominent and others subtly enhancing the composition's depth. As we refined the details, the bass line began to feel more at home as it were and ultimately made its way into the final mix. I recall listening to the final mix and thinking, "all this sound was essentially made by just two guys with a lot of tracks." It took us some time and several takes to get all the pieces in place, but in the end, I'm very pleased with how it turned out. The Changing Tide it's one of my favorite pieces on the album.

Among the tracks, "Dance Of the Pink Elephants" stands out as a departure from the established formula, showcasing more of my personal style infused with a subtle influence from Pink Floyd. This composition provided Tony, Edo, and myself with the opportunity to explore creative avenues freely. It embodies a contemporary psychedelia that I conceived during my experimentation with other pieces for the album.

Overall, the goal of the album was to revive the stylistic sound that many of us found irresistible in the 1970s and beyond. You can hear various inspirations in the overall sound of some songs and particularly in the instrumentation choices. I think we managed to capture that in a very positive way.

Dark Side Of The Moon Redux, one guy's look at it.

2023-10-10T17:08:00.006-07:00

It doesn't matter how you feel about Roger Waters ego or political views. When putting a looking glass through the man's catalogue, one cannot help but be amazed at some of the work he has done by himself or with his former band, Pink Floyd.

He is so vocal about a lot of things that sometimes it's hard to separate the man himself from his music but as they say, everyone is entitled to an opinion. His music has always contained lyrics that are politically charged or paint a clear picture against the establishment. That has never bothered me because it makes its point like poetry or painting does, using a flair of artistic license.

The elephant in the room however, is what may be the real reasons as to why Waters felt compelled to re-record what is arguably Pink Floyd's greatest masterpiece, an album so perfectly done that still sounds fresh and relevant 50 years after it was originally issued.

In marketing materials Waters states that his version is not to compete but to reimagine the subject that he wrote and created back then. I am not one opposed to people re-recording or covering songs, (I've done that myself a few times). However, by omitting any connection with the original album, (no guitar solos, different takes on keyboards and drums, etc), you can't help but to think that in part he's seeking yet a bigger spotlight for himself. It's like Star Wars in a way. George Lucas kept making more of them but even though he tweaked the special effects on the original trilogy, he never remade them whole.

The reasons as to why the album exists is not really the point here. It is a done deal, recorded, shipped, etc. I have given it five listens. I wanted to make sure that I had heard it several times before forming my opinion. Another thing I am not doing here is to go through it song by song. I am just painting wide strokes here and making some observations that some may find of interest, (hopefully). So with that, here's my take on the album: My first feel is that there are too many talking bits overall. I feel that if there were less of these, the album would have been stronger. Everything is also paced ever so slowly which makes you miss having some contrast to better balance the flow between the pieces of music. In a way the album has a feel as if belonged in a David Lynch movie.

The production values are very high but perhaps a bit too-subtle. The weakest point in my opinion is the fact that almost everything is soft spoken vocally which takes the angst out of what the lyrics are saying thus making it less effective in delivering the message that Water has repurposed for the occasion. There are some interesting musical spaces among the pieces which wakes up one's curiosity. However, it is hard not to make comparisons with the original when all the guitar solos have been replaced by pieces of spoken words. Is as if Waters is consciously taking the soul out of the original work. In my opinion he could have reduced the number of solos while keeping some of the ones that are an intricate part of what makes those compositions what they are.

There's a movie by Sophia Coppola called The Virgin Suicides that had a fantastic soundtrack created by the French duo Air, which where partly influenced by Pink Floyd. When I listen to Water's Dark Side Of The Moon Redux, I can't help but feel that he was influenced by Air's album. The way spoken word parts are interjected into the music, the sound of the drums, the sound of many of the keyboards, etc. There are similar approaches to the way the instruments sound on both those albums. It's like completing some strange circle of sorts. For Is This The Life We Really Want? Waters used Nigel Godrich as a producer. Nigel also produced Air's successful albums Talkie Walkie and Pocket Symphony. I don't really know if Gus Seiffert and Roger Waters looked into that for ideas but the similarities in production values are definitely there. Maybe there's something into my theory here.

The general tone and musicality in this album is fairly minimalistic, so the question becomes, is it good, bad or what? For me, it is more of a curiosity filler sort of thing. I doubt that I will be listening to this album more than I would the original Pink Floyd version. Composition-wise, David Gilmour's guitar work is just too good to ignore and not having any of it here leaves me wanting for more.

In my opinion Roger Waters best album was Amused To Death, and his second best was Is this The Life We Really Want? I speculate that he really liked that last one as well since it was the album that started to introduce the instrumental production sound that prevails to this day.

I am admittedly not a huge fan of The Lockdown Sessions. The main reason is because I find the original versions of all those songs to be superior to the newer versions so it becomes one of those, why bother? sort of situations.

Roger Waters takes a different stance with the DSOTM material. He repurposes some of the lyrics and talks his way through a lot of the album. There's an aura of "this is my baby and I want you to remember it as such, never mind the antiquated version". All of his previous work up until The Lockdown Sessions was original material that has always being interesting in its own way. Having Jeff Beck on guitars for Amused to Death was a point of brilliance. Completely opposite from Gilmour's style but so effective an emotive. Eric Clapton on Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking was also great and added a bluesy sound to that production. Is This The Life We Really Want? Really didn't featured any hero guitar per se but the album had a very 70's Pink Floyd vibe to it that I just love. Can't say anything like that about this new album. For me it lacks energy and even musicality because the music is almost too nuanced at times for his talking.

Many will love it, some because the music connects with them. Music resonates different in all of us. Some will like it simply because it is new output by one of their musical heroes but if we have to be really objective, it is definitely not one of Water's best at all, at least in my opinion.

Yes moves the recent needle upwards with "Mirror To The Sky".

2023-05-22T16:38:00.007-07:00

These days when you talk about the band Yes you inadvertently stir up some sort of clashing comments from fans who seem more divided that ever in regards to the band. As a fan myself I find the extent to my responsibility with the band to be either in support of them or not. By that I mean to buy their albums and go to their concerts or move on while letting them be. It is not my prerogative, (or any other fan's for that matter), to dictate who's in the band or not. If you can set that aside you can get closer to an analysis of their new music from a more objective point of view.

When Heaven & Earth first came out I liked it the very first time I heard it, specially the song Believe it Again. However, as the time went by, I found myself just liking that one song from it. Not the result you would want to introduce your latest singer. Fast forward to The Quest and things got much improved. The album is quite nice even if it doesn't have any "Close To the Edge" moments within it.

Mirror to the Sky is the band's latest effort and some musical growth on the part of the current lineup can clearly be perceived. Some of the album is a bit reminiscent of The Quest but it certainly has an overall sound that shows a little more cohesion. Like many Yes albums of the past I am finding this one getting better with repeated plays. It's not a perfect album but it is a pretty good one and their best work since From A Page in my opinion.

The challenge for Howe and company is to make it sound fresh but retain that Yes DNA imprint on the music. Wide acceptance among some hard-core fans still maybe elusive. I get the feeling that even if they were to hit the proverbial musical jackpot, you would still find some fans negating it just because Jon Anderson was not a part of it. This despite the fact that he has been out of the lineup for 15 years. The band does move forward with merits of their own. Mirror to the Sky is the band's fourth studio album since parting ways with Jon Anderson and the fifth without him including Drama, (and the sixth if you include From A Page which I love).

The album's production is very clean and sharp and has some modernity in it's overall sound. I find the mix well balanced and everything is about right where it should be. If there is anything really negative that I could say about it, is that I wish there were more keyboards in places. One thing I always loved about Yes were the keyboard solos that play along some of the guitar solos as well as all of the keyboard frilly sentences intertwined throughout the music. This album seems to lack some of that and I for one miss it. I could almost hear keyboard passages in the places where they should have been. I don't know if this is just the way Geoff prefers to place his keyboards. When he does play a solo, it sounds good. I just wish they were more, longer and more detailed. Maybe being a Howe production means more guitar than keys by nature. In my opinion the album would have benefitted from more intricate keyboards.

By the time I wrote this post, Cut from The Stars had been played over 300,000 times over at Spotify. The album is definitely being heard. The first song is a pretty strong piece of music enhanced by a full orchestra. The album's second cut is All Connected which sounds as if belonging in Fly from Here at first but then changing to a sound that it is actually more like the Yes of old.

Luminosity starts with a strong beginning that sounds like a soundtrack and overall goes pretty well. The chorus is a bit weird for me and reminds me of a Broadway musical but not necessarily in a negative way. This is one song that I feel some keyboard noodling here and there would bring it closer to sound like a classic and memorable Yes song.

Living Out The Dream is Yes going back to its rock'n roll roots. In parts it reminds me of the Beach Boys and I think the reference might have been done purposely. For me it may be the weakest track of the album but that's not saying it is necessarily bad.

Mirror to the Sky is a pretty snappy number with some bass lines that are actually pretty fresh and almost jazzy. Billy definitely goes all out here in a fantastic way. Steve rocks out on this one as well and Jay's drumming shows how strongly he is inspired by Alan White's style. The song clocks in at almost 14 minutes and goes through many changes which are all cool. It is overall a very strong piece and may be the one that holds up as the one with the longest legs of them all. The one thing, you guess it; "more cowbell!" Kidding aside, it could have used more keys. The orchestra touches are always very nice and they did a great job adding a grandness to the production.

Circles of Time is basically a ballad done in the style of the old Yes. It is a quite nice little piece to close out the album. I must add that it has gotten better with repeated plays which is a good sign.

The album I bought came with an extra CD. The first song on the accompanying EP is called Unknown Place. Steve Howe's voice is not really my cup of tea, the harmonies between Anderson and Squire were amazing back in the day. Today it is Davison and Sherwood who do the great harmonies. Let's face it, Steve is nowhere near what a singer should be and he placed his voice a bit too loud in the mix. Ironically this is the piece that actually has the keyboards I had been waiting for all along. For me, this song finds its footing at around the 3 minute mark, that's where the spirit of Yes really comes out on it. Geoff finally does some jazzy organ solos and some piano frilly stuff, (yay!). The song has some brilliant moments and some not so brilliant moments on it which leaves me wishing that it should have been an instrumental. However, myself being a mainly an instrumentalist, I may be a bit too partial towards going that way.

The second song in the extra CD is called One Second Is Enough, I would assume that this is one song that originally came out of the Fly From Here sessions as some of its riffs sound right out of Fly From Here, Pt. IV Bumpy Ride.

The last song of compendium CD is called Magic Potion, a mix of styles in a piece of music that's a bit over four minutes long. This one has some actual funky bass lines built into it which it actually plays nicely.

Overall I find the album to be really good. When Heaven and Earth came out I liked it but it never held up with repeated plays. I think even the band members themselves felt that it really didn't work. The Quest was a huge improvement and showed the potential of the current line up. Mirror to the Sky in my opinion is yet another move upwards in that regard. If you never heard Yes in your life and someone played this album for you, chances are you would be really, really impressed. But it will not hold the same place as The Yes Album, Close To The Edge, Fragile, Tales From Topographic Oceans, Going For The One or even Tormato or Drama. Those albums came out at different times where bands like Yes were actually shaping the musical soundscape. It is all a travelled road now, times are different and people should be more flexible into their expectations. The musicianship in this new Yes album is as impeccable as ever, The sound is definitely Yes and modern while retaining its prog roots pretty intact.

In summation, Mirror To The Sky is a very good album and worthy of any Yes fan's music library. If I were to get picky about things I would say lyrically it doesn't reach the highs as the band did when Anderson wrote the bulk of the lyrics. And of course, we need Geoff to unleash the beast within him on solos and not to relegate himself to somewhat of a background player. Yes was always the mixture of the individual players. In this incarnation the guitar, bass, vocals and even drums make their case but the keyboards play a bit too far in the background. Otherwise, it is a truly strong album and one I think will definitely get better the more you listen to it.

I feel great that after all these years there is still a Yes and that it is putting new music out and still touring. I know I am extremely fortunate to have worked with some of these musicians, people who I feel are the top of the cream in their field. Rick Wakeman, Bill Bruford, Billy Sherwood and Jon Davison have all graced me with their participation on some of my music (some of it which hasn't even been released yet). Yes and Yes music holds a special place in my heart as it does with many a fan out there. Most of the album reviews I have read so far are very positive which tells me that there is still some Yes to go around for sometime.

A small box set but a first for myself.

2023-05-09T15:07:00.005-07:00

The following text is a copy from the press release:

Prog Music Artist Leon Alvarado to Release New Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set of “Charging The Electric Dream”.

Prog music artist Leon Alvarado will be releasing a new box set of his most recent album “Charging The Electric Dream” on May17th! The set includes the original CD of the very well-received album plus a second CD containing “Outside The Dream” (Epic version) which serves as the soundtrack for the short lm of the same name. The box set also includes two full color post cards recreating some of the promotional poster and a numbered and signed presentation card. All the materials are neatly contained in an elegant, collectible box with a color-printed insert and it’s own unique artwork. Says Leon, “The project as a whole has taken a long time to come to fruition, so I wanted to give it a release with all the trimmings. I think collectors will nd great enjoyment and additional engagement in this box set.”

The music housed in this box set was recorded periodically over a span of several decades. A video for the title track was released concurrently with the album on December of last year followed by “Outside The Dream” the short lm which was released on February 15th along with its soundtrack. The Box set will be sold exclusively through Melodic Revolution Records.

Primarily known for his record label and music promotion artwork, in 2008 Leon Alvarado released his first album, “Plays Genesis and Other Original Stu” as an ode to one of his favorite bands. Since then, he has released several records and worked alongside an impressive list of well-known musicians such as Rick Wakeman, Bill Bruford, Billy Sherwood, Jon Davison (Yes), John Goodsall (Brand X), Trey Gunn (King Crimson), Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, KC), Jerry Marotta, (Peter Gabriel), John Helliwell (Supertramp), Tony Franklin (The Firm), Johnny Bruhns, (Circa), Edoardo Scordo, Damian Darlington (Brit Floyd), Ty Tabor (King’s X) to name a few.

Leon’s musical output can be categorized as a blend of Prog Rock with Ambient, some Classical and a measure of Fusion. Each piece, as well as his library as a whole, is a constantly evolving musical landscape that can simultaneously embrace the listener in familiarity, while embarking on exciting and experimental journeys of sound.

