3:03 (2.8MB MP3)
Composition and midi recording: B.L., 2002
The world's first—yes, I'm sure of it—surf song in a kopanitsa rhythm.
3:21 (3.0MB MP3)
Vocal and electric bass (fretted, fretless, and piccolo electric), arrangement and midi drums: B.L.
Recorded 1/05, Bill'sound, Albany, CA.
In a daichovo rhythm and with the lyrics somewhat twisted.
6:13 (5.6MB MP3)
Recorded 10/81 in the attic at 1142 Montana Ave, Chicago, Illinois
Electric piano, lead vocals: B.L.
Drums: Ernie Denov
Electric bass, backup vocals: Brad Stone
3:48 (3.6MB MP3)
Recorded by Barry Mraz, early 70s at Paragon Studios, Chicago, Illinois
Harmonica, background vocals: Emil Lazar
Guitar: Greg Nashan
Lead vocal, drums, baseball bat, composition: Wally Drogos
Gibson EB3 electric bass, clavinet: B.L
2:37 (2.5MB MP3)
Recorded in the early 80s at Dr. Caw Studios, Northbrook, Illinois
Backwards vocal: B.L.
Piano, drums, organ, electric bass, and arrangement: B.L.
4:02 (3.6MB MP3)
Recorded in the early 80s at Dr. Caw Studios, Northbrook, Illinois
Vocal, electric bass, and arrangement: B.L.
Tenor sax: Steve Eisen
Guitar: Ernie Denov
Acoustic piano: Bob Gustafson
Drums: Jim Hines
Transcribed backwards, recorded backwards, and then heard forwards on the Dr. Demento radio show! I ain't shittin' you! Some of this stuff is big time! Hear the as-recorded version:
3:28 (3.1MB MP3)
Midi recording 1998 at Leakingwater, Los Angeles, by Les Brockman
Arrangement: BL
Synth realization: Alan Steinberger
You'd think literally hundreds of hours could be spent in a more productive fashion than removing one sixteenth note from each bar (all 128 of them) of each instrument (all 32 of them) in the Sousa march and then inputting each note (almost 10,000 of them) into a midi file, one-finger, chicken pecking style. Then, add a few more hundred hours to input each note, one click at a time, into Finale's music notation program (I didn't have Finale midi'd then) to create, for concert band, a score and individual parts that were never performed live. Any takers? Rumor has it that Sousa loved chetvornos!
1:39 (1.5MB MP3)
Recorded 3/93 by BL at Valley Suck Sound, North Hollywood, California
Arrangement, electric bass, piccolo electric bass, and midi drums: B.L.
Guaranteed thoroughly un-danceable on any planet.
1:28 (1.3MB MP3)
Recorded in the early 80s by Mark Olsen at LRS Studio, Chicago
Arrangement and electric basses (normal speed, vari-speed and pitched-shifted): B.L.
The Johnny Smith guitar tune gone surf, gone all e-bass, gone Bulgarian.
8:02 (7.3MB MP3)
Recorded in Berkeley, California, 2002 by Ryan Francesconi
Composition and Bulgarian tamburas: Ryan Francesconi
Acoustic bass guitar: B.L.
4:44 (4.3 MB MP3)
Arrangement (with added solo) and midi recording: B.L., 2002
Composition: Joao Paulo
Sorry about the midi, but this tune deserves a listen. Check out the brilliant original recording from Paulo's "O Exilio" (M045A) at www.marecordings.com
3:42 (3.3MB MP3)
Composition and midi recording: B.L., 2002
A crooked dance tribute to my raging bitch inherited cat. A transcription of this and 20 other Bulgarian and Macedonian instrumentals and vocals is available right here!
4:14 (3.8MB MP3)
From "Generation through Generation" by Nikolay Kolev
Recorded 2000, Bulgaria
Gadulka: Nikolay Kolev
Tambura: Nikolay Baldaranov
Acoustic bass guitar (added 2003): B.L.
A gorgeous, burning cut. A transcription is available here.
4:03 (3.71MB MP3)
From "Torta Bulgarska" by Trio Mopmu www.oddshapedcase.com/mopmu
Recorded 12/04 by Bruce Koball at Motion West, Berkeley, CA
Tambura: Ryan Francesconi
Electric bass: B.L.
