Tag: Ron Simasek on Drums

Song For Diane by PJ Heckman

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Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 3:25
Listen to the Song:  
[audio:VariousArtists/pj-SongForDiane.mp3] 2010
Lyrics
Today you woke up to a perplexing travesty
The world turned on its side with the future on its knees
But don’t give up, there are more songs left to sing

Some experts started chanting stoic “realities”
This life’s not worth advancing that you would not concede
You don’t give up when at stake is everything

For everyone knows the future
While everyone pans the past
And everyone cries for everyone who dies
They lament that life couldn’t last
Though everything is a challenge
And everything takes so long
And everything shouts “there is no easy way out”
What won’t kill us will sure make us strong

They tried to write your swan song
Your imminent defeat
You fought back with a vengeance
Those words they had to eat
You won’t give up
While the movie has got some more scenes

In everywhere see the future
And ever-remembered pasts
And never forsake every step that you’ll take
To every lot that you shall cast
And everyday make it happen
And everyday chase that dream
And everyday cry that you will never cease to try
When redemption is your ultimate theme

Tomorrow is a new day, another chance to be
Another move towards freedom and opportunity
The new girl, she’s waiting in the wings
She won’t give up
While there’s still more songs to sing

Composition © 2008 Ric Albano
Publication © 2010 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Recorded on December 8, 2009
in Lewisburg, PA

Produced by Bret Alexander
Engineered by Bret Alexander
Mixed and Mastered in 2010
at Cygnus Wave Studios
Original Release: 2010 on the album
Dollars For Diane

Performers
P.J. Heckman
Lead & Backing Vocals
Bret Alexander
Guitars, Mandolin
Ric Albano
Piano, Bass, Keyboards
Ron Simasek
Drums

The original demo version was published as an Imaginary Lines bonus track.

Please offer your own analysis of Song For Diane by leaving a comment in the box below.

Dollars for Diane Compilation

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Dollars for Diane CompilationSome of Pennsylvania’s finest artists have come together to donate their talents in support of Diane Kovaleski, a young woman from Wilkes-Barre, who suffered a major stroke during a routine surgery in 2007. All songs included on this 15-track CD are original compositions by artists from the Keystone State.

The CD gets kickin’ with the upbeat, roots-rock of Shawn Z’s “One End of the Candle” followed by the more somber, Bowie-esque “To the Dogs” by Stoney Creek. Pittsburgh’s Brad Yoder provides an excellent acoustic guitar and banjo folk blend with the hopeful, uplifting “Any Day”. Mycenea Worley next lends her fantastic talent with the song “Low” followed by hard rock sensations Pan.a.ce.a with their catchy hit “Stay”.

Some of the mid-state’s most popular acts then follow. Tripp McNeely provides some cool groove with their aptly title “Off and Running:, the legendary Darcie Miner gives her unmistakable voice to “Wide Awake in Silence”, while HotWingJones show how they’ve expanded their horizons with the intense new song “The Big Sea”. “Deuce” is a fun jam by Imaginary Lines that trades synth and guitar leads, while new wave legends Hormoans provide a rebellious anthem with “Not One of You”.

The only “live” song on the compilation is the flawless rendition of “Deeper” by Rhyne McCormick from his Capitol Theatre performance last year. This is followed by the well-produced and catchy “Atmosphere” by father-and-son tandem Craig & Alex Bannon and the intense “Judgement Eyes” by the acoustic-driven trio Ron Fleeger & the Stranger.

The album’s focal point is “Song for Diane”, which personalizes Diane’s situation. Written especially for this compilation by Ric Albano, the song was produced by Bret Alexander (who actually produced several of the songs on this CD) and performed by Diane’s cousin PJ Heckman.
Folk sensation Hannah Bingman caps off the album with “Finished, Fine’, Done”, a perfect closer in both title and mood.