Release date: May17, 2023

Personnel:

Leon Alvarado all instruments

Engineered by Leon Alvarado

Engineering Assistance by John Douglass

Mastering by Maor Appelbaum

Label: Melodic Revolution Records

To purchase: https://leonalvarado.bandcamp.com/album/chasing-the-electric-dream

For more information:

leonalvarado.bandcamp.com/

mrrmusic.com/leon-alvarado

2023-04-15T22:05:00.002-07:00

Outside The Dream, the Epic Edition.

After the release of Charging The Electric Dream I decided to go back into the studio to create a longer version of what became my favorite piece of the album. The idea required to create an instrumental short film in order to put together a more engaging experience. Originally planned as a remix of sorts I ended up going back into the recording studio and add about for minutes of new music to the piece. That gave me some flexibility to add drums and other instrumental parts that weren't ever in the original scope when I recorded the original. It also gave me another opportunity to let my creative side loose again but in a slightly different way than usual.

The final piece clocked in at ten seconds over ten minutes which added pretty much four more minutes and twenty seconds which in my opinion was a win-win. The ensuing short film was created to match some visuals which added an new perspective to the work, some eye candy and a bit of an emotional connection. To top it off, there was a release through the usual streaming channels plus a CD that's available through my bandcamp page. The new piece added some new artwork to go along as with it as well for the CD disc and jacket.

The film can be seen by clicking here through You Tube but it is also available on Vimeo.

The CD is available through Melodic Revolution Records here and my whole catalogue is streamable through all the usual places like Spotify, apple music, amazon, google, etc.

Outside The Dream Epic Edition is over 4 minutes longer than the version in the album.

The song is available on CD as well as all the usual streamable platforms.

Pink Floyd's Dark Side of The Moon cover art after 50 years.

2023-04-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

There seem to be a lot negative vibes these days surrounding the living members of what will be remembered as one of the most iconic bands in recorded history, Pink Floyd. Their music has the uncanny characteristic of being liked not only by progressive rock fans but fans of many genres as well. Albums like The Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall, A Momentary Lapse Of Reason and The Division Bell found a very wide audience which is the reason for the band's more than stellar record sales. Over 250 million albums sold and counting. The band's 1973 effort, The Dark Side Of The Moon accounts for 45 million of that total. To say that's impressive would be a bit of an understatement.

While some band members find themselves bickering about the past, their masterpiece has turned 50 years of age and as such it's been celebrated with a box set (from the band's label) and a complete re-recording (and rearrangements) from Roger Waters. The box set, I am sure, will be fine but it's not something that I am too interested in. I have owned the vinyl (more than once), the CD when it first came out and the Immersion box which had a pretty good remastering of the original CD. Given the fact that the original is nearly perfect in every way, I don't see much point in re-mastering it over and over.

This year the band released a second version of the album that managed to get my full attention. A live version recorded at the Empire Pool, Wembley, London in November of 1974. That for me, is a very different take and one idea that I can surely get behind. I ordered the CD version of that live record. The album has been mixed and remastered by non other than Andy Jackson who has been a sound engineer, a recording engineer, a producer and even has added a few additional tracks to Pink Floyd's sound throughout the years, (he has also worked with yours truly on two of my albums). The original recording must have been a rough one because despite Andy's great work, the final sound still comes across a bit like a bootleg recording. I know it wasn't a bootleg but the actual raw recording must not have been that great. There's a semi-heavy booming sound to it that seems prevalent throughout the recording. I am sure Andy did his best to clean up the sound but for me, the quality overall is not all there. I would have liked less "boom" and a bit more separation between instruments, but in the end you can get used to it and you get a neat enough reproduction of the live sound to appreciate it for what it is. I would imagine there were a few retouches here and there in fixing some notes and that sort of thing, but it is a very nice addition to my Pink Floyd collection indeed.

The CD comes also with a booklet, but in my opinion, the real gem is the take on the album cover itself. To the uninitiated, it looks like some sort of an early version of the artwork idea, a sketch of sorts. In reality, it is a recreation of the original "paste-up" board or "mechanical" board that was use to create the album cover. I have been in the graphic design business long enough to remember quite well how we used to prepare certain artwork for the color separator. The separator's job then was to handle the final film negatives that would be used to create the final printing plates from which the actual product would then be reproduced. These days most, or all of those steps aren't necessary. Or they are done differently due to the digital nature of today's media.

To understand the processes involved back then is to find how fascinating it was to create the whole artwork for the jacket. The whole thing starts with pitching the proper visualization to the band. These days when a cover is shown, it is a combination of Photoshop and Illustrator files that can look as good as finished art. When new photography is involved there would be some flex during the photoshoot to allow for the intangibles and creative outburst on the set. For the Dark Side Of The Moon album cover no artwork was required in the conventional sense. The black background was just that black at the highest density a printer could print it without bleeding into the other colors or plugging the reversed-out typography. The tones of the rainbow are all created using screen values of the four color process and to get that as a perfect tone, the best thing would had been to do them using screen combinations during the creation of the final negatives. That part is done at the separator by a person whose job description was "film stripper." We simply called them strippers back in the day. They would take the paste-up board and use the line art provided to cut the shapes out of an opaque red film (called Rubylith) using an x-acto knife or just a plain razor blade. They would then shoot it as a negative and align another film with an angled dot screen at the right percentage and reshoot in order to get that one color piece of film with the proper ink tone (when printed) on it. Each color has to go through the same process until you get four pieces of film, one for the cyan ink, one for the magenta ink, one for the yellow and one for the black. Some jobs may run two blacks in order to control ink densities on press between the black used on drawings and photographs and the ones used on solid copy or large areas. Without getting too technical, we basically end up with four pieces of film that when combined, provide the proper materials needed to print the job.

The live version of DSOTM's cover is the board you send to the color separator (or at least a recreation of the board), so they can cut the film and start the final production art that would be photographed for the final film. I have taken the cover of the new CD, scanned it and "cleaned it up" just to illustrate the explanations shown here. The artwork is of course property of Pink Floyd and registered to them. By no means does my recreation of the final artwork intended for sale or to create any materials for sale. They are just done solely for the purpose of this blog's explanations. So, getting the legal requirements out of the way, we shall continue with the subject. The front cover as a paste up would look like this:

The prisms (triangles) for the final art were the only bits of the covers that were really "drawn." They were done in the negative form of what you see here using an airbrush on illustrator board. On the real aribrushed art, what you see in white was actually black ink. The final art was then photographed, and since it was already a negative of the final image, the film was shot as a positive. What you see here is what we called an FPO image. FPO translated into "For Position Only" and was there to let the film stripper know that it needed to be replaced with the final during the film production. In some cases it would be marked FPO on the board but in this case it is marked by the use of the pencil lines running across it which would render this piece of art useless to be photographed. The boards weren't yellowish neither, this is just due to the age of the paper used. In the board are instructions for the film stripper to follow, "inside is pure white" in reference to the line that would become the white ray of light.

The inner sleeve had better instructions including the actual screen tones that would form the colors of the rainbow. It looked liked this:

The inner sleeve had a more complex piece of artwork. The film stripper (or at least someone in the production department over at Hipgnosis) had to cut the film strips out of the Rubylith film, (or Amberlith which was a similar film but with a clear backing). Usually Rubylith was used directly on the board and then layers of Amberlith were used in overlays one representing each color. The cuts had to be perfect and perfectly mated to each other. Any mistakes and it would show clearly on the final art. Sometimes the separator would do the work at a bigger scale and then shoot it down to size so that the fits be as tight as possible. On the inner sleeve the instructions are very specific and like I mentioned before, it included the actual CMYK screen percentages that would make up each of the rainbow colors.

So here is the fun part of all this. Using my computer, (meaning that I didn't have to actually cut any film), I used the paste-up artboards provided on the DSOTM's cover and recreated the final art using their instructions and scree n combinations to the letter. Here is one image showing the inner spread. Their board in the back and my recreation on top.

You can clearly see that I follow all the contours exactly as they placed on their paste-up board and use the tint combinations shown on the top right corner of the board. Following are my final recreation of the cover art work for the full jacket.

Many fans will immediately notice that the white beam inside the triangles may look "too bright". It is actually closer to the original intention than what we see in the final product. Remember when I mentioned the two blacks before? This is something of importance because many covers were printed by perhaps only using one black printer, combining it with other screens like a 30% Cyan and even some magenta and yellow to beef it up. The when the cover was on press they punched the black value and added a black holding line around the reversing text and artwork. This is called a hold back and it is meant so that the type doesn't end up reversing out of four colors but only black. Again, I can get technical but for this purpose we'll live the details out. The short story is that some of the printers went heavy on the black density at the press which plugged the softer screens inside the triangle which made the "diffusing ray" darker. I actually like it when you can see more of it the way I show here.

The band themselves have reissued several versions of the album throughout the last 50 years including a photographic version and a stained-glass version of it.

The Dark Side of the Moon is perhaps one if not the most recognized album cover in the world. It is a combination of being iconic (compositionally speaking), simple geometric shapes and huge contrast between the starkness of black and the vibrancy of the colors on the rainbow. To add visual value the original album cover came with some posters. One of the three pyramids of Giza and one with the band members plus originally some stickers as well.

When I got my DSOTM Live album I immediately understood what I was looking at and wondered as to how many people really understood the way we used to do certain artwork. So I though this was the perfect example to bring forth the concept and run through it as an exercise of sorts. The subject matter is something I am involved in my day-to-day life. Pink Floyd's music is of course, way cool so it seems like on the anniversary of such an iconic album, I take a bit of time to talk about something else than the music, the mixes, etc. Just an analytical view of such a great album cover.

Charging The Electric Dream, part of the adventure of a lifetime.

2022-12-15T11:31:00.010-08:00

THIS TIME IS PERSONAL

As people, we are all emotionally attached to whatever makes us react in a strong way. Music has all the elements to touch our souls in the deepest of ways. We tend to listen to music intently and remember it as part of our lives as if it was the soundtrack to our personal story. Later in life we look fondly to that music we used to listen in the past. Nostalgia is a very powerful deliverer of emotions and music is a great part of what creates that nostalgic feeling in us. I compose and record music because my creative side urges me to do so. It is an outlet for whatever good lurks inside my mind and something I just I love to do. Charging the Electric Dream is my latest release and this one is composed of very personal musical moments.

THE HISTORY

Throughout the years I have composed and recorded several pieces that weren’t specifically created for an album. Sometimes, these ended up being re-worked, or parts of them woven into other pieces of music that managed to make it onto one of my records. Sometimes however, they ended up just as single pieces that I archived, waiting for the right moment to either finish them, or release them in one form or another.
Earlier this year, I recorded a new piece of music that qualified as one such “orphans”. I was very pleased with how it turned out and started looking for a vehicle to share it with people. Releasing it as a single would not have made much sense, so I went back into my archives to see if I could put together a collection of music that I had in "cold storage" into one cohesive project. I found enough material with a common sonic ground to make up an entire album.

My methodology left me with a few of the pieces going as far back as over 20 years ago. A massive flood in 2017 wiped out the drives that held those multi-tracks which meant that in some instances I had to recreate or re-record some of the material. Luckily, some mixes survived because of being backed up on other drives that I had in high shelves. These "surviving" pieces however, were already mixed which took away the ability to re-mix them.

Charging The Electric Dream is my first album that does not have any collaborators or guest musicians. It is a very personal record. If I were to describe it, I would say that it is an album of what I like to call "headphone music", something that plays out more like a soundtrack that stimulates the listener’s imagination. Like many of my other records, you can hear some of my inspirations throughout the album. There are definitely nods to Brian Eno, Wendy Carlos, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Jean Michel Jarre and even a nod here and there to Rick Wakeman. It is not a Prog album per se, but definitely something that Prog fans can appreciate.

THE MEANING

Charging The Electric Dream is my own personal take on some of the music that inspired and influenced me. The “Electric Dream” refers to the way I used to think about such music when growing up. “Charging The Electric Dream” is named so because of what the record does, it gives the recorded material a new life by its release.

THE INTENTION

I have always stated that I compose and record music that I would like to listen to. I count on the fact that I know there are others like me who have similar taste. My music is ultimately tailored to them. I see it as music better suited to be heard with some amount of attention. I attempt, with this music, to create some atmosphere and entice a sense of wonder from the listener. It is music designed to let your imagination run wild and expand your own personal listening experience.

THE PRODUCTION

The album was recorded using a series of real synthesizers and computer-driven emulations of synthesizers layered together to create final sound you hear. Between the real and the virtual synths I ended up using a MiniMoog (real and later emulated), a Roland Jupiter 8 (real as well as emulated), a Korg M1 and the incredible ARP 2600 (emulated as I could not get my hands on a real one at the time). I also used the software version of the famous Roland TR-808. Some of the analogue equipment ran though various interfaces with my latest being a Universal Audio Apollo interface. Some ran through a Soundcraft mixing board. All the recordings were handled with the use of Mac computers using mostly Logic Pro for the DAW. Very earlier recordings were made using a Roland Sound canvas driven via MIDI using Master Tracks Pro as software. Some of the music was produced by using the older recordings as sonic overlays while newly recorded recreations were added to improve the overall sound quality. Others stood as is, and a couple of the album’s pieces were entirely new. Sound engineer John Douglass was brought into the fold to do some forensic restoration and clean up any pops, hisses and hot-spots from the older tracks. Maor Applebaum did a brilliant job when mastering the album, bringing an additional level of detail and ensuring that everything sounded cohesively so that things seemed to be all part of the same sessions.

THE ARTWORK

For the album cover, I wanted to have an image that would tell the story of the music. A record that in a way took decades in the making. The trick now was in how to convey that idea and attach myself to it visually. The album is a very personal one, not in the true emotional sense but just because many of the pieces were created out of a whim, a personal desire just to do something new in the spur of the moment. I thought that it could be cool if I showed various photos of myself taken during the various periods that took to make the record. I though it would even be better if I could do this with one main composition. I really liked that idea but it posed a big challenge; where was I going to find photos of myself that would be worth working with? I found the solution while going through my old passports. Here I had several photos taken at various times in the exact same pose and proportions, for all practical purposes, exactly the same photo but with several years between each. I broke the image into one overall background with three cut-out windows which showed portions of my face at different ages. Each cut-out represented each of the decades that the recordings belong to, (00's, 10's, 20's). The relevance of passports as markers of the voyage through my personal life journey only added significance to the idea. The lapse between the photos varies but at my youngest I was 23 years old, (the one in the blue background) and at my oldest I was 49 years old, the lower one, (mouth and chin), for the top one I was in my late 20's, (top hair) and for the middle one I was in my 30's, (eyes).

