WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- This is the first full Classical music album released by Dr. Rich Staats ("Dr. G") and his beloved Range Shadows. Some of the songs on the album come from the earliest days of Dr. G and the Range Shadows, back to the early 2000s.
All the songs here have special significance for Dr. G and the band.
Two of the songs, "Steel City Sustainers" and "Desert Nocturne" were written for units that Dr. Staats worked with. Several of the songs were composed under trying circumstances. Dr. Staats was in combat in Iraq in 2009 when the first versions of the "Piano Concerto" and the two variations of the "Fantasia for Harp" were composed and he and his Soldiers were exposed daily to road side bombs and attacks.
One of Rich's high school friends developed a progressive, degenerate disease that has left her body broken including being legally blind, but her spirit remains strong. Carmen is one of the most fervent supports of Dr. G & the Range Shadows. When Rich asked what he could do to help her, she said, "write me a song." Thus, we have "Breakfast with Carmen."
Washington, DC has its share of tough weather, and the most dramatic weather in the Nation's Capitol is a hurricane. While the power was out, Rich huddled down with his portable, battery powered lantern and scored "Meeting Florence."
Two of the songs came from contest entries. Joel Zimmerman, better known to most as Dead Mouse, recently had an epiphany that he could rework some of his best loved Electronic Dance Music (EDM) tunes as Classical pieces. Joel challenged a group of composers and producers to compose an EDM piece and a companion Classical piece. So, "Passacaglia Mortuss Muris" came to be. (The EDM version will be released in an upcoming Dance/Trance album called "Waiting for Armin.") A passacaglia is a Classical form that is noted for its "conto basso," constant bass. If there was ever a form of Classical music that parallels EDM it is the passacaglia form. Hans Zimmer offers some online courses on movie score composing. In one of these courses, the challenge was issued, "create a song that is in Ab-major, in 3/4 time, and 99 beats-per-minute, but it cannot be a walz." That is where "Everyday Pleasures" came from.
One of the questions that Rich is often asked is "where did you get your formal musical training and education?" The answer is the school of hard knocks. Rich has not had any formal education or training, but he can read, and practice is the best teacher. Rich started composing in 2002 and composed, recorded, and produced around two dozen songs from 2002-05. In 2005, Rich was called away to command a battalion in combat. One of the things that got Rich through those trying days was thinking about all the ways that he was going to modify his music when he got back to his studio in the USA.
In 2007, Rich returned, and after greeting family and friends, at the first opportunity, he fired up his Digital Audio Workstation, a mighty Windows XP box that he still uses occasionally. He put on the headphones ("cans") and loaded up one of his songs.
Something was wrong. The top end of the frequencies seemed to be missing from the tracks. Rich tried another version of the song. Then, he checked the program. Then, he checked the headphones, the connections …
When Rich finally realized that it was his hearing that was at fault, he was thoroughly crushed. (He had lost the ability to run during a complex attack outside of Baghdad in spring 2006. It was not a bumper year for Staats.)
Dr. G gave up composing music for nearly two years. Finally, it was Rich's eldest son that said, "Dad, why don't you use a visualizer. All the best songs make the best displays."
He was right. Also, Rich hit the books and started to replace his hearing with a more nuanced view of musical theory.
In 2008, while in combat in Iraq, this time in Tikrit, Dr. Staats began composing again. He has not stopped since.
Dr. G & the Range Shadows sincerely hopes that you enjoy this album. Don't be strangers, and please keep your emails, letters, and online reviews and comments coming. You are a blessing to us!
SOURCE Dr G & the Range Shadows
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