All in all, the CD is an eclectic mix that explores the diverse talent of Pennsylvania artists without straying so far as to not be accessible and pleasant to most music lovers, no matter what genre he or she may favor. The Dollars for Diane Compilation is being sold independently with proceeds going to The University of Pennsylvania Center for Brain Injury and Repair as well as a scholarship fund for Diane’s daughter, Zayda. At only $5.00 each (that’s only 33 cents per song!), this is not only a charitable contribution but a great value as well.

td> 2009

Song   Artist  Year
 1.   One End Of the Candle     Shawn Z  2008
 2.   To The Dogs     Stoney Creek  2008
 3.   Any Day Brad Yoder  2006
 4.   Low Mycenea Worley  2009
 5.   Stay Pan.a.ce.a
 6.   Off and Running Tripp McNeely  2009
 7.   Wide Awake In Silence Darcie Miner<  2009
 8.   The Big Sea HotWingJones  2009
 9.   Deuce Imaginary Lines  2009
10.   Not One of You Hormoans  1981
11.   Deeper Rhyne McCormick  2009
12.   Atmosphere Craig & Alex Bannon  2010
13.   Judgement Eyes Ron Fleeger & the Stranger  2009
14.   Song For Diane P.J. Heckman  2010
15.   Finished Fine’ Done Hannah Bingman  2005

Long Way Home

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Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 6:03
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:LongWayHome.mp3]
Lyrics
Lost in the wilderness, the forest through the trees
All merge to emptiness as I am brought down to my knees
I pause for just a sec’ to let the world spin round
To reveal some open trek leading to tame, tended ground

But I’m still alive, yes, I’m still alive
Shrouded in bitterness, I’ll crawl out of this wilderness and try

Counter, diverging paths, I’m forced to make a choice
Contend this demon’s wrath or let it silence my voice
No doubt I’ve done my slice to bring this on myself
But that pittance won’t justify this rapid draining of health

But I’m still alive, but will I survive?
Biased towards happiness, I’ll carve my creed in righteousness

And pray exoneration for squandering the precious dawn of the Day
That priceless jewel, confined by it’s peripheral fuel
Anyday can come the call to raze the walls, and suddenly be shown…

…All that is beyond, knowing all that is gone
Blown, pried from it’s bond, on the way home…

Who leaves familiar farms, swan dives into the sea
Of vast transcendent charms, of vast uncertainty?

He who keeps it alive, the dream that survives
Drafted towards openness, can almost feel the sweet caress of the sky

That boundless cool, clad baby blue
Never seeming too hard to fly
With wounded wings, ever sharpening
Will tomorrow bring just one more try?
To feel the pulse, to forge the ghosts
To make the most and show…

…Just what can be, and know what it is like to be free
And grow into the predestined me, and flow in distinguished harmony
All the way home…

Composition © 2007 Ric Albano
Publication © 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on December 3, 2007
Recorded starting on October 5, 2007
at Saturation Acres, Danville, PA
Produced by Ric Albano
Engineered by Bret Alexander
Mixed and Mastered in 2009
at Cygnus Wave Studios
Original Release: December 27, 2007
on Imaginary Lines II
This Release: September 9, 2009
on Imaginary Lines 33

Performers
Ric Albano
Piano, Bass Guitar, Vocals
Erik Trabert
Electric Guitar
Ron Simasek
Drums and Percussion

Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: The song itself, is easily an “A”, but this recording misses the mark at some crucial points (a simpler, less developed version of the song originally appeared on Imaginary Lines II can be heard here). This is a highly spirtual, nearly religious, song about trials, tribulations, and faith.

Song Trivia
The original, working title was “Trinity”, and it was intended to be the closing song on the defunct Imaginary Lines III.
This is only Imaginary Lines song that began studio recording before the composition was complete.
The song was originally intended to seamlessly continue from the “tolling bell” piano chords that finish the previous song “Half Hearted”. Together, these two compositions form a sequence on death and ressurection.

Please offer your own analysis of Long Way Home by leaving a comment in the box below.

Deuce

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Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 5:29
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:Deuce.mp3]
Lyrics
I still remember how she chased me around
The first time that I walked across her floor
And I ran and I ran but she persisted behind
Until I could not run no more

Cool and serene she did preen but on a dime she turned mean
Catch the double-headed tiger by the tail
Disregarding albatross, she charged forward, fingers crossed
It was a plan destined to fail

But what more could she expect from angels with linguine necks…
Who would never dare to tell her what to do?
Give a zealous girl such power and sooner or later it turns sour
As darker demons are let loose, between reposeful sips of juice

Every once in a while you can see through her smile
That some innocence remains there too
But then where is the justice for Sinclair Soul?
What was the man supposed to do?
What was the man supposed to do?