The album is now from Melodic Revolution Records in digital as well as physical form.

CDs available through:

https://leonalvarado.bandcamp.com/

Also available through all major streamable and downloadable platforms.

For more information:

https://mrrmusic.com/project/leon-alvarado/

The Star Seekers

2022-07-29T18:47:00.002-07:00

In 2016 I released a concept album titled The Future Left Behind. The theming is based on a short sci-fi story that I wrote but instead of telling the story in a conventional way, it places the listener into the premise so that their own imagination can build their own version. Made out of instrumental pieces, the album tells the story in a soundtrack-like form. Each song preceded by a narration that sets up what's about to come. My conceptual idea was to create a more engaging experience for the listener. At least, that's what my intentions were.

The album received a lot of positive reviews but in the end I am not too sure that everyone got my whole idea of immersion. For one, the best way to get the full experience is to buy the CD as it comes with a booklet that explains in more detail the setting as well as having more artwork to help the experience.

As time goes by, the album is now several years old and to give it a lift of sorts I have decided to put a video for people to listen to one of the pieces in what is becoming quite the popular setting, video. The piece is question is called The Star Seekers and as my story tells, these are people left behind on earth when everything seems lost to see if they can fix it. These people are left with no other choice but to try to arrange what's broken. Their vision and determination is what makes them the "true star seekers".

The piece itself is the short little instrumental that closes the album. It is a mix of ambient, electronic and some true rock. Despite the short length, the piece goes form the ethereal "spacey" sounds of synths to a hard rocking beat with guitar and key solos as it ends in sort of an explosive way.

We have put together a video that evokes imaginative visuals to go along the piece. While not exactly in the prest of contexts, the video provides an intriguing visual trip to the stars that flows well alongside the music. In a way it is like watching a laser show on steroids... and without lasers.

2021-06-06T22:35:00.004-07:00

What God Wants, Pt III

June 6, 2021

Lately there has been a re-start of the distaste that Roger Waters has towards David Gilmour. Roger Waters sounds bitter and a bit of an egomaniac. I think there's no doubt among Pink Floyd hard-core fans as to what his role was in the band while he was a member of it. Somehow he feels he must keep telling us. That and his radical stance on some of what I call misguided political views, (there is no defending Nicolas Maduro no matter which angle you would like to see it from. The man is a criminal, murderous dictator, period).

Despite all of that, the man is a musical genius. His staging of the Wall is most likely the best concert I have ever seen, (twice). Today I was listening to his Amused to Death album. It was the remastered (and remixed) version which in my opinion is not better than the original but it is what is available these days. 

I've said this before but Jeff Beck's guitar solo on What Gods Wants, Part III has to be one of the best guitar solos I have ever listened to. The song has a dramatic overtone and the guitar solo plays as if it were a character on an opera. Very lyrical and almost establishing a melodramatic conversation with the listener. This may sound trivial but the solo is extremely emotive and one that gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. Beck manages to make the guitar run through a set of emotions from sad to anger while in the background, the music intensifies with its own choral voices among the repeated chord structure. The solo lasts for about one minute and ten seconds but it is intense, melodic and carries that unique style of Jeff Beck in ways you wouldn't think could work but does, in such a brilliant form.

The rest of the song is also amazingly well put together. It carries an anti-war message in sort of an emotionally sad way but it’s musically outstanding. Yes, political in nature, (surprised?) but in the context that he places his views within the music it doesn't detract from the composition and doesn't come across as "too-loaded" in regards to content. It is only when Waters talks in the web or in interviews that he gets overtly political and quite honestly, so hard-headed that it can be hard to take for some people.

Amused to Death it's not a commercial endeavor in the expected sense of the term. It is perhaps for that very reason that the music within it is so good. Unlike Waters, I do like the Pink Floyd version without him but it is a lighter version of the band. They had no concept albums and were less angry in tone. However,  Gilmour and company were keen to add enough of the type of phrasing that made them undeniably Floyd.

On his last album Roger did the same thing. He drew certain chord structures and arrangements from Pink Floyd's past and put them together in a brilliant album. "Is This The Life We really Want" became my second favorite of his records. But "Amuse to Death" is his solo masterpiece.

What is available on the streamable channels is the the 2015 remastered and re-mixed version of the album which was done by James Guthrie, a long time collaborator in the mixing desk. Another great song from that album titled "The Bravery of Being Out of Range" changed so much in the remixed version that it should have been released as a single leaving the original in the album more or less untouched. The original had an simplistic but very textural guitar solo that reverberated in an "in your face" sort of way. It served as a good contrast to the rest of the other solos. The remastered version has a quite nice and more melodic solo by Beck but it lacks the punch that the simpler solo had.

What God Wants Pt III still intact and that's a good thing because it is one of Roger Water's best moments among many great musical moments from a polarizing man.

The making of BLOOD LIKE RED

2021-06-02T07:36:00.001-07:00

Blood Like Red is part of my CD titled 2014, Music From An Expanded Universe. As the title suggests it was released in that very same year. When I came up with the title I was hoping for people to call it 2014 but instead they ignored the number altogether and when spoken about, they refer it as "Music From An Expanded Universe", (which I originally meant it as a long modifier for 2014 and not the other way around). I learned the hard way not to title an album the year of its release.

When creating the piece I wanted for it to have a very King Crimson sound to it. In a big way because I find that band to be refreshingly creative and unique. I have always like King Crimson and Red was my absolutely favorite album of theirs up until the reformation that included Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Bill Bruford and of course, Robert Fripp. The trio of albums that started with Discipline and ended with Three Of A perfect Pair were to me as important as Peter Gabriel's third album in regards to what I personally perceive as being extremely innovative music. I was already a great admirer of Fripp's approach to guitar and his music in general. The addition of Trey Gunn and Pat Mastelotto to King Crimson in the 90's was in my opinion, another brilliant move for an already brilliant band. It allowed for the band to create different trio configurations in order to explore their musical adventures further.

Sometime ago I was working on an unrelated project spending a week in Dreamland Studios in Hurley, NY near Woodstock. The studio is run by the very talented drummer Jerry Marotta, perhaps best known for playing the drums on several of Peter Gabriel's best albums. He has also played for Paul McCartney, Hall & Oates and was a member of Orleans. That particular week we were working on recording sessions for Paul D'Adamo's album Rawfully Organic. During that period I got to work with Tony Levin and Trey Gunn which eventually led to the idea of coming up with a new project.

I put a plan in place, the idea was to create a project inspired by King Crimson's work around the 80's-90's era, I went to work by writing various pieces with Trey and Tony in mind. Before I realized it, I was very involved with Trey Gunn in molding the pieces together and sorting them out to fit cohesively into the project. There was a lot of file swapping at the time but eventually were able to capture (in my opinion anyway), a little bit of that "magic in the bottle" feel on my favorite piece by of the project which was Blood Like Red.

Like many of my compositions in the past, the thematic of the piece has it starting in a one way and building up to become something very different by the time it ends. For this particular piece the effect fleshed out as some sort of crescendo that went from being soft and spacey ambient music to a harsher rocking climax. Along the way we introduced some easily and not-so easily recognizable instruments. The percussion on the first part of the piece is played by Jerry Marotta using his unique Taos Drum kit. A set put together by combining a series of hand-made Native American drums. There is a warmth and unique sound to these drums which are augmented by Jerry's sublime playing style. There are some more conventionally-sounding instruments as well like a Mellotron using the standard "string section", (via VST) sound and a couple of synth pads for atmosphere. Two acoustic drum kits at one point more or less mimicking each other and two intertwining guitar solos which take a different approach than the usual "dueling" approach were a solo gets played followed by the second guitar and then returning to the first. On this piece both guitar solos play concurrently and independently from each other but complementing each other at the same time with instances were they sort of come together in unison. A crazy idea of mine but one that Trey executed with surgical precision. A detail that goes unnoticed by the casual listener but when heard with intent, it shows how brilliant the guitar parts for this section are. Of course, Trey builds his parts with a Warr guitar which is considered a tapping instrument. Very much in the vein of the Chapman stick, (which is what Tony Levin uses) which is in a way, another non-conventional instrument.

A couple of years later we made a video for the piece. In a perfect world every piece of music I release would have a video attached to it but these can be a costly and time-consuming endeavor. However, Blood Like Red is one of my favorite pieces and so I wanted to have a companion video to go with it. Like the music, the video starts with a series of soft light effects that eventually fade into a landscape that could easily belong in a Star trek movie. Thanks to the magic of digital post-production manipulation all the vegetation in the scene has been turned red instead of its usual green. Sheets of red satin undulating in slow motion add a point of somber reference to the pulsating beat that's built around the repeated sequence of chords played through the Mellotron and the percussive sound of the drums and bass line. This is followed by more red landscapes depicted in negative to accentuate the strangeness of the setting. A close up glance of a person's eyeball adds a human element to help anchor the idea of being "witnessed" and as the music in the background intensifies, so do the more abstract elements that come into view. These elements depict more of an emotional state and in their own way as they get more involved as the crescendo grows. At one point we actually get to see me playing the drums which is the one and only time you see anyone playing anything in the video. I realized that sometimes you had to throw an image of the musician for people to be able to make the connection between the video and the music so I added the footage to fulfill that quick unspoken requirement. As the music gets more and more intense so does the video layering. We had a lot of fun making that particular portion of the video something more akin to an art installation than a conventional video clip which to me adds artistic value to the effort.

At the very end of the video we end up looking towards our planet earth from just outside the moon's surface as to portray or give the whole thing not only sense of scale, but also giving a more signifying nod to the ending. Humanity after all, is nothing more than another minuscule piece of a much larger and quite vast puzzle. We give ourselves a great deal of importance but in the end, it's nothing more than a self pat in the back. And to an extent, there's nothing wrong with that. You put the work and you want to see it through and reap the rewards or accept the failure but in the big picture of it all, we only matter to ourselves.

My music and my videos encompass a multitude of things. You certainly can hear who has inspired me on a particular project but you also get a lot of myself on it. With some hope we'll have more videos to expand the amount of content that I enjoy sharing with people. In the meantime I have but a few videos of some of my pieces and Blood Like Red is one of them. It is available on Vimeo, YouTube on my facebook and my bandcamp pages as well.

Click here to see it on Vimeo

Click here to see it on YouTube

Click here to see my bandcamp page

Rebuilding a recording studio on a budget.

2019-11-06T16:21:00.005-08:00

The following is rather lengthy but if you are seriously interested in making your own home music studio on a budget you may find this article somewhat interesting. I have been recording my own albums since 2008. I have recorded with great artists from the progressive rock world, Bill Bruford, Rick Wakeman, Billy Sherwood, Trey Gunn, Jerry Marotta, John Goodsall are some of the amazing musicians that I have worked with on my albums. Most of the material in those albums was recorded in my home studio. If anything, I have learned how to produce records on a shoe-string budget.

Hurricane Harvey for sure did a number on us by submerging everything we owned in about five feet of water. It took twelve days before the water receded to the point we could return to our destructed home. Needless to say just about everything in my home studio got wiped out. It took almost two years for us to repair our home and in a way, our lives.

For the studio rebuild I got leaner using less gear to do about the same I used to. Obviously, budget had everything to do with it and the only way to do that is to rely more on digital plug-ins and virtual instruments and making sure you have a pretty good package of hardware-software to go along with that. I would still need to keep some outboard gear to record things such as vocals and whatever else I desire to do outside the digital box but for the most part, it's a computer-driven environment.

First things first, we started by remaking the room. We replaced all light fixtures with insetted LED cans so that there aren't any extrusions coming out of the ceiling. I still kept a ceiling fan, (which we turn off during recordings), because it can get hot in the studio with all of the gear, the lights and up to four people (maximum capacity) in there. The whole house got a new floor which is made out of porcelain tile resembling wood so we had to get a pretty big rug to cover most of the floor space. The rug was placed over a padded base so that would not only feel better to your feet but would also absorb more of the bouncing sound in the room. we then treated the walls with ATS Acoustic panels. The doors were also treated by applying dense polyester acoustic panels to them and adding a plastic-foam stripping where they meet the frame when closed. The closet space has been redesigned to store some of the extra gear, cables, etc. The walls and acoustic panels are all white to make the room as large as it can appear given the fact that it is relatively small but needs to fit a drum kit, a full-width 88-key digital piano, a guitar and a bass plus all the cabling, headphones mics and mic stand and whatever extra gear is brought in.

Not having the luxury of a separate control room a corner of the room houses a desk made out of simple tables that hold an audio interface from Universal Audio, a 27" iMac loaded with all the stuff I need, a Soundcraft 12 channel mixer, a Korg Mini controller, a Roland Boutique Juno mini synth, three sets of monitors, (total of 6 speakers), mixing headphones and extra cables, adapters, etc. The Studio room has two sets of outlets on three of its four walls and three of those have surge protectors connected to them.

Next to the control area there's a Casio Previa piano that faces the center of the room. The piano is connected to the Soundcraft mixer but it is very conveniently placed if it needed to be plugged into the system via USB connector. Adjacent to the other side of the desk in the opposite corner of the room there's a Roland drum kit with a snare, bass, four toms and four cymbals. The drummer's back faces the corner of the room and the front faces the center of the room. In the floor by the drum kit there's a fan for the drummer. A small round table that can hold drinks and things of the sort and there's also a headphone amp with four AKG headphones attached to it. Also there are two stools, one with a music stand in front of it and a boom mic stand with a Shure SM7B Microphone attached to it. On the room's back wall there is a small piece of furniture holding two pairs of bongo drums, a clarinet, a trumpet, a small traveling case and some other small items. The studio also has a closet that houses two large tupperware-style square containers holding extra cables of all sorts, a tool box, equipment manuals, etc.

The new studio has a much better vibe and overall acoustics than the one it replaces. With the computer, drum kit and the digital piano permanently placed, creating and even recording music is a thing of minutes to set up and not something that takes so long that by the time you're ready your inspiration has been gone for a while. The room itself is also very conductive to creating music and despite the lack of outboard gear, it is very efficient at providing me what I need.

