Below are notes on the creation of, and inspiration behind, the compositions that are available for playing or free download on this site.

March 4, 2010
My second piece of electronica made on the Nintendo DSi, using the Korg DS-10 Plus game. Like Blah Blah Blah, this song is made up of individual patterns that I arranged in the game's sequencer. However, for this one, I also used the sequencer's track muting feature to add variety to the patterns when they repeat. I also used some of the synthesizer editing features to alter the sounds.

February 27, 2010
This is an electronic piece made on the Nintendo DSi, using the Korg DS-10 Plus "game." Instead of my usual looping, I created a number of different music patterns in what the game calls a "session." Then I used its sequencer to arrange the patterns into a song. A couple minutes in, there's a break with just a drum pattern, and the section after that is me playing a live solo over the patterns, using the game's touchpad, which works similarly to the Kaossilator. This is the first song I've done using this software and was an experiment to see how far I could push it using the tools I already understood. I'll be able to create even more complex songs as I learn about additional features.

February 14, 2010
This song is about two groups of people. The first is those who don't mind being shut in class rooms or offices all day, running around working on things that often don't matter much. The second is those who feel trapped by that lifestyle, but can get through it because, at the end of the day, there's someone there to offer comfort and a sense of freedom. I've found that the cheaper pickups on my Epiphone SG work best with the bass octave effect, so I used that for the bass loop. Then I used the Gibson Les Paul to add a slightly distorted and muted rhythm, then another loop where I'm picking the chords. For the chorus, I used the Les Paul without effects to strum the chords, and a drum machine to create the drum loop.
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February 7, 2010
An electronic piece created entirely on the Korg Kaossilator touchpad synthesizer. The main loop is a drum-bass combo pattern, with a couple random synthesized effects added as accents. The lead is a panning, delayed synth sound to which I applied a gate arpeggio effect (which gives it a kind of stutter). I just learned that Korg is coming out with the Kaossilator Pro this Spring, so this was an effort to work with some features of my current Kaossilator that I haven't tried before. I suppose I'm trying to justify buying the newer model.

February 4, 2010
Another electronic piece on the Korg Kaossilator. The loops are built of three different percussion patterns, a Sync Lead tone for the bass line, and a bell tone for an accent. An Octave Lead tone is then played live over the looping background. I was stuck working on the lyrics for my next song, and I felt the need to take a break from that and create something, hoping it'd be a creativity booster.

January 6, 2010
This is me channeling a few of my favorite groups, such as The Black Keys and Spinal Tap. The lyrics could be about someone bored with music or relationships, or both. Whatever the case, I got it! As for the music, I created the drum beat by running my drum machine into the loop station and recording the beat myself, instead of using a built-in rhythm as I've done previously. Everything else is my Gibson Les Paul - slightly distorted for the rhythm; heavily distorted, delayed, and compressed for the lead; and octaved for the bass.
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December 3, 2009
This is a song about that moment someone takes your breath away, and how things can come together so easily, and you end up with someone who completes you. The music is a drum track under loops of a Fender Stratocaster guitar rhythm, the guitar through an octave effect for the bass line, and some finger plucking highlights. The solos are the Strat, distorted and stereo delayed, played live between the vocals.
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November 30, 2009
This music was composed during some holiday quiet time in Marietta, Georgia. It began as an experiment with a Korg Kaossilator touchpad synthesizer to see how many layers could be added to a background loop before it became chaotic. I liked the result enough to record a melody on top of it using a "low frequency oscillation" sound effect.

November 23, 2009
This song was written and recorded in a slightly different fashion in the 90s, and I decided to revive it here. It's about an imaginary girl whose escape through drugs isn't working well enough, and she decides to end her life. The inspiration for the lyrics was simply my desire to use the word "psilocybin." The music is a loop station drum loop under a Gibson Les Paul rhythm guitar loop, and the Les Paul through an octave pedal for the bass loop. The solo is the same guitar distorted and delayed, played live over the loops in between the lyrics.
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November 23, 2009
This piece was created on the Korg Kaossilator touchpad synthesizer, after a Monday morning drive through fog and misting rain put me in a musical mood. The loops are sections of a drum pattern, with drum accents laid in, and a bass line. A synthesized string effect was played over the loops for the melody.

