Yoyogi Park
During a walk through Yoyogi Park in Tokyo, a young couple discovers differences that could be relationship deal-breakers. He wishes she were more driven and ambitious. She wishes he were kinder and more empathetic. Confronting their separate ways leads them to a deeper understanding of what truly matters.
東京の代々木公園を散歩しながら、若いカップルは二人の関係を壊しかねない違いに気づく。彼は彼女にもっと向上心と情熱を持ってほしいと思う。彼女は彼にもっと優しく、思いやりを持ってほしいと願う。それぞれの生き方の違いに向き合うことで、二人は本当に大切なものへの深い理解へと導かれていく。
This song was originally titled “Separate Ways.” After several friends said, “oh, you mean like the Journey song?” I decided to change it to “Yoyogi Park” where the bike riding verse actually took place. It’s a true story about my then fiancé and myself. Like almost all of my songs it was written on guitar. It’s also the only original song I’ve performed on a stage. This version isn’t exactly as I wrote it, but my co-producers and I liked this variation enough to produce it first. There’s an extended version of this recording completed and coming out soon. I’m planning two more versions after that. One is a piano instrumental that I think would be perfect for Sirius XM radios’ New Age channel. Another version will be pretty much exactly as I originally wrote the song.
So much to do and so little time…
Phoenix Rain
I wrote and recorded the chorus for “Phoenix Rain” on the night of Jan 28, 2008 on a very rainy night in Phoenix. The rain track I recorded with my laptop from my window that night can be heard in the background of this new recording. If not for my buddy Anthony Iacovelli magically appearing in my studio one winter day at the end of December 2024, I probably never would have pulled this one off the shelf and completed it. Anthony did the lead vocal and I the harmonies. I spent several months editing, mixing and arranging the parts we created from that 2008 initial recording.
For more information about the song “Phoenix Rain,” including sync licensing, visit Virtual Music & Talent distributors.
Best Darn Woman
This song was one of the first I ever wrote and finished from beginning to end. I recorded this video in 2009 when I was playing drums with the Mike Wagoner Band. The music was inspired by my friend Thom Shepard and a song he wrote called “Cheaper to Keep Her.” I think “Best Darn Woman” could actually serve as a prequel to “Cheaper to Keep Her.”
The lyrics are based on a joke I’d heard about a guy whose incredibly helpful wife voluntarily mows their yard along with other hands-on chores because he was… well, you’ll just have to listen to find out what made him special.
Production Note: I recorded the full song on my porch, beginning to end, unedited. Then I recorded the drums the same way with the same camera. Having only one video camera (old, but at least digital) there was no way to record the drums while listening to a play-back of the guitar and vocal I had just recorded. So, I imagined the song in my head as I played the drums. When I went to mix the audio it actually synced up for about 10 seconds. But then I had to cut and splice the drum audio to fit the full song recording. I mixed all the audio in Garage Band (when it was a decent computer program) and brought it together with the guitar/vocal video in iMovie where I added the occasional shot of the drums.