The best of it all is that everything I have I acquired with a budget in mind. This is only possible by making most of the use of the computer and digital equipment. As with everything budget, there are limitations to the studio but I have been composing and recording albums in my studios for years at a reasonable cost. Some of the equipment would qualify as cheap stuff but the way I look at it, you don't always need to spend a fortune on a cable that's designed to carry digital signal for example. The digital signal is sent in binary to be decoded by the computer so instead of spending money on an expensive cable, make sure you have a good computer that's fast enough and has enough memory to handle your files.

My priorities setting up the studio had to do with my work flow. First and foremost I wanted the most flexibility in regards to drumming and drum setup. Acoustic drums take a lot of time to set up, mic and lots of work from the mixing desk to get them sounding correctly. When they do, they are a thing of beauty and playing on acoustic drums gives you a myriad of nuances to your sound that's only possible with them. Electronic drums however, have come a very long way and Roland still leads the field in my opinion. Their latest kits include features such as positional hitting (sound changes depending on where you hit the pad), and capture so many more nuances than before. They also have gotten much better at reducing things like "machine gunning" and other issues that used to plague electronic kits. The beauty of electronic kits are many: they do not take as much room, they immediately sound good right out of the box and require no lengthy setup. Changing kits is literally a turn of a knob and you can have many kits with customized features. You can play them silently as they will not wake-up your wife up should you find yourself wanting to play late at night. You can record directly out of the kit's output or you can use them to drive even more complex kits residing in the VST library of your computer. Flexibility-wise you just can't beat an electronic drum kit, specially if you are being budget conscious in regards to your home studio. So priority number one was to get a good digital set from Roland without braking the bank. I actually own two sets from them. A small set I keep in my office which I use jam with other musician friends. That kit is a TD-1DMK that only cost me $670. For that price, it is most likely the best deal out there. I had bought a Simmons set from Guitar Center that feature-wise it kicks the TD-1's butt at half the price. Too good to be true? You bet. Within a month the Simmons started to miss many of the notes played on them, then the volume on the pads stopped working, with the warranty all setup, they went ahead and sent me a new set of pads but those started malfunctioning soon after. The mesh of the pads started to break and I changed the one in the snare with a mesh from Roland but after a few months the pad's sensitivity started to fail. Learned lesson, skip the cheap sets and go instead for a lower end but high-quality set from a reputable manufacturer. The Roland does the job although nowhere near as well as the more expensive sets they make. For the studio I got a much better set (although certainly not the top of the line sets from Roland which can run around $8,000). Instead I got a middle-of-the-road set, expanded it and added a couple of extra pads to end up with a much nicer set without forking tons and tons of money.

My second priority was to get a good analog to digital converter also known as an audio interface. Normally this is the area where you would want to spend your money. A great AD converter can cost you $5,000 (or more) all by itself. Due to the fact that I still want to do a great deal of VST, the converter will be mostly used for vocals and the occasional percussion and that sort of thing. I settled for a product from Universal Audio because it comes with excellent conversion, brilliant plug-ins, and better yet, those plug-ins are processed through the UA unit which frees your computer's CPU so that it can handle all of the other tracks and whatnots. The idea of having two machines splitting the processing of the tracks simultaneously really appeals to me and knowing the reputation that Universal Audio has I thought it was certainly a great piece of equipment to have. The next step was to get the one mic that would cover my needs. I have no need to mic drums or anything as complicated as that because of my digital environment setup. So basically all I need is a mic that can handle vocals admirably without costing thousands of dollars. The Shure SM7B is definitely that. The original SM7 was introduced in 1976 and was prominent in many famous recordings. Quincy Jones used it exclusively to record the vocals for Michael Jackson's Thriller album. The mic itself went through a revision in 1999 as the SM7A which improved the humbucking coil and the design of the yoke mount. Then in 2001 the company introduced the SM7B which has a larger windscreen. Who am I to argue with Quincy Jones? I have been told by many engineers and artists that if you only have the budget for one mic in your life, get the Shure SM7B. I did just that.

My third priority was getting the right computer and the right software for my way of doing things. Most people have PCs. I have never owned a PC and have been making my living since 1986 on Apple computers so it had to be a Mac. I went for an iMac model that's plenty fast and loaded it with 64GB of RAM to handle the rather large files that recording can create. Many people use ProTools as their main DAW system and they do make a ton of stuff for it. I have been working with Logic and even Garage Band for years. What is it what I like about it? The fact that is very intuitive so the learning curve doesn't need to be a lengthy one. First and foremost I am an artist who likes to create and not get bugged down in something so technical that would impede me from doing what I like. I started this whole thing many years ago working with a program called Master Tracks Pro. It taught me how to do sequencing and how to record using MIDI. Later on I used Garage Band when it first came out and quickly graduated into Logic Pro as things got more complex and needed a more robust software solution. Logic Pro is the second most used DAW software used. The most popular is Avid's ProTool but coming from an Apple environment, it made sense for me to continue with the Mac's ecosystem and Logic happens to be Apple's own softwar, so I know it should work fairly seamlessly.

Nowadays I have a decent, flexible drum kit, which I use to trigger plug-in sounds from my computer or use the Roland's good built-in sounds when playing live or working out things. I use exclusively Nylon tipped sticks when playing on the V-drums mesh heads. I found that the regular wood tips fray and splinter a little with time which can end up tearing the mesh head's layers. Since I switched to Nylon tips, I am yet to tear a single head on the drum kit. The downside of such sticks is that there are a lot more variety of sticks if you do not seek Nylon tips, but that's something I am willing to live with. I also have the very good analog-to-digital converter with the Universal Audio's Apollo interface, a good mic and a good computer with the software that allows me to record the music that will end up in my albums. I do have to note that my music is a combination of tracks recorded with virtual instruments along with real instruments. Some of my music also have tracks recorded at commercial studios with other sound engineers and so forth. I also do not master any of my music. In the past that task has been delegated to places like Abbey Road Studios and Metropolis Mastering (both in London). At couple of my CDs have been mastered by Andy Jackson, (sound engineer and producer for David Gilmour and Pink Floyd). I also have worked with Maor Appelbaum who's very talented and resourceful mastering engineer. My point is that it is always better to let a professional sound engineer do the mastering, they know their trade better than we know ours in a way. I would not use an automated software mastering program. Computers analyze numbers and are great to crunch them but people listen to sounds and can detect the artistry of a piece of music which a computer cannot.

Stocking up a studio of any size can get expensive but you can buy things a little bit at a time. The important thing is to have a good computer (forget about a cheap laptop because of portability). If you are using a laptop, you have to make sure that it is powerful enough to handle the task and they put a hefty price for having that portability. You can get a much powerful desktop for less and be able to make your own studio for a much reasonable price. I must also say, if you go the PC vs the Mac rout you'll be able to save some money as well. I have been working on Apple computers since 1986 so in my case I will stick with it. There's also a lot of just "plug-and-play" features with the Mac environment that I like over the PC but overall, a PC will give you more bang for your money even if they are more susceptible to viruses and needing more downloaded drivers, etc. To some people that's simple stuff and they know well how to deal with that. You can get a keyboard controller for about $100 that can handle most of your MIDI input. Then, add up your software and you can get going and running in no time. If done wisely, you could have a decent capable MIDI studio for a couple thousand dollars. To do things other than MIDI is where things start to quickly add up.

Click here for a quick video of the setup in action.

Here's the list of equipment in the new-and-leaner studio:

Studio Hardware:
Apple iMac 3.1GHz 6-Core Processor with a 27" Retina 5K Display 64GB of Memory
Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter
VersionTECH External CD/DVD drive
3 QOLIXM Plug Strip with surge protector and USB charging station
Universal Audio 2X6 Apollo TB Int/UAD-2 4X DSP (Quad core)
Royer In-line Signal Booster
Shure Dynamic Cardioid Microphone SM7B
AKG K701 Open reference Mixing headphones
Yamaha HS Series Monitors
IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Monitors
KEF Monitor Speakers
K240S AKG Semi-Open Monitor Headphones
ORICO Premium 10 Port USB 3 Hub
Behringer HA400 4 Channel Stereo Headphone Amp
AKG K72 Studio monitoring Headphones
Soundcraft Signature 12 MTK Mixer
Casio Previa 88 key Digital Piano
Ibanez SR405QM CNB Bass
Ampex BA-110 Bass Amp

Fender Rumble Series Bas Amp
Roland Boutique JP-08 Synthesizer (Jupiter-8)
Korg MicroKEY-37 Keyboard Controller

Arturia KeyStep Keyboard Controller

Yamaha Reface CP Electric Piano

Software:
Logic Pro X
Universal Audio plug-ins:
UA 610-B, UA 1176LN Legacy, Pultec EQP-1A Legacy, Pultec-Pro Legacy, Teletronix LA-2A Legacy, Raw Distortion, RealVerb Pro, Ampeg SVT-VR Classic, Marshall Plexi Classic, Precision Channel Strip, Precision Reflection Engine, Precision Delay Mod, Arturia Analog Lab Collection
IK Multimedia Sample Tank
ARP 2600 Emulation
Waves Abbey Road Studio 3
Waves VU Meters

Drum Set:
Roland TD25KV V-Tour Expanded Kit
DW DWCP3500 Two leg Hihat Stand
Tama Iron Cobra 300 Series Bass Drum Pedal
Tractor Style High-Density polymer stool
Roland PM100 V-Drum Speaker System
Roland V-Pad Dual Trigger 12" Cymbal Pad
Roland Hatched Cymbal Mount
Roland Drum Set Clamp MDH-12
DW 2 Way Bass Drum Pedal Beater
Roland 10" Mesh Head V-Pad

Latin Percussion LMP 199-AW Mini Natural Wood Bongos 3.5" and 4.5"

Latin Percussion Aspire Series Wood Bongos 6.75" and 8"

Hluru C Key 14" Steel Tongue Titanium Drum

Drumsticks:
Promark 5B Nylon Tip Hickory
Promark 2B Nylon Tip Hickory
Promark 7A Nylon Tip Hickory

Promark 747 Nylon Tip Hickory
Vic Firth American Classic 5A - Nylon Tip
Vic Firth American Classic W/ Vic Grip 5A - Nylon Tip
Vater Classics 2B Nylon tip
Techra Carbon Pro Drum Sticks 2B
Promark Phil Collins Autograph Series

Colosus Techra Carbon Fibre Sticks 2B

Hluru Ebony Mallet sticks

Cabling:
USB 2.0 A-Male to B-Male Cord
Thunderbolt Cable - 6ft
Headphone Splitter Stereo Audio cable
XLR Male to Female Microphone Cable - 3ft and 6ft
Auxiliary Stereo Audio Cable 3.5mm Stereo Jack Male to Male - 10ft
1/4" TRS Balanced Stereo Audio Cable for Studio Monitors - 10ft and 15ft
GLS Audio Guitar Instrument Cable - 15ft
Devinal 1/4" TRS?TS Female to Female Coupler - set of four
Velcro Cable Straps - various sizes
Cable Labels
Hosa CMP-110 1/4" TS to 3.5mm TRS interconnect cable - 10ft
GLS Audio Patch Cable Cord Balanced - 6ft
Hosa STP-204 1/4" to 1/4" Dual TS Insert cable - 4 meters
Fender California Series Instrument cable - 10ft
Seismic Audio SA-HPE6-4 Pack Headphones extension cables
Pro Co XLRM-XLRF Excellines Mic Cable - 15ft
Pro Co 10' TRS - XLRM Cable - 10ft
Pro Co 10' XLRS - TRS Cable - 10ft
Hosa 10' 3.5mm TS Cable

Miscellaneous Hardware:
On-Stage Heavy Duty Boom Stand
On-Stage Stands U-mount Mic stand tray
String Swing Stagehand Drum Stick Holder
On-Stage Stands Conductor Music Stand
Headphone under-desk holder
Sound Addicted Studio Monitor Isolation pads
Honeywell HT-900 Air Circulator Fan - for drummer
Sticky Gell Pads - Under keyboard rigging
QOLIXM Plug Strips with surge protector and USB charging station
Mouse Pad - 2

Acoustic treatment:
Dense Polyester Soundproffing Acoustic Panels - 6
ATS Acoustic Wall Panels 24"X48"X2"- 8
KELIIYO Door Stripping - 60ft

Brand X, a case study

2018-11-01T13:47:00.001-07:00

For a couple of years I did a lot of work for one of my all-time favorite bands, Brand X. Back in 2009 I enlisted John Goodsall to play guitar on one of my albums. Three years later I was contacted by a promoter to create some promotional materials for a Brand X reunion that included members of the original band with David Sanctious as their keyboardist. That effort fell short of transpiring due to logistic issues. But the posters and advertisements that I did for it looked pretty cool and left an impression with the band. Fast forward to 2016 and the band tries once again to re-form, this time with a much better organization behind them. I got connected with the band citing the work I previously did for the failed reunion. We modified some of that artwork but more importantly I created some new pieces that the band instantly loved. With that, a pretty good relationship started between Brand X and myself.

My personal goal was always to help John Goodsall and Percy Jones in getting back into the spotlight in the best way that I could. The whole music industry panorama is very different than before and making money is pretty hard these days as a musician or a even as a recording artist (unless you happen to be the flavor of the week on the hit parade). I very well know the concept having put out several CDs myself.

Conceptually I wanted to give the band a grand look to some of the materials. A cohesive look and very finished artwork reminiscent of the days when they were signed to a big record label. I believe that to be the part you must also look the part, so I made it one of my objectives to give the materials a somewhat complex execution with interesting settings and visually appealing to the people that knew the band. And so the Brand X Reunion Tour materials went out and got quickly accepted and revered by the band's fans. We did posters, ads and t-shirts which all did well on their shows. For the first time in decades the band's promo materials did a good job in projecting an image worthy of the musical output that went along it. Social media still is a relatively new tool for legacy bands like Brand X. The good thing about social media is the immediacy of the feedback and the ability for bands to respond or react to such feedback.

My initial idea to bring the band's name back into form was to create a visual that would evolve into a story as time passed by and new pieces were added. I tinkered with a few concepts and settle on this image of a desolated motel on a desolated road in the middle of the desert. The motel was of course the Brand X Motel and there's a visible traffic sign warning people of "INTENSE BRAND X AHEAD". There are many analogies as to what all of that means. The motel could be representative of the dichotomy of what Brand X means to people these days. The road sing serve as a warning that what lies ahed is more intense of what you may think. The word "intense" in of itself represents just what the band is all about.