She often spoke of irksome days when she would bounce from shore to shore
On an everlasting quest to find some truth
Until that afternoon in May when she opened up that door
And felt reality’s sharp tooth

Now all that she could do to keep her head on fire
Is to conjure up a bigger dose
And then she’ll doll up her walls and draw her plans in the sands
Until the tide gets much too close, the wrath of some deep-sea ghost

Every once in a while you catch a sense of her style
Like a new species signing up for the zoo
Until Old Man Soul could burn his hands on her wire
What was the man supposed to do?
What was the man supposed to do?
Born to be a poor, pathetic fool, just what is a man supposed to do?

Composition © 2006 Ric Albano
Publication © 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on August 25, 2006
Recorded starting on August 10, 2009
at Saturation Acres (II), DuPont, PA
Produced by Ric Albano
Engineered by Bret Alexander
Mixed and Mastered in 2009
at Cygnus Wave Studios
Original Release: September 9, 2009
on Imaginary Lines 33

Performers
Ric Albano
Keyboards, Bass Guitar, Vocals
Erik Trabert
Electric Guitars
Ron Simasek
Drums and Percussion

Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: A driving, 1970s style song with wild drums, and early synth lead and a later majestic guitar lead through the coda, “Deuce” is a cool jam song which makes Imaginary Lines feel like a real band.

Song Trivia
This song was entitled “Deuce” simply becaue it was originally intended to be the closing song on Imaginary Lines II.

Please offer your own analysis of Deuce by leaving a comment in the box below.

Naked

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Written by Ric Albano Song Length: 4:35
Listen to the Song: Purchase the MP3:
[audio:Naked.mp3]
Lyrics
Sally, please give me one more chance, I swear that it will be OK
And I will quietly fade into oblivion, once we’ve exhausted this one final day
We’ll play until dark in our amusement park
Sipping from our final glass of fleeting youth
String together songs about our rights and our “wrongs”
And reinterpret them as the Gospel truth

To this no return, so I continued to burn
I was the feeble fool at the public swimming pool, who’d shown up naked
A barren fraud, whose own resolve is at odds and cannot fake it
But she had bound to evade
With every second of silence she kept slicing away
At my plastic shield on this tempered battlefield, humiliated

Sally, please you have got to believe that I’m legitimate
I’m not the type of lion who resorts to the roar just to intimidate
But I’d give it all up and drink from your “happy soup” cup,
If that’s what you’ll serve me
So shoot me some vibes and let me know if I’ve arrived and you deserve me

Still no reply – no confirm, no deny
Like some pilgrim dolt whose land is swallowed whole
Right after he’s staked it
I was peerless fool, wearing non-matching shoes,
But otherwise naked
And she continued to sing, her song of silence was now deafening
To this pathetic pawn evicted from her lawn
Right after he’s raked it

Yes, she continued to sing, her song of silence was deafening
To this squalid joke, externally gone for broke, internally naked

Composition © 2006 Ric Albano
Publication © 2007, 2009, 2011 Cygnus Wave Music

Song Info
Composed on April 18, 2006
Recorded starting on August 13, 2007
at Saturation Acres, Danville, PA
Produced by Ric Albano
Engineered by Bret Alexander
Mixed and Mastered in 2009
at Cygnus Wave Studios
Original Release: December 27, 2007
on Imaginary Lines II
This Release: September 9, 2009
on Imaginary Lines 33

Performers
Ric Albano
Piano, Keyboards, Bass, Vocals
Ron Simasek
Drums and Percussion

Listener Guide
Grade

Analysis: An attempt at pure pop with cleaver lyrics and double-entendres, much like the style of the 1970s. However, there are some issues with instrumentation, especially the looped drum track and absence of guitar.

Song Trivia
“Naked” was the nickname given to the original version of Imaginary Lines II after most of its songs were further enhanced and remixed for Imaginary Lines 33.

Please offer your own analysis of Naked by leaving a comment in the box below.