Drums: Bryan Bowman
This trio kicks veritable ass, IMHO.
3:58 (3.6MB MP3)
Recorded summer, 2007, Mendocino Balkan Music and Dance Workshop
Nikolay Kolev: gadulka
Nikolay Doctorov: kaval
Kalin Kirilov: tambura
B.L.: acoustic bass
Kicking ass on the above tune, but in an entirely different manner.
3:11 (3.3MB MP3)
Recorded 2007, Bills'ound Albany, CA
B.L.: Composition, picolo bass, bouzouki, acoustic bass
Writen during a car trip through Greece.
2:03 (1.9MB MP3)
From Desde Mi Azotea by Navajita Platea, recorded 1998, Spain
B.L.: Contra Guitarron, added 7/11/06
I'm told this song is about a well-liked chicken who, nonetheless, is about to become dinner.
3:14 (2.9MB MP3)
Recorded summer, 1985 by B.L. at Valley Suck Sound, North Hollywood, CA
Electric bass (wacky guiro and cruddy conga sounds are also e-bass): BL
3:48 (5.9MB MP3)
Christos Govetas: Harmony vocal, bouzouki, engineering, mixing, Seattle, 2011
Ruth Hunter: Lead vocal, accordion
Dave Bartley: Guitar
Steve Ramsey: Baglama
Hank Bradley: Ghost bouzouki
B.L.: Acoustic bass and bass recording, Bills'ound, Albany CA 2011
From Pasatempo "To Monopati" www.kyklosmusic.com. Highly recommended!
3:31 (3.2MB MP3)
Recorded 5/07 at Bill'sound, Albany, CA.
B.L: electric bass, picolo bass, and midi drums.
Quick and dirty Miles cover in a krivo sadovsko rhythm. He'd go ballistic.
Madonna, Virgin Tour, May 18, 1985.
My solo on this tune kinda sucked on Virgin Tour video, but I redeemed myself here.
Recorded 5/85, UIC Pavillion, Chicago, IL.
2:00 (1.8MB MP3)
Recorded 7/16/86, Valley Suck Sound, North Hollywood, CA.
Alex Sklarevski: Right channel and first solo
B.L.: Left channel and second solo
Two bassists convene around the latest-and-greatest 4-track cassette recorder.
3:25 (3.1MB MP3)
Composition, electric bass, and midi drums: B.L.
Recorded 12/03, Bill'sound, Albany, CA.
5:12 (4.7MB MP3)
Recorded 1983 By Craig Williams at Dr. Caw Studio, Northbrook, Illinois
Electric guitar: Rob Williams
Electric bass: B.L.
Adapted by B.L. from an arrangement, as I recall, for three violins, cello and acoustic bass.
3:21 (3.1MB MP3)
Recorded 12/03 and 12/08 at Bill'sound, Albany, CA.
B.L.: Electric bass, piccolo electric bass, acoustic bass
Hooray! Yet another version of "Chestnuts Roasting on a Blah, Blah,"
followed by my favorite carol, here played in a Baba Durda rhythm. Not bad for an atheist!
2:19 (2.1MB MP3)
Recorded 1979-85 at various studios in Chicago and L.A.
Electric bass: B.L.
Several people, including me, once made a decent living out of this stuff.
For anal-retentive types, including me, it was a fun and rewarding challenge. I miss it.
4:35 (4.2MB MP3)
From "Color in a Grey World" by Beth Lawrence, ITI 702CD
Recorded and mixed 1990 by Ben Rogers, Pack's Place, Sunland, California
Composition and lead vocal: Beth Lawrence
Keyboards: David Benoit
Sax: Sam Riney
Bass: B.L.
Drums: Tony Morales
Background vocals: Philip Ingram and Chuck Sabatino
Vocal duet: Dorian Harewood
Just L.A. pop. But that tragically fucked-up city needs more heart-felt music like this.
2:01 (1.9MB MP3)
Recorded 2004 at Bills'ound, Albany, CA.
Electric bass: B.L.
Cole Porter tune from 1951.
1:44 (1.6MB MP3)
Recorded 7/03 at Bill'sound, Albany, CA.
Electric bass: B.L.
It's amazing how a little single malt can turn an anal-retentive twiddler into a single-pass wonder.