The original reunion tour poster focused on the line up and the albums
from where the play list derived.

The teaser poster was based on the artwork from the failed 2012 reunion.

The second teaser poster.

The reunion tour started in late 2016 and continued in 2017 with much success and the recording of some shows for a planned live album.

Poster for the 2017 West Coast portion of the Reunion tour.

I wanted to create a slight different look for some of the promotional materials in 2017. By this time we had a decent archive of photographs of the band playing live. Photographer Avraham Banks had been following the band through many of their live shows and capturing them during their concerts. I felt that Avraham's shots were very good and captured the feel of the band playing live perfectly and I thought that featuring them would only help with the message.

Individual flyers for each west coast show.

A second poster with more of an informative approach was
created to re-emphasize the tour dates.

The tour yielded a live recording that became the catalyst for their first recording in decades. But wait.. There's more! was not only the first album the band had put out in a very long time, it was also the first official live recording since LIVESTOCK. Many concepts were kicked around and I gave the band a long list of possible names. The chosen one was But wait, there's more... (which had the punctuation altered to what it became the final product). To this day I am confused as to why that punctuation was changed. To me, the original sentence makes more sense when reading it. The album cover was another conceptual visual that show a wore-out suitcase with some old traveling stickers on it. Once again the setting was a desert. The desolation of the desert gives things more importance but also tied the album cover artwork with the motel visual that started the whole story. In my mind I still liked the concept that the whole thing is a continuing story line and every album, every shirt, every poster shows a little piece of it.

The vintage traveling stickers ended up being previous album covers from the band's past.

The album was a double CD package.

Some promotional materials were done in support of the new album.

The first advertisement announcing the first album in years by the band.

The merchandise desk at the venues sold several Brand X t-shirts, among them the one promoting the album.

I also developed an advertisement specifically for a set of shows promoting the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of LIVESTOCK.

A second T-shirt was also created to be sold on the venues on the day of the shows.

A change in personnel

The Summer of 2017 saw the band hitting the road again but with a change in personnel. Dennard Kenwood, the band's drummer that originally replaced Phil Collins is also a teacher at Berklee School of Music. Because of his teaching schedule it became increasingly hard for the band to book shows in certain nights and places. For Brand X to successfully continue their come back they needed to be more flexible than that in regards to scheduling. The band recruited Kenny Grohowski to replace Dennard. Kenny is younger than the rest of the band and brought with him another level of energy and dynamics. Still billed as the REUNION TOUR, the band continued to play gigs with the revised lineup.

For the advertising I revisited the original idea form the beginning and made flyers for each individual show.

Each show had a flyer that resembled this one for Daryl's House in Pawling, NY.

When playing live, the band uses a large screen behind them where many slides and visuals are projected. I created several of the slides shown during the shows. I gave them many for the band to choose and I don't quite know how many they ended up using as I have only seen them at the Iridium which is a cozy venue but rather small and cannot hold a large stage set with projections and so forth.

A second album with the new lineup

The new lineup recorded a show during a festival in Lancaster Pennsylvania. My concept was to make the album cover look like a road case that has seen a lot of use. I kicked around several names and the band settled on Locked & Loaded which is a play on word because it doesn't have anything to do with guns but with touring cases being locked and ready to hit the road. The interior photos were again taken by Avraham Banks. I wanted for this album cover to have a more literal connection with the live experience instead of opting for a more conceptual visual.

The album jacket looked like a road case.

The CD itself resembled a 2" tape reel like the ones used in analogue recording studios.

The full package for the Lock & Loaded album

The ad promoting the Lock & Loaded album.

The poster promoting the new album and ensuing tour.

The band played the Rites of Spring Festival (ROSFEST) in 2018 and a video of the show was taped to be released as a 2-disc Blu-Ray/Audio CD. After showing several ideas to the band they decided on a cover. Many titles were also kicked around but in the end Brand X Live was chosen. Although the artwork ended up looking very nice, it wasn't all of what I had in mind for it and I can't help but to think that I still like my more subdued original idea better.

The first concert video ever from Brand X

The advertisement for the Blu-Ray uses a visual that moves the story forward a little more.

The challenge for me was to keep the artwork within the narrative of the original concept. The addition of the UFO changed the perspective and original point of view. The idea was a request from the band and something that wasn't in my plans. In order to help tie all of the pieces together I created extra pieces of artwork that would give glimpses of how the components go together. First the motel from back in 2016 gets visited by an alien ship and the whole thing is witnessed by someone as the flying saucer chooses the motel to be "on its sights" sort of speak.

The use of the elements form the first tour into the Blu-Ray sort of creates a circular story that revolves around the special place that's represented by the Brand X motel. Soon after we completed the Blu-Ray's package the band announced their next tour named "Born Ugly - Still Ugly" fall tour.

The first thing I ever created for Brand X was an image of the Brand X motel in the middle of the desert. The last thing I created two years later was a revisited image of the same motel but at night. In a way, the whole thing did a circle of sorts. Brand X is a special band that has created some incredible music. Percy Jones has always being one of my favorite bass players of all time. John Goodsall is equally talented on the guitar and I found myself fortunate to have recorded with him for one of my projects. Chris Clark is an unbelievable keyboardist of amazing talent. The combination of Kenny and Scott makes for the perfect percussion section and gives the shows a touch of energy that not only sounds great but adds some serious punch to their stage presence.

With some hope we'll be seeing a lot more of them for sometime to come. I like to think that my artistic contributions had a good hand in visually representing the band in the best possible of ways. For the last two years or so I have felt the band to be like a family with the immediate members being the musicians core and with a few people in the periphery being also part of that family. I like to thank them for the opportunity to let me be part of that family for a time and special thanks go to Scott Weinberger who I feel is the glue that holds the whole thing together.

The year after the hurricane hit us.

2018-08-29T19:49:00.001-07:00

On August 27th, 2017 our house started to take water from what hurricane Harvey had brought. Within the next 24 hours we had about four and a half feet of water inside our one-story house. Needless to say, we lost just about everything we had. In regards to my music this meant the loss of five keyboards including a Moog and a Juno. A mixer, various analogue to digital converters, mics, computers, software, filters, midi devices, stands, desks, three drum sets, guitars and too many other things to even mention.

Our street was divided into people who decided to tear down their old houses and build new ones and people who decided to repair. It all boiled down to economics. Rebuilding from scratch meant to build a house that sits about three feet higher than before. New plans, and new everything but at a cost somewhere between $400,000 and $500,000. Repairing could cut that bill by half. Our roof was relatively new and when we got it done we also replaced the decking. The slab itself was also in relative good shape salvo for some of the water pipes needing to be replaced.

The decision to repair was made and we got in high gear to do that. In the process I made an allowance for fixing and retaining a studio to continue my music. I was working on a brand new project when the hurricane hit us and had another shelved project waiting in the wings for me to find the proper way to market it. Things were starting to happen when we got flooded and our lives radically changed.

I was able to salvage and older computer and all of my music backups although not all of them as mixed files. In the flood I lost my main computer and with it all of the digital plug-ins that I had. some of them aren't in the market anymore so in a way I lost the ability to match spot on certain sounds and voices. Still, having some of my stuff backed up on portable hard drive and some on CDs meant to have much of my music still. When I work on a project, at the end of it I put many of the materials locked in a case with some of those silica packets to keep humidity out of it. The close case stops the light from potentially damaging any of the CDs. So I feel pretty safe about keeping the stuff there. If they break down thirty years from now, I doubt that I'll be around to see it.

When we moved into an apartment, I bought a new computer and loaded the software I had backed up in order to keep working on the project. I thought that working on music would help me through with the bad feelings I had from going through such a traumatic experience. It is not easy to wake up one day finding out that you don't even have a car to go anywhere. No closets to look for what to wear or nothing to wear other than what you are wearing at the time. As human beings, we are not prepare to loose everything you have collected throughout your entire life in the span of hours.

Finding transportation, clothing, shelter, etc., becomes your first priority. Then the fact that despite your house being practically gone, you still have to make your monthly payments and that's on top of rent which you have to pay as well. So, practically your housing monthly cost just doubles and you just have to take it or loose it.

Still, the idea of creating new music is constantly in my head, the project I was starting to work on prior to the hurricane had a very Pink Floyd vibe to it which excited me because I love that band. But the realization that I had to focus more on the house than on the music eventually forced me to stop working on any new music. The work around the house issue first evolved into creating a data sheet with all of our belongings for insurance purposes. We took a lot of photographs of the stuff as we took them out of the house. Each photo had to be matched to a website that offered the item (or a comparable one), the price placed on the sheet as well as the link to it. It took us a couple of months working at night just to compile that list.

I was specially sad when I had to throw away three sets of drums, one still in the box. My beloved Roland kit which I built though the years by buying one part at a time. And some of my keyboards which went back all the way to when I was in college. Despite that pain and loss, I'll still be making and recording new music in the future. For the time being I am just playing on Tuesday nights with some of my buddies, an eclectic set of people who's musical taste vary greatly between one another. I bought a cheap Simmons set out of Guitar center's website which has broken twice already. The mesh on the heads kept ripping so I finally replaced the snare drum's head with a Roland and that took care of that problem. I can't wait until I am back at my own studio to buy a whole new Roland kit. Still, we have a lot of fun on such nights. We do freeform jams or sometimes play covers from artists like Santana, Jeff Beck, Dire Straights and The rolling Stones among others. We also drink a lot of straight vodka to keep everything "flowing". Somedays we sound better than others but always managing to have fun.

It has been a year and we are about a week and a half away from moving back into the house. Will the house be ready? Well, no. It won't so it will be very strange to live in a house where there is a crew still working on it. So, I expect this not being done for at least another month (should everything go smoothly). Realistically, I expect the house to be ready by sometime in October.

Music-wise, I can't wait to get back into it. I am hoping that things come back to me rather quickly once the house is fully completed. For the time being though, the house takes a lot of our efforts. I am constantly drawing plans, finding light fixtures, sinks, tiles, counter tops, switches, etc.

Bought a cheap Simmons drums in the meantime but already had to replace the mesh on
the snare drum because it was so cheap that it had broken twice in a few months.
I put a Roland head and that did the rick.

Hurricane Harvey's devastation can't keep this old rocker down.

2017-09-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

This blog is where I usually discussed anything related to my musical compositions, my artwork within the music industry and the bands that I know or like. This time I will expand on an event that at least for the time being seems like a life changing event. And yes, it has affected on my latest studio project which I just started to work on about three weeks ago.

Hurricane Harvey came into Texas striking the coast south of us hard as a category 4 storm. Then it decided to hang out for about 4 more days before slowly moving back out into the gulf and turning north at a snail pace and in between the border of Texas and Louisiana. In Houston we never got a direct hit from the storm. What we got was four days of what you would call the dirty side of the storm. The dirty side is the part of a storm that collects the most rain as it drags all of the moisture and sucks it into the center of the storm. Because of that, we got up to 53" of rain in some places in Houston. To put that into perspective, in 2016 Houston got around 50" of rain in the period between January 1 and August 31 of that year. In contrast, we got more than that in just three days!

To top that off, the reservoirs that are designed to keep water away from the city were filled to capacity and the Corps of Engineers made the decision to let the flood gates open as a preventative measure. One, to lower the level of the reservoirs in case it rains some more. Two, to release the pressure cause by the vast amount of water so that the dams won't fail. What this meant for us was that in a day or so, we got around five feet of water into our house. Worst yet, this happened on the 28th of August and as on September 8th we still have perhaps up to two feet of water left in the house.

We have lost an outstanding amount of property which includes three cars, all our furniture, three television sets, books, clothes, all the appliances including two air conditioner units, my son's toys, computers, three drum sets, four keyboards, a mixer, mics, digital converters, headphones, amps, our photo albums and many photos, memories, toiletries, beddings, tools, christmas ornaments, things passed on from my parents, cameras, you name it and if it not destroyed, it will take time to get it fixed. We will be spending weeks just getting an inventory of what got damaged together.

About a week before the flood, I started to work on a new music project. I had been in contact with my friend Billy Sherwood and got him on board for the project. Like many of my other music, I am expanding on the scope by taking some inspiration from bands I like and making my own original music using some of the learned cues. I had to stopped having laid down about 8 minutes of music. The good news is that I was able to save the computer that carried all of that so none of it has been lost. In the middle of all this crisis, I find that my music plays a very important part into my sanity. As soon as I can find a way to continue, I will get back to the project but for the time being, recovering from the flood (house-wise) is our biggest priority.

We have moved into an apartment and we have a rental car for the time being but a lot of time goes into filing things with FEMA and waiting for the water to recede so that we can deal with adjustors and that sort of thing. I know the hardest work still lies ahead for us but the waiting is what's killing me. On the other hand, it may be what's helping me to be mentally prepared to deal with the cleanup process. My oldest daughter set up a page to help us deal with our much elevated cost of living. We have to cover our rent but we still have to cover our mortgage regardless of having to practically rebuild the house.

Whether one has insurance or not, this is a lengthy process to recover and I presume the fights with either FEMA or the insurance company will be fierce. All we want is for us to be whole again but some of the things like photo albums, notebooks and the such we'll never be able to replace. I am hopeful that in less than two years we should be in a decent position. We will own much less than we did before but by then we may also be smarter about what we acquire and decide to keep. Life's too short to fret about details. We now must prepare ourselves to start over practically from scratch and regain some of that battle-form that we once had as much younger people. I am more than sure that some good things will come out of this, for the time being we aren't in a good position to ascertain them but we will be working on that before you know it.

As to how people could help, (should they wish too), here's the page my daughter set up for us. Every dollar counts in moments like this. Click here to help.

The story so far, a list of my music and the musicians who recorded it.

2017-05-31T14:14:00.000-07:00

The late 2008 saw the release of my first album of recorded music. The music of Genesis was pretty much the soundtrack to my teenage years and as a typical teenager, it left a huge impression on me. So I knew I had to record some of their music alongside my own which was the base for my first release.

