Open Mic Adventures CXIII: “Red Blur”

I’m working on a new instrumental album, PRISM.  It’s color-themed, very much like last year’s Four Mages.  I enjoy composing with different colored pens, and Dr. Girlfriend gave me some awesome V5 Precision pens that are great for composing by hand.

This week I’m featuring the third piece I composed for the album, which will likely be the second track on the album, “Red Blur.”

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Open Mic Adventures CXI: “Blue Field”

Pickup my newest release: Leftovers III!  Use promo code ziggurat to take an additional 20% off all purchases on Bandcamp!  Code expires at 11:59 PM UTC on Tuesday, 31 December 2024.

Hard to believe that it’s the last day of 2024!  Instead of a retrospective, though, I’m looking ahead to a new album, one that I’ll release at some point in 2025.

To celebrate the new year, I’m featuring the first track from that planned album, “Blue Field”:

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Open Mic Adventures CX: “Rainy Wednesday Morning Waltz”

Pickup my newest release: Leftovers III!  Use promo code ziggurat to take an additional 20% off all purchases on Bandcamp!  Code expires at 11:59 PM UTC on Tuesday, 31 December 2024.

I’ve just released my tenth album of the year, Leftovers III.  It’s really an EP, as it just contains five tracks, but it also contains the longest piece I’ve ever composed, “Hanging Gardens.”

This week I’m featuring the third track from the album, “Rainy Wednesday Morning Waltz“; it’s looking like tomorrow (Christmas!) is going to be pretty rainy, so it seemed apt:

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Open Mic Adventures CIX: “Funny Phantom”

Pickup my newest release: Leftovers III!  Use promo code ziggurat to take an additional 20% off all purchases on Bandcamp!  Code expires at 11:59 PM UTC on Tuesday, 31 December 2024.

I’ve just released my tenth album of the year, Leftovers III.  It’s really an EP, as it just contains five tracks, but it also contains the longest piece I’ve ever composed, “Hanging Gardens.”

This week I’m featuring the sixth and final track from the album, “Funny Phantom“:

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Open Mic Adventures CVIII: “Skittlebräu”

Pickup my newest release: Leftovers III!  Use promo code ziggurat to take an additional 20% off all purchases on Bandcamp!  Code expires at 11:59 PM UTC on Tuesday, 31 December 2024.

I’ve just released my tenth album of the year, Leftovers III.  It’s really an EP, as it just contains five tracks, but it also contains the longest piece I’ve ever composed, “Hanging Gardens.”

This week I’d like to feature the fourth track from the album, “Skittlebräu“:

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Open Mic Adventures CVII: “Roast Beef Sandwich”

Pickup my newest release: Leftovers III!  Use promo code ziggurat to take an additional 20% off all purchases on Bandcamp!  Code expires at 11:59 PM UTC on Tuesday, 31 December 2024.

I’ve just released my tenth album of the year, Leftovers III.  It’s really an EP, as it just contains five tracks, but it also contains the longest piece I’ve ever composed, “Hanging Gardens.”

This week I’d like to feature the lead track on the album, “Roast Beef Sandwich.”

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Open Mic Adventures CVI: “Hanging Gardens”

This Friday, 29 November 2024 my tenth release of the year, Leftovers III, will hit all streaming platforms (including Spotify).  In advance of the EP’s release, I wanted to feature the composition that is the centerpiece of LIII, “Hanging Gardens.”

Subscribers to my SubscribeStar page received an early sneak-peek three days ago.  Now I want to share this lengthy piece with all of you!

Before that, though, just take a moment to appreciate this decadent album artwork:

Leftovers III Album Cover

I think I made that sandwich over the summer, and took a picture of it about halfway through.  No wonder my blood pressure and waistline are showing such high numbers!

But onto the piece itself.  “Hanging Gardens” is the longest piece I have ever composed, clocking in at about 10:46 (I think the YouTube video has it at 10:47).  I actually wanted to make it longer—around twenty minutes—to give it a more symphonic feel, but I reached the point where I a.) had to finish it to meet the 29 November 2024 release deadline and b.) I was out of ideas to pour into this enigmatic suite.

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Open Mic Adventures CV: “Promenade”

I’ve released nine albums and/or EPs of instrumental music this year, with a tenth, Leftovers III, hopefully releasing the day after Thanksgiving (I need to sit down and write some music).  I have really enjoyed composing and publishing so much music this year, but there is a downside:  some releases can get lost in the shuffle.

That seems to be the case with Math: And Other Delights, which popped out into the world in early September.  Sandwiched between the provocatively-titled White Boy Summer and my personal favorite, Spooky Season III, I don’t think I promoted Math as thoroughly as I should have.

Well, better late than never!  This week’s selection is an upbeat little selection from the album, its penultimate track.

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Open Mic Adventures CIV: “Heavy Metal Mummy”

Yours portly is on his way back from a family trip to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, where I very likely rode The Mummy, an exceptional indoor rollercoaster based on the 1999 film of the same name.

As such, it seemed appropriate to feature the first track from Spooky Season III, “Heavy Metal Mummy“; it’s a really fun jam to kick off the album, and I particularly love the spaghetti Western vibe it has, especially in the B section of the piece.

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