These are songs I've written and recorded during the past few months.  I welcome any feedback, and hope you enjoy the songs.

All You
For Never and Ever
And Soul!
Every Night

For more of my music you can go here.  I don't really like these songs so much, mainly because I did a very poor job when recording and mixing them, but you're welcome to check them out.  I'll probably redo them when I get more time, though.

ABOUT THESE SONGS
If you want to know more than what's here, lemme know, and I'll add it in

ALL YOU - I wrote the lyrics first and the original music I wrote for it didn't fit, so I worked in a melody I had written a long time ago, but never used. I wrote this for my girlfriend, for our anniversary, not really intending for anyone to hear it. But I liked the product, and am glad to share it with people (with her blessing, of course).

FOR NEVER AND EVER - Titled that mainly for grammar's sake. I wrote the lyrics and music at the same time (which is usually how I do it), some time in November. This, again, was written with my girlfriend in mind, and it was part of her Christmas gift, too (how original am I??)! I think I might have to remaster the vocals 'cause they're a little too hard to hear at first, but I am trying to have form reflect content there. Don't hold your breath for the newer version, though... ;)

AND SOUL! - This is a 'pastiche' of musical and spoken samples. The speech samples are of R. B. Thieme, speaking in his sermon series 'Royal Romance', and the sermon I borrowed from was 'Woman's soul in response to [Right Man]'. The conga beat sampled is from the Art Blakey Percussion Group's 'Cubano Chant'. The bassline is from 'Making Amends' by G. Love and Special Sauce. And the music excerpt is from 'We've Only Just Begun' by The Carpenters. I used Cool Edit, as well as Nero Wave Editor to fit it all together.

EVERY NIGHT - Not autobiographical, but still somewhat true to my juvenile frustration with girls when I was in highschool. See, I never really called Melanie because we could talk in person more readily. If anyone had called, that would have been an obvious sign that something was going on ... Anyway. I like this song. It started with the syncopated/contrapuntal guitar line that you hear in the right channel about 30 seconds in. The little keyboard stuff came next, then the rest. Here is a prototype version, which you can contrast with the "final" version, above.
So what's cool about this? I like the keyboard stuff especially. I also like the little vocal break in the middle, and the background vocals during the second chorus ('cause of the lyric there). but what I found most fun to do was the beat. Those are real hand claps and opened-mouth taps, with some aspirations (saying 'tsss') and creativity with a blanket (the 'thumps' are from me putting the mic under a blanket and hitting it). This took too much time to do, though. I should have been working on my research ... Meh. Enjoy.

HOW DO I DO IT?
You may (or may not) be wondering how I record these songs by myself, with only my computer and guitars. Well, I use a program called Cool Edit Pro, with which I can record and mix a virtually limitless number of tracks. I am also able to use effects which are in the program, so when I record it's simply a clean guitar/vocal track. All the effects are taken care of in the 'production stage'.
Beats are laid down using instrument samples I downloaded from a couple sources. I don't download pre-made beats. Due to the way the program works, and my own anal retentiveness, I have to insert and loop each sample individually to make the beats. It's long, but gratifying when I get it right.
The actual instruments I use are: my acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and electric bass. None of these are of any notable quality. However, they do the job and do it well enough, as far as I'm concerned (though I assume I could do better stuff with better equipment).
I also think my voice leaves a lot to be desired, but right now I'm the only one whose schedule I care to disrupt in order to make silly recordings.

OTHER INTERESTING THINGS
Well, last year I got a small amount of compliments (maybe 2 or 3) on songs I'd written and recorded and then published on the internet. But I'm quite astounded that I'm still on the NMC Singer Songwriter Top 10. Once that's finished, I'll update this page. But for now, I'm rather pleased with that. And it's really not much of a recording/performance. Oh well, there's no accounting for taste, eh?
Update -- April 2, 2005. The day the Pope died I also found out that I was ousted from the top ten. I estimate I was on the list for about a year, though, so that's cool. Thanks for listening :)
NB: These tracks are downloadable, but I do not grant permission to copy the ideas, musical and/or lyrical, in any way.