After that first album I decided to branch out into a wider spectrum of the music I love so much. In the process I have been extremely fortunate to work with some of my musical heroes as well as some very talented technical professionals. Bill Bruford, John Goodsall, Trey Gunn, Jerry Marotta, Billy Sherwood and Rick Wakeman are some of the musicians that have appeared on my albums. I have also had the pleasure of working with Abbey Road Studios, Metropolis Mastering and Tube Mastering (all in the UK), as well as Alien Beans Studio in the US. Andy Jackson who was Pink Floyd's primary sound engineer since 1988 and co-produced the band's last album worked on the mastering of my last three releases. The mastering for Plays Genesis and Other Original Stuff was done by Tony Cousins who worked in most of the re-masters for the Genesis latest box sets. Ty Tabor from the band King's X also contributed with doing some technical work on my music.

The following is a chronological list of my releases, with their respective dates, labels, a small synopsis of the album and the songs and credits per release. It is a catalogue of sorts but one that I hope people will read in order to see what's out there. The can also look me up on Vimeo or YouTube to see videos of some of the material and whatnots.

Plays Genesis and Other Original Stuff

Release Date: December 2008

Label: Independent

In a nutshell:

Some Genesis instrumental covers plus original material done in the various styles that Genesis had throughout the years.

1. HAIRLESS HEART

Banks, Collins, Gabriel, Hackett, Rutherford.

2. BEHIND THE SCREEN/CINEMANIA

3. FLY ON A WINDSHIELD

Banks, Collins, Gabriel, Hackett, Rutherford.

4. EARTHBOUND/ALBERT’S RETURN

5. OF WIND & SORROW

6. CINEMA SHOW PART II*

Banks, Collins, Gabriel, Hackett, Rutherford.

7. BROKEN PROMISES

Mastered by TyTabor

* Mastered by Tony Cousins

Cover art and photo by Synergy Design.

More info: www.leonplaysmusic.com

*1,3,6 by Banks, Collins, Gabriel, Hackett, Rutherford.

Leon Alvarado: keyboards, sequencing, drums, percussion & vocals

Bill R. dos Santos: sequencing, extra keyboards on 3, 6.

Recorded at The Room. Mixed at Alfa Studios.

Many thanks to Tony, Mike, Phil, Peter & Steve who’s wonderful music

started this whole thing. Special thanks to Bill “R”, Ty Tabor at Alien Bean

Studios, Nick Davis, Tony Cousins & everyone at Metropolis Mastering,

Linda for puting up with it all & New York City’s Broadway and

42 St, for being such an amazing location for a photo shoot.

Strangers In Strange Places

Release Date: October 2010

Label: Independent

In a nutshell:

A follow-up EP to Plays Genesis with a twist, adding John Goodsall and Bill Bruford for a song.

1. STRANGE PLACES 5:03

2. BROKEN PROMISES (Extended Version) 8:02

3. SECOND HOME BY THE SEA 7:07

Banks, Collins, Rutherford.

Michael Rutherford Ltd./Imagen Music

Leon Alvarado: keyboards, drums & sequencing.

Bill Bruford*: drum tracks on 1.

John Goodsall: guitars on 1.

Bill R. dos Santos: extra sequencing on 3.

Recorded at The Room & at Red Star Recording.

Mixed at Alfa Studios.

1,2 Engineered by Leon Alvarado.

3 Engineered by Leon Alvarado & Larry Shaunce.

Produced by Leon Alvarado.

Mastered by Andy Walter at Abbey Road Studios.

Design and Art Direction by Synergy Design.

Many thanks to:

My wife Linda, John Goodsall, Bill Bruford and the

folks at Bill Bruford Productions, Bill dos Santos,

Andy & Lucy over at Abbey Road Studios

and Genesis, (Tony, Phil & Mike).

*Used by permission courtesy of Bill Bruford Productions Ltd.

Edited and arranged by Leon Alvarado.

except “Second Home By The Sea” by Banks, Collins, Rutherford.

2014 Music From An Expanded Universe

Release Date: October 30, 2014

Label: Melodic Revolution Records

In a nutshell:

Change of direction towards a more King Crimson-like sound. Ex-Crimsonite Trey Gunn along with Peter Gabriel's former creative drummer Jerry Marotta were on board. The electronic duo known as Cyber Zen Sound Engine also provide some interesting atmospheric tracks to the record.

1. IRREVERENCE PART I 2:37

2. THE 2014 MICROCOSM 4:55

3. BLOOD LIKE RED 6:32

4. IRREVERENCE PART II 5:26

5. CINEMANIA “ALIVE” 3:40

Leon Alvarado: Keyboards, sequencing, drums, percussion

Trey Gunn: Bass, Warr Guitars on all except 5

Jerry Marotta: Taos Drums on 1,2

Smith6079: Atmospheric guitars on 2

Gracenotex: Atmospheric keyboards on 2

All songs by Leon Alvarado

except 1 by Leon Alvarado and Trey Gunn

Produced by: Leon Alvarado

Engineered by: Leon Alvarado and Trey Gunn

Mastered by: Andy Jackson

Original cover art: Synergy Design/Leon Alvarado

Artwork dedicated to the memory of

Hans Rudolph Giger.

†Original version can be heard in the album

“Plays Genesis and Other Original Stuff”

Smith6079 and GraceNoteX appear courtesy of

Cyber Zen Sound Engine/N-Light-Nz Records.

PERSISTENCE

Release Date: October 30, 2015

Label: Melodic Revolution Records

In a nutshell: An extension from the 2014 recording sessions with Trey Gunn. The title track is a companion to the musical short by the same title, (found on Vimeo or YouTube).

1. PERSISTENCE 6:04

2. BLOOD LIKE RED† 6:33

Leon Alvarado: Keyboards, Programming, Drums

Trey Gunn: Warr guitars, Bass

Produced by: Leon Alvarado

Mastered by: Andy Jackson

Design by: Synergy Design

†“ Blood Like Red” also featured in

“2014 Music from An Expanded Universe”.

www.leonplaysmusic.com

mrrmusic.com/leon-alvarado

The Future Left Behind

Release Date: October 30, 2016

Label: Melodic Revolution Records

In a nutshell:

My most ambitious recording to date. A concept album in the true form based on a story about a dystopian future. The album features Billy Sherwood from Yes and Asia as well as Rick Wakeman. The album also features Johnny Bruhn (CIRCA:, YOSO) and Steve Thamer, (narration). The album also includes a booklet with the story and several illustrations.

1. PREFACE 1:16

2. LAUNCH OVERTURE 6:10

3. A VOYAGE… 0:49

4. JOURNEY INTO SPACE 2:39

5. WEIGHTLESS 2:24

6. HARD CHOICES 0:50

7. THE ONES LEFT BEHIND 6:14

8. LIFE IN THE OUTSIDE 0:55

9. AMONG THE STARS 6:06

10. MUCH ADO ABOUT… 0:36

11. IN OUR QUIET ORBIT 6:36

12. TO BE LOVED 2:43

13. A SILVER LINING 0:39

14. THE STAR SEEKERS 3:28

Leon Alvarado: Keyboards, sequencing, drums, percussion, launch control voices

Billy Sherwood: Lead and rhythm guitars on all except for “To Be Loved”

Rick Wakeman: Moog solo on “Launch Overture” and extra keyboards

Johnny Bruhns: Acoustic guitar on “To Be Loved”

Steve Thamer: Narration

Produced and mixed by: Leon Alvarado

Guitar tracks produced by: Billy Sherwood

Mastered by: Andy Jackson / Tube Mastering

All songs by Leon Alvarado

except “To Be Loved” by Johnny Bruhns and Leon Alvarado

Based on “The Future Left Behind”, an original short story by Leon Alvarado

Design and Illustrations: Synergy Design / LA

Leon Alvarado thanks Billy, Rick, Steve, Johnny, Linda and Ethan.

Johnny Bruhns thanks Amilcar Dohrn-Melendez and Cordoba Guitars.

Lost of artistic work has gone into creating the content that I have finished so far. There are a couple of shelved projects that may someday come out to light. My personal wish has never being the creation of music for money, (although not being a cheap endeavor, it would be nice to recoup the costs associated with it). One will do what one thinks must be done. Having said that, I do wish for people to give some of my music a listen and to tell their friends about it.

Making an album is a matter of choosing an artistic outlet for my work. To me, the full experience is not only given by the music but also by the visuals. I put as much effort into the artwork as it went into the music itself.

Videos are often a big part of the experience but I have yet so far found a financially feasible way to deliver professional quality videos. In a way that's why "PERSISTENCE" is labeled a "musical short" other than a just a video. It took some time to put it together which meant for me to be hours at a time going through footage and collating elements for it. Hopefully I will be able to put out more videos of the music itself as well as some material videos with informative bits.

And... all the albums are available as CDs or digital downloads at CDBaby.com, Melodic Revolution Records and iTunes among other outlets.

CD, Singles, jackets, posters and post cards. This is the story so far.

Yes, which Yes?

2017-04-10T17:30:00.001-07:00

It seems like there are now two bands sharing the name of Yes. Steve's and Alan's on one side and the Anderson, Rabin Wakeman band on the other. It goes without saying that this will cause a greater rift among fans. The news of ARW changing the band name to Yes featuring Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman in my opinion is big enough news to write a post about so here we are. I will write it by basing things from my personal observations and not necessarily from what I keep hearing coming out of both camps and their fans.

To many of us, Yes music and the musicians who composed and performed that music have been a great inspiration but also something to behold. Yes music transcends us to another place where Roger Dean's marvelous visuals blend with our imagination to create a wonderful and unique sensorial experience. The gentlemen who wrote such music and the ones who today perform it under the Yes banner happen to be the musical heroes to many a musician, this one included.

A little background from my point of view. As a teenager in the seventies, I grew up listening to bands like Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, ELP, Jethro Tull, Gentle Giant, Camel, PFM, Focus, etc. These bands to me, were incredible and their music went beyond what I expected to hear in the best possible way. The genre was called progressive rock and sometimes art rock or symphonic rock. Today people may use those terms in more specific ways but back in the day any of those terms were more or less interchangeable. Like many musicians wannabes, as a teenager I started recording demos with friends here and there. Always wishing that the day would come when I would get to make a real record. Fast forward many years later and I found myself fulfilling that dream. And not only have I've done the albums but I was able to recruit the likes of Bill Bruford, Rick Wakeman and Billy Sherwood to help me along. A dream come true indeed. Not one but three Yes' alumni playing in my albums. I got nothing but the highest admiration for these immensely talented musicians. Listening to their contributions on my pieces still gives me goosebumps at times.

Having said all that, we get back to the use of Yes as a name for two bands. From a fan's point of view I can see where it can get confusing. On the other hand, there's now more output of the music coming from two bands that are extremely intimate with it. But, as we all know things are never black and white. To the rejoice of Jon Anderson's fans, having the name associated with him is something great since they are convinced that no Yes can exist without him. Another group feels that Yes belongs with the organization that has kept it going non-stop. That organization happened to loose its flag bearer when Chris Squire passed away.

To keep things legal, the names are as follows: Yes (Steve Howe, Alan White, Geoff Downnes, Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood), Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman (the aforementioned plus Lee Pomeroy and Louis Molino III). Now, here are the main differences, Yes keeps the Yes logo and Roger Dean branding, Yes feat. ARW has a new logo which is very different and keeps none of the Dean visuals. I think there are somethings interesting to note. Back in the day when Trevor Rabin started the band with Chris Squire and for a brief moment, Jimmy Page, the name of the band was called XYZ but with the departure of Page the name was changed to Cinema. That name stuck up until the band recruited Jon Anderson as a singer and the record label decided that it would be easier to market under the name Yes than the unknown "Cinema". Trevor Rabin at the time was pretty much against naming the project Yes but his concerns regarding naming were basically nilled when the rest of the organization decided to go with the label's recommendations. Rabin however, is largely responsible for the band's most commercially successful era but if he would had it his way, that band would have been Cinema and not Yes. There's some irony in that statement.

Steve Howe has kept the Yes flame alive when in agreement with Squire's wishes, let Sherwood step into the Chris' shoes. His camp have kept the name, management and even Roger Dean on their side which in my mind makes a very compelling case for keeping the name Yes. I also think that Anderson is responsible for the band's vocal sound. He has been outspoken vocal about the band ousting him back in 2004 (he was actually ousted in 2008 but the band had been inactive since 2004 which was the last time he was really involved in the band), but he himself has being a part in ousting other members in the past, (Peter Banks and Tony Kaye). Kaye somehow made it back to it later on and rejoiced from being in the band at the time of their greatest commercial success. Banks however, found work here and there but never was able to really make a big name for himself. He died in 2013 becoming the first Yes alumni to have passed away.

The story of Yes is full of personnel changes and even changes in musical styles. When asked, most fans will say that the best lineup the band ever had was Anderson, Bruford, Howe, Squire and Wakeman. When asked which is the best Yes album ever, the fans are all over the place but many hard-core fans will go towards, Tales From Topographic Oceans, Relayer and Going For The One. It is worth noting that the drummer on all of those albums was Alan White and the keyboard player on Relayer was Patrick Moraz.

Now we have Yes feat. ARW working on a studio album. That has many fans excited as to see what that will be like. Anderson himself did an album with Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings) that sounds so Yes-like one would wish it was a Yes album. In my opinion this puts some pressure on Yes (the official Yes) to start writing new material and come up with a new album. I say this because otherwise most people will start to move towards the ARW camp. Specially if their upcoming album ends up as good as the one Anderson did with Stolt.

Although I have met most of the members at one point or another and even worked with some of them, I have no insight as to what happens within the bands. All I know is that looking from the outside, I wish that the Yes (official) camp would start working on some new music to solidify their position as Yes. I do believe they are the right holders of the name but personnel-wise, the other band is as much Yes as they are.

Steve Howe came into the fold replacing Peter Banks. He's been there since 1970 and has been a key element since then. Alan White joined the band after Bruford's departure in 1972. His playing style is definitely more straight up rock than Bruford's inventive style. He however, showed he had the chops when the live album Yessongs came out. Moreover, he has been the drummer since then.

Yes has always been known for having outstanding keyboards. Not many people in the world have the dexterity and talent that Rick Wakeman has and because of it, he's the keyboardist most people associate with the band. Tony Kaye however, had spent a cumulative span of 14 years in Yes. Wakeman had only 12 (until the new incarnation of ARW). By the same token, Geoff Downes stay has added up to 7 years (and counting). He was the keyboard player for the Drama album which was a turning point in the band's career. He also appeared in The World is Live, Fly from Here and Heaven & Earth. That's three studio albums and a live one. Heaven & Earth being the weakest of them all but one that had its moments never the less.