November 22, 2009
The inspiration for this song began with being outside in the Fall weather and wanting to capture those sights and sounds. As the writing continued, it moved into commentary on our daily lives - how people race around and work, absorbed in their activities, ignoring any search for meaning. And ultimately, the song ended up being about finding that meaning in a relationship with someone with whom you can share time at the end of the day. The music is a loop station drum track, under a Fender Stratocaster guitar rhythm loop and octaved bass line. The guitar solo is a Gibson Les Paul through various effects, played live over the loops in between the vocals.
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November 16, 2009
This is a simpler Korg Kaossilator touchpad synthesizer composition, using a drum pattern loop and random space sounds under a live solo. I had in mind a conscious satellite in a science fiction movie.

November 5, 2009
This was my first Korg Kaossilator touchpad synthesizer piece, attempting to express the happy, relaxed mood I was in at the time. The title relates to the person who inspired me to purchase the instrument - as in, You Make Me Inspired, You Make Me Happy, You Make Me Creative, You Make Me Feel Good, and so on. The loops are a percussion pattern, bass line, and a few miscellaneous sound effects, with the live melody using a "square lead" sound effect.

August 1, 2009
The idea behind this song is how there are little things a person does that confirm in your mind that they're the right one for you, and when you find this person, you need to put in the effort to make the most of the opportunity. The music is a loop station drum track behind a Gibson Les Paul guitar rhythm and octaved bass line. The guitar solo is the Les Paul distorted.
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May 25, 2009
I was in the midst of a recurring argument when I became fed up and realized that, for my mental health, I needed distance from this situation. This song describes some of the issues and how I have to untangle myself from them. The loops are a drum track, a Gibson Les Paul with distortion for the rockabilly-like guitar rhythm, and the Les Paul through an octave pedal for the bass. The same guitar through a delay is used for the live solo between the vocals.
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March 11, 2009
This song's about a period of feeling used up, lost, and lonely, looking for the person who can provide comfort and reassurance. The music here is also a loop station drum track. The bass line is an Epiphone SG through an octave pedal, and the rhythm guitar is a Gibson Les Paul through a chorus effect. The live guitar solo is the Les Paul through a variety of effects- compression, distortion, delay, and reverb.
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March 9, 2009
I stumbled upon the opening riff of this song while fooling around on the guitar. It had a hard, blues-rock feel to it, so I combined a Fender Stratocaster with distortion, reverb, compression, and an emulated tube amp to create a gritty, overdriven sound. I chose a looped rock beat that was simple, but with variation in the beat that would match the change on the guitar between strumming the chords and playing the solos in between. The lyrics are meant to convey the energy and chaos of a building storm, both in the weather and between two people.
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February 18, 2009
This track was the result of experimenting with effects in the studio. The end result is an Epiphone SG through a bit of chorus and a gradually-building delay to create a swelling, ambient sound.

December 15, 2008
In the beginning is a loop of a Gibson SG with no effects, creating the droning rhythm, followed by another loop of the same guitar plucking a bass line. The singing and solos are then performed over these background loops. The solos are the same guitar with a stereo delay, and the vocals have a touch of chorus. Everything is meant to present a mysterious journey to join with that special someone.
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November 19, 2008
This is a song about maturing - how, when we're young, we think we know it all, but as we grow older, we realize the world is not that simple - how we start out with plans and dreams that are forced to change with time. It's also about freeing myself through music. The music is a loop station drum track, a Gibson SG with distortion and flange for the rhythm, and the SG through an octave effect for the bass line. The solos are the SG through a phased delay.
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November 8, 2008
While experimenting with guitar pedals, I came across a combination of effects that made me think of melting snow and ice. That became the effect for the melody of this song, played on a Gibson SG. Under that is a looped drum track and the SG with no effects, plucked for a rhythm.

September 1, 2008
An instrumental that starts with a rhythm loop of an Epiphone SG with no effects and a loop station drum track. Then the guitar through an octave pedal for the bass line. Once these are going, the guitar is run through distortion, flange, chorus, and delay for the solo that continues throughout. The title comes from sock animals that were made with a button on their belly and bottom.

August 3, 2008
Another instrumental that starts with the Epiphone SG with no effects for the rhythm loop, and a loop station drum track. Then a loop of the guitar through an octave for the bass line. And finally a loop of a keyboard set to electric organ for some background accent. The solos are played over these loops, alternating between the guitar through distortion (the chicken) and the keyboard set to synth strings (the mushrooms). Chicken and mushrooms (moo goo gai pan) also happens to be the Official Chinese Food of the Groove Expedition.

August 1, 2008
This track is all acoustic guitar. At the beginning you can hear each layer being added - first a rhythm, then a bass line, then a high accent - which continue to loop as the solo is played. The solo is all on one string like playing a diddly bo. This was written on a rainy, Sunday afternoon, and may seem a bit upbeat for a rain theme, but I enjoy the rain.