Billy Sherwood may very well be the man that has served Yes in the most diverse way. He has contributed as an extra studio musician (Union), an extra live musician (Talk Tour), a mixing engineer and producer (both Keys to Ascention albums), a mixing and recording engineer (Heaven & earth), songwriter (Open Your eyes, The Ladder), and as a full fledge band member playing bass, keyboards and guitars. He was a touring member in 1994 and did a stint as a full member for three years starting in 1997. Since then and at the request of Chris Squire, he has been back with the band since 2015. Billy is a very talented individual who also happens to front the band ASIA (along with bandmate Geoff Downes), under similar circumstances on how he got the job in Yes.

Jon Davison is the latest addition to the band regarding singers. He replaced Benoit David who had to retire due to complications with his voice. Benoit originally intended to replace Anderson up until the latter would recuperate from issues with his health. Initially, When Anderson got sick, there wasn't a timeline for his return and the band already had cancelled a whole tour because of it. They decided to keep Benoit as the singer and even used him as vocalist on their Fly From Here album (where he did in my opinion, an outstanding job). What the band wasn't counting on was the fact that Benoit had to really stretch his voice to keep up with the high registers and this eventually ruined it to the extent that he had to withdraw from the band. Davison's voice lends easier to the singing that Yes requires. Davison's version of the songs are a bit softer in comparison to Anderson's (and Benoit for that matter). You could say that's his signature in the way of singing the music.

On the other side (meaning the ARW Yes), we got Jon Anderson, founding band member and to many a fan, the life of Yes. Rick Wakeman, the ultimate keyboardist and Trevor Rabin, the South African man who came in the 80's not only to resurrect the band's name (despite his original intentions) but also the man responsible for the band's highest commercial success. Their 90125 album was largely based on Trevor's demos and went to sell more than 10 million copies. Yes released follow up albums with Rabin, 90125 The Solos and Big Generator. Later on he appeared on Union and came back in full force to what I consider to the best yes album featuring him (Talk).

So, where does that leave things? Two Yes? Will there be confusion? Will the Yes (official band) release a new studio album with new material? Will some fans would start to move towards the Yes (with ARW), specially now that they have the word Yes in their name and are releasing a new studio album next year? Does this mean that Bruford can get together with Moraz and make up a band called Yes featuring Bill Bruford and Patrick Moraz?

To me, the name Yes belongs to the camp with Steve Howe, Alan White, Geoff Downes, Billy Sherwood and Jon Davison. Regardless of who made which music, they are the band that had Squire up until his untimely death and they are the band who has been touring under the banner non-stop for many years. Anderson and Wakeman did their thing and had so much fun that got Rabin to join them and are now playing some great music in their own brilliant way. However, to me they are Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman. Just like they were Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe back in the day when Squire, White, Rabin and Kaye had the name.

I find it strange giving the past that Trevor Rabin would like for their band to be named Yes. I think an evening of Yes music plus would suffice. But in reality, I think the animosity between some members in both camps is very real. Yes were never one of those bands where the members happened to be best friends and so forth. As a matter of fact, many bands do not operate as "best friends" playing together. Sometimes it is the conflicting points of view, the in-fights and big egos that create the wonderful music we like. There is no exact science on how to compose a great piece of music and inspiration comes from strange places. My guess (WARNING: pure speculation here) is that Jon Anderson (who is really a lovely man when you meet him), sees himself as truly being Yes, more so than Rick or Trevor ever would. I don't see Wakeman really caring much one way or another so as long as he gets to play, entertain and have a good time in the process. The thing with Rick is that when it ceases to be fun, he's out, (not a bad perspective if you think about it).

When Peter Gabriel left Genesis I was upset up until I realized that there would be more music I liked being recorded. Same happened when Hackett left the band. I now had not one but three bands making the sort of music I liked. When Waters and Pink Floyd split up, it was more of the same thing. I liked both the Roger Waters albums and the PinkFloyd albums. Now with Yes we find ourselves in a similar territory. I badly want for the Yes (official) to come up with some new stuff just as the Yes feat. ARW is doing. It would only mean more of the music I like.

I guess I'll have to keep my eyes open to see which band does what but I wish there was one Yes and one ARW. If anything, it would just make things simple for a guy like me. Just writing this post makes it confusing enough that I have to specify every time I write "Yes".

Seeing the other side of the future. A step-by-step visual analysis of a science-fiction illustration.

2016-10-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

This is the third post I create that showing an animation of one of my illustrations as it gets developed. This particular illustration is the continuation of the story told on my third album, The Future Left Behind. The story line calls for a future earth in complete chaos by being over-populated and depleted of its resources.

Taking a hint from futurists like Syd Mead, I created an illustration that shows the outside facade of the building were one of the story protagonists lives. The story is told partly through a narration on the CD and partly through the written word that's printed along the liner notes. One of the illustrations in the booklet shows a view of an apartment's interior. The new illustration shows what that apartment may look when viewed from the outside. This illustration will be featured on the website.

A lot of work goes onto creating these illustrations. People tend to glance at them for a few seconds before moving onto their next subject. However, it takes a long time and a lot of hard work to make these illustrations look natural enough so that the person seeing it doesn't even think twice about what it took to bring a particular image to life. To the casual viewer is just another building lighted with fluorescent fixtures, etc. Perhaps just a retouched photograph.

There are photographic elements that have been heavily retouched but the vast majority of the work started from scratch. Take the trash can for another example, the can itself really exists so I started by tracing a photograph of the original object and changing it to give it a more futuristic look. Layer by layer, I built color textures and objects into the base in order to achieve the final look. At one point, the trash can had nineteen layers of drawn elements into it. A different approach was the wall which started as a vector object I drew in Adobe's Illustrator and then worked it and worked it in Photoshop until I got the look I wanted. I look at these type of illustrations as if I were building a set for a movie. In the animation shown below, (which loops continuously so If you miss it the first time around you can always let it play out again), one can appreciate some of the most significant layers in the order that they were drawn.

The whole thing has a bit of a Blade Runner feel to it but that movie itself drew its inspiration from Tokyo and Hong Kong. I wanted for the illustration to evoke a similar feel but to have a more western vibe. I wanted something like a slice of New York or London as set in the future.

You can loop through the illustration several times to catch all of the changes that happen through it.
Click on the image to see a larger version.

One of the nice things of working in the digital realm is having the ability to get instant references, instant color mixing without having to wash any brushes and correcting mistakes or edit your work infinitely. These feats aren't easy with conventional methods and sometimes they are quite impossible. Digital painting has definitely a different feel than conventional painting but it is perfectly fine when creating commercial work. You just can't beat the flexibility that the digital media offers.

More than trying to create a photograph, I try to convey the feel of being there through the use of light and texture. In many ways my thinking process behind one of my illustrations it is not dissimilar to how I create music. I start with a very basic idea and lay down layers upon layers until I get to the final product.

I work mainly in Photoshop and Illustrator when creating the artwork.

Creating an orbiting environment for The Future Left Behind.

2016-09-16T14:02:00.003-07:00

To be able to bring life into one's visual ideas is always a satisfying experience for both, the viewer as well as the artist behind the concept. "The Future Left Behind" is an instrumental album based on a science-fiction story written by yours truly. It includes legendary musicians like Rick Wakeman and Billy Sherwood. I feel that the music and the story are both very strong and in order to offer a more complete experience I added some equally strong visuals to the album's packaging. In other words, I added visuals that fit the way I personally envisioned the way things would look in the story.

This is the third entry I write on the subject of the artwork for this particular CD. The animation showing the illustration as it develops proved to be very efficient in the last post so I decided to show a greater one here. This time around I did an animation for the illustration used on the front cover of the booklet. It's basically the same composition as the one on the CD's front cover but in an opposite setting.

The room started as a set of lines and flat areas done in Adobe Illustrator and then brought into Photoshop. I needed to create a window and a couch to match the previous photo and of course, all of it had to be different, more modern, sleeker and somewhere in space!

The animation here shows briefly some of the work that had to be done in order to complete the photo-realistic illustration. There were many more details that aren't necessarily shown here but I think the animation gives a pretty good idea of the work involved. The CD packaging is not your regular jewel case so its front and the booklet's front could use two different covers. I took advantage of having that flexibility to make more imagery in support of the disc's narrative.

Although an oversimplification, the animation here shows the amount of work that went into this piece of artwork.
(click on the image to see it larger). ©2016 Leon Alvarado

The image shown below is a side-by-side comparison between the CD case front cover and the booklet's front cover. In both illustrations, the girl remains on the exact same pose and position having to only change the dress color, the shoes and some light and shadow effects. The couch for the futuristic room was originally rendered as a 3D object and then retouched to add more details that would make it look better suited to its surroundings. There are actually many details like such that aren't depicted in the animation itself. If I had to record every single move I made while creating the image, it would take forever just to watch the thing.

In this side-by-side comparison one can appreciate the fact that is the same composition
showing two opposite settings. ©2016 Leon Alvarado

There are other illustrations throughout the CD's booklet and the packaging itself that support the music and the story. You can check out the music and how to get a copy of the CD here or here.

You can also check this related posts:

The Future Left Behind more depth than meets the ears... and eyes.

Creating a visual future for The Future Left Behind

The Brand X Reunion Tour

2016-08-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

In 1975 Richard Williams, an executive over at Island Records had a pet project, a "jam" band consisting of John Goodsall, Percy Jones, Robin Lumley, Pete Bonas and drummer John Dylan. To keep track of the un-named band the label wrote down "Brand X" on the studio calendar. Soon after the band's formation Bonas left and drummer Dyland was replaced by Phil Spinelli who in turn was replaced by Genesis drummer Phil Collins. The name Brand X stuck with the band as they released their first album in 1976 titled Unorthodox Behaviour.

Few albums followed up until 1982 when after the last album featuring Collins and Lumley, it seemed that the band would no longer exist. Collins however had departed the band back in 1979.

Ten years after it's dissolution, the band was revived by John Goodsall and Percy Jones along with drummer Frank Katz. They recorded an album title Xcommunication. In 1996 the band added Frank Pusch, Mark Wagnon and Danny Wilding to record Manifest Destiny. In 1999 Brand X dissolved again.

In 2012 there was a push to reform the band and play a tour of the U.S. east and west coast. Things were aligned to have some shows as a shared bill with Ambrosia and the promoters started to piece the thing together. I was brought in to do some advertising and tour posters. By this time the band had an interesting lineup: John Goodsall, Percy Jones, David Sancious and Ronnie Ciago. Sancious carried his own weight on the billing so the advertising read Brand X with David Sancious.

I have never put a tour together so I wouldn't know exactly how all of the pieces connect. Obviously there has to be certain financial obligations to be met by all parties to make the thing a viable one. For my part, I designed a series of teaser posters and concert flyers to be released at particular dates with intervals in order to create a buzz. Everything was looking good and we did managed to release some of the promo materials but I wasn't aware that behind the scenes things were falling apart. First, Ambrosia pulled out of the joined portion of the tour. To be fair to them, dates weren't aligning to make it financially viable for them. Not knowing the full details, I found out that the plans for the West Coast portion of the tour were cancelled and soon after the whole thing came unglued and everything just fell apart. I imagine this left a very sour taste with the guys in the band and rightfully so. Fans were asking about the dates after seeing the teaser advertising but were left in the dark as we had to pull out all of the materials. I myself was sadly disappointed because I thought the stuff looked good and got great responses from the band's followers.

Sometimes things happen in the music business that we just don't hear because it's kept outside the public's view. In retrospect, I think we should have waited to launch any promos until the most of the shows were booked instead of just a few. As far as I knew though, it was all green-lit so we pulled the trigger and ran some of the ads.

But as they say, it's all water under the bridge by now...

2016, an energetic revival

The members of Brand X once again had been kicking the idea of a reformation for a tour. The lineup this time consisted of John Goodall, Percy Jones, one of the original drummers Kenwood Dennard and newcomers Scott Weinberger on percussion and Chris Clark on keyboards. A new tour has been scheduled and billed as "THE REUNION TOUR" and once again I find myself behind some of the graphic work for the tour. Unlike the last reunion, this time some of the venues booked seem to be more appropriate for the tour and the band has been rehearsing more intently than ever. The level of excitement within the organization is high and everyone seems very eager to see the band perform. As on this writing we are still working on materials for the tour in anticipation of what's going to be a great evening of music for fusion and progressive jazz fans. The band will be playing music from three specific albums: Unorthodox Behaviour, Moroccan Roll and Livestock. This should be very interesting indeed.

We have created some advertising and posters which I am sharing here. I'm sure there will be other materials such as merchandising but for now here is what we got.

Teaser poster

2016 Tour Poster

Ad for newsprint

Creating a visual future for The Future Left Behind

2016-08-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

The packaging for my 2016 album The Future Left Behind includes a series of digital photo-realistic illustrations. These illustrations were done by combining a series of techniques that involve real photography as well as hand illustrated elements and computer generated elements. The work can be at times arduous but the results are often rewarding. The Future Left behind album jacket and booklet contains a total of eight illustrations that where done that way. Each one involved hours of work in planing and execution.

The illustration shown here through the animation shows an abbreviated form of various stages of development from start to finish. This illustration is found inside the booklet and shows the interior of a space-bound cruise liner of sorts.

I approached the illustration as if I were dressing a film set based on an existing location. I started by researching for an image that could be used for the specific purpose of looking like a ship's lounge. I looked through hundreds and hundreds of photos looking for the right image. I started by researching through cruise ship photos, airport terminals and airport lounges photos, ballrooms, train stations, hotel lobbies, conference centers and even office buildings interiors. I also wanted a photograph that had it's perspective point in the center of the image. Similar to the way Stanley Kubrik used to frame his shots. It's a way to "guide" the viewers eyes towards the center of the composition and to make things appear larger than how they really are.

The final image used is based on a photograph that was taken inside the Bagration bridge which is a pedestrian bridge that spans the Moscow River and connects the Tower 2000 building with the main Moscow International Business Centre. The bridge itself has a futuristic design which made it a perfect fit for my purposes.

I started by resizing the proportions of the photo and making the interior of the bridge wider in appearance. This means that the curved windows in the real bridge aren't as oblong as they appear in my illustration, it's merely a detail to help making the final illustration look even more futuristic. From there it was a matter of adding all the details needed to achieve the desired effect. It sounds simple but it took for every piece of the original photograph to be retouched, redrawn, drawn-over or be completely modified to get to the final image.

Among the most notable changes are: people, furniture, graphic treatments, computer screens and displays, the earth floating in space viewed from the window, a space station, another spaceship cruising along towards the station, light effects, descriptive signalization, changes in reflections and shadows, floor treatment, rail treatment, overall color and brightness.

In the animation below you can study in detail as some of the major changes that were applied to the original image. In the end, not many people would ever guess that the image started as the interior of a bridge in Russia.

If the animation doesn't look somewhat smooth, give it sometime to load as it is a few megs in size. I think it will be worth your wait.

The TOMATO incident

2016-08-05T15:28:00.004-07:00

The day after "The Future Left Behind" was released I decided to put out an alternate version of Launch Overture. The alternate version differs from the one on the album by its timing, the mix itself and furthermore, a different keyboard solo in the middle. Instead of Rick Wakeman's Moog solo, the alternate version has a Hammond solo played by yours truly. But, Rick's presence still there in a more subtle way (extra keyboards).

As on this writing, the alternate version is only available as a download (see below), but it's cover art is a great part of why it's getting some attention. The single's cover artwork is based on the regular album cover but was given a treatment that somewhat resembles the album cover for the Yes album Tormato. Of course, there is a reason for that...

The legend goes on to tell that back in the day when Yes were recording the follow up album to Going For The One, some artwork was shown to the band. At that time the album was titled Yes Tor (which happens to be the second highest point on Dartmoor, Devon). The album cover designers were none other than Hipgnosis, most likely the best album cover design studio ever. These folks were the ones responsible for such iconic album covers as Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon, Led Zeppelin's Houses of The Holy, Peter Gabriel's first three albums, Genesis' A Trick Of The Tail, Brand X Product, Bad Company, Black Sabbath Technical Ecstasy and many, many others. As good as they were, it was said that when Rick Wakeman saw the proposed artwork he got so disgusted with it that he threw a tomato at it. I think it would be fair to say that he preferred the Roger Dean approach to things. However, the thrown-tomato-look quickly gained appreciation among the design team which suggested to change the name of the album to Tormato.

Whether that story is true or not, the ensuing album cover has garnered tons of praises among art critics throughout the years and stands out in the band's catalogue along with Going For the One for being the only covers of that era that did not feature Roger Dean's artwork.

Knowing that Wakeman hated the original cover, I thought as a joke of sorts, to create the single's artwork in the same vein as the Yes Tormato cover. A spoof in a way. I did this thinking that a funny guy like Rick would immediately see the humor in it. Can't say I have heard from him on it but, he is indeed a very busy person and the lack of response by itself could be the response joke on me.

According to everything I have read, Tormato represents a very unhappy time for the members (and now ex-members) of the band. Hopefully my humorous take on the approach will bring Rick a bit of a smile.

The single's artwork reflect the original cover but adds a treatment poking
fun at Yes' Tormato album cover. An homage of sorts.

Here are links where you can download the single:

CD Baby , Melodic Revolution Records or Amazon.

The Future Left Behind, More depth than meets the ears... and eyes.

2016-07-31T11:09:00.002-07:00

The idea of creating a concept album out of instrumental progressive rock music had appealed to me ever since I first heard Rick Wakeman's Journey To The Centre of The Earth. I knew that sooner or later I would at least try to give it a go. What I found difficult was to create all the individual pieces that would unify the set of ideas into a single concept. It meant for me to come up with an overall story, some music and visuals that could be extrapolated into a complete concept.

I started by working on music that had more of a cinematic feel than my usual. I was inspired by the music from Rick Wakeman and Yes. To me, all of that music is very visual by nature, meaning that when played, they evoke certain imagery into the listener's mind. In Yes' case that was always aided by the wonderful work of Roger Dean. The connection between Mr. Dean's work and the band's music it's a very symbiotic and powerful combination of sight and sound. It has also remained as one of the most iconic collaborations in modern music. Rick Wakeman's Journey To The Centre of The Earth had a very impressive album cover that showed him and The London Symphony Orchestra projected into a cave's wall. The original record came with a booklet that had a series of photo-compositions related to the subject. It all left a wonderful impression on me even though the execution of some of those montages weren't always the best.

My goal was to create something that would combine the artwork and the music into one cohesive vision. Writing a story seemed to be the most logical way to put the whole thing together under one concept. I grew up liking the music of Vangelis, (another inspiration for my musical endeavors). When I sit down and listen to his work, I often can visualize all sorts of science-fiction settings and imagery. I like the idea of futuristic worlds with impressive technology and that sort of thing. I thought that making my project to be based on a sci-fi story would be very fitting and would give me the necessary creative space to create music that entices the imagination, like what Vangelis', Rick Wakeman's and Yes' music does for me.

Before anchoring the theme, I had already recorded a few pieces and luckily enough, one of them already had a background track of a launch center's firing room crew going through a pre-countdown list. That by itself, was a fun little side project as I ended up doing all of the voices and then processing them to sound like different people. For that portion I wrote a script based on the actual lingo used on some rocket launches. The ensuing recording was basically the genesis for the whole project as a concept album.

Going back a few months earlier from that point, I had shelved what was then my current project because at the time it had a lack of direction. I had worked hard on some music pieces and had Rick Wakeman and Billy Sherwood do some of their bits but after many lengthy hours in the studio, I was just getting burned-out on the whole thing. I couldn't figure out how to really stitch the music together cohesively. I just knew I didn't want just a collection of instrumental songs thrown together without some sort of purpose. I took a sabbatical from the project and started working on another one that had been bouncing inside my head for sometime just dying to come out. For that second project I worked with Trey Gunn, Jerry Marotta and the guys from Cyber Zen Sound Engine. Its music was in a big way totally different from anything I've done in the past and it got very involving as it went along. We ended up producing two CDs and a short film plus some posters, ads, etc. The first CD was called "2014 Music From An Expanded Universe" and the film was called "Persistence" (available to watch in YouTube and Vimeo). The second CD contained the soundtrack from the short film. In retrospect, I like to think of that project in a way as my “Crimsonesque” period. However, as soon as we finished that project, I found a renewed impulse to go back and finish my previous one. By then I had come up with a pretty good idea of which direction I wanted to go as a concept. The 2014 album was well received by the critics which also helped my enthusiasm to keeping things moving forward.

During my self-imposed sabbatical (as I am now calling it), I wrote the outline for the story that would become the main concept. I also made the decision to present that story from two points of view. A neutral point, (as told by the narrator's voice before each piece of music), and a more personal view from the perspective of a person living through it. The latter was to be included inside the booklet in written form. I thought that creating imagery to visually support the story was necessary. I wanted to create the proper atmosphere so I expanded the booklet to have at least a few pages instead of just a single folded card which is practically what I had done in the past.

When writing the story, I thought that it should have a bit of drama and a bit of despair but also hope and a some emotion. At the same time, I wanted for the narrated parts to be short and to the point. To deal with my idea of the listener interpreting things in their own way I decided that the details of the story will be told by the music which s something not uncommon in the classical music genre. That way, it would allow for the listener's imagination to take over the details of their perceived story. The narrated parts would basically set up the circumstances for the listener. As background, they could read the story printed in the booklet which conveys a more personal first-person point of view. They could also view the illustrations to more or less get a styling of sorts from which they could draw a better idea of how the concept develops.

I created eight digital illustrations to adorn the packaging and booklet of the album. The front cover is the least obvious one to convey what's inside. I did that purposely to create some visual mystery and even a small bit of confusion. I myself find it refreshing in having to analyze something a little deeper before grasping its meaning. The images themselves tell part of the story but they exist mainly to set a visual tone. I envisioned the communication of the whole thing as layers. The music itself is a layer, the narration another one, the visuals themselves represent a layer as does the written manuscript. Each layer has its own meaning but also forms a part of the whole thematic. For example, the inside spread of the booklet is done artistically in a style that's reminiscent of the graphic novels found on Heavy Metal Magazine back in the late 70's. I wanted to have some elements that had personal meaning for me and that particular publication was a big influence to my own perception of how science-fiction should look like. It is an artistic expression and because it is art, there is always room for personal interpretations which is a component of the overall idea. For me personally, there is a set storyline to the album that explains the meaning of it all. I chose not to get too explicit when expressing it as I wanted to facilitate a more personal interpretation. I could definitely tell the whole story as I see it in my own mind but I like the idea of the listeners coming out with their own version of the story. It's like watching Ridley Scott's Blade Runner for the first time. Was Decker a replicant himself or was he a regular person? I'm not comparing my story to Blade Runner at all but I think it makes a good analogy to get the point across. If I can succeed in getting people to follow the idea, that would certainly be an achievement by itself. People have to be able to tie the music with the visuals and connect all the dots when listening to the narration and reading the booklet in order to get a clearer picture of the whole thing. When Rick Wakeman did Journey To The Centre of The Earth and when Jeff Wayne did War Of The Worlds, they chose stories that were based on massively popular books. Mine is based on a short story that I wrote for myself so no one is familiar with it. My project also doesn't have any lyrics which puts all the storytelling with the instrumentation of the music, like an opera but without any singing.

To help the story along and properly set the pieces of music we recorded some narrated bits. I wanted a voice with a large presence. I wanted somebody who in a way could sound naturally like James Earl Jones, Orson Wells or Patrick Stewart. A deep resonating voice that more or less commands to be heard. Sometime ago I used to do some work for Jethro Tull so I followed some of their social media pages just to keep abreast of what fans were doing. It was through one of those pages that I met a man with just the right voice. Steve Thamer is a Canadian voice-over talent who majored in Classical Theatre and has work doing voice-overs for audio books, films and animated cartoons. He also happens to be a musician himself covering and adapting many progressive rock songs with his duo The Grown Men. The narrator's voice is the only voice that is heard throughout the album, (other than the control-launch room voices I did as background tracks). For me, it was imperative that the narrator's voice came out the way I envisioned it. It's a very important part of the album and one that affects how people may perceive the rest of the pieces.

I envisioned Billy Sherwood to be involved with the project from the offset. Billy played a big part in the recording and help me in elevating the level of the music. The man is so talented that is not even funny. I remember the time we were having dinner together after spending all day at his studio, we were just talking about all sorts of little things and at one point, I mentioned the first time I had ever seen him. It was during the YES Talk tour. I had done the show's poster for the promoter and got given pretty good seats close to the stage. He was in one of the back corners of the stage looking quite younger than the rest of the band while playing guitars and keyboards. I recalled my first reaction to be: “who the f@#! is this kid anyway?” (mind you he's only a a year younger than myself). Little did I know how talented he really was or how our paths would eventually lead to working together in one of my projects. Billy is very down to earth and has to be the hardest working musician I have ever met. He is also extremely proficient and doesn't waste any time when it comes to getting things down musically. In retrospect, I should have known back during the Yes Talk show that if he was on stage with Yes, he certainly had the chops for it. We had a good laugh out of that story. He is also one hell of a nice guy which is why I like him a lot.

During another visit to California I went to see Billy's other band CIRCA:. The guitar player was a guy named Johnny Bruhn. Johnny has played with past and current members of YES including the late Chris Squire. It was Johnny's performance of Steve Howe's material that caught my attention. I've seen many people perform YES music before but Johnny's guitar playing captured the feel of it so well that it left an impression on me. I knew that sooner or later I would be contacting him to collaborate on something. At that time I didn't have a clear path as to where I wanted to go with my next project so I didn't pursue it then. However, as only faith could have it, Johnny was getting ready to put together another YES tribute band (he used to have one with Jon Davison who is now the singer for YES), he saw a poster I did for one of the YES tours and contacted me to see if I would do some artwork for his new band. This happened during the middle of my project so we started talking about music which led to the collaborative effort that culminated in “To Be Loved” a very beautiful piece that's included in the album.

I have the greatest respect for all the people involved in the project. I must admit that Rick Wakeman was the only one who actually made me nervous at the beginning. I had nightmares where he would point out everything that I did wrong with the music. After all, he is Rick Wakeman and there aren't too many keyboard players in the whole world that can measure up to him. However, the reality ended up being a whole lot nicer than my nightmares and the recording of his parts went very smoothly. In the end, it was one of those "pinch me" moments for me. It's not everyday that you have one of your absolute heroes perform on a piece that you composed.

The last person to touch the material was Andy Jackson. This is my third project working with him and I couldn't be happier about it. Andy is better known for being Pink Floyd's engineer for 30 years and his work has been nominated twice for a Grammy in the "Best Engineered Album"category. He won two British Hi-Fi Awards for his work with Pink Floyd and was a co-producer for The Endless River album. What I really like about Andy's work is his personal taste for sound. To me he is truly a magician at the controls.

The Future Left Behind took its time in completing but that included a massive amount of work with writing and recording of the music, coordinating the collaborative efforts of the other people involved with the project, financing the whole thing, writing the story for both, the album's narration and the booklet and creating the packaging graphics which included a series of complex illustrations. Many conversations and e-mails ensued. Conversations with the label, conversations with the musicians, conversations the publicist, sound engineer, disc manufacturer and the distributor. Writing postings for this very blog and all the postings throughout the social networks. Many other things like CD mailings all over the world for reviewers as well as spoken and written interviews and that sort of thing.

For the fans, the CD album has the most to offer of all propositions. Digital downloads will work well also but would be missing the personal side of the story as well as all the cool stuff printed on the packaging and booklet. I really meant for this to be something more than just a set of musical pieces. It is the most ambitious album I have created so far which it's presented in the most engaging way that I have been able to do so far. If you like progressive rock, if you like soundtracks, if you like concept albums and specially those concept albums that include some literature about them, this thing is for you. The Future Left Behind speaks to those who like science-fiction stories and enjoy viewing futuristic artwork. Like many of my projects my approach is always to create something that I would want to see as a fan. this is by far my grandest (in terms of scale) album that I have done so far. My hope is for people to enjoy listening to it as much as we did making it.

You can buy the album at the following places:
https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/leonalvarado5
http://melodicrevolutionrecords.com/album/the-future-left-behind