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“I do what I do. I think what I think. I act like I act. I say what I say and I write what I write. I don’t plan it, shape it, guide it, make it.. it just happens and I’m watching it unfold just like you. I only half believe in free will and I wholly believe that the opposite of everything is also true.†Multi-Instrumentalist Though my skills are a far cry from virtuosity, since my adolescents I have sufficiently fumbled with the following instruments to confidently say I can “play†them.. whatever that means. They are: Vocals, Flute, Guitars, Keys, Drums and Percussion. I also dabbled in music theory but like most musicians I idolize I read music poorly. Everything I do is self-taught with the exception of a year of piano lessons when I was too young to know what it meant to play piano. I tried taking lessons again when I was older but quickly dropped it. Independent study has required an immense amount of discipline and motivation but is much more rewarding and its effects are long lasting and deeply rooted. Here is a list of instruments I use for stage and studio: - Flutes by Buffet and Emerson - Yamaha Compass acoustic guitar - Gibson “Smart Wood Series†LesPaul - DeArmond bass guitar - M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 - Apple MacBook Pro w/Logic 7.x - Mackie Onyx 1220 - Mackie SRM450 & SRM350 Loudspeakers - Shure SM57 & SM58 microphones Recording Artist / Performer Though I spend a great deal of time in the studio exploring my music I do enjoy the occasional live performance. I am guilty of disproportionately distributing my time between the two. Once I lock myself away in my cage I get busy brewing my potions with little thought about their delivery. Creation is where all the fun is for me. Once I do get around to sharing the material through a live performance I’m not likely to repeat it very often before I get bored and move on to something new. When recording I arrange and perform everything myself. When performing I accompany myself with backing tracks I prepare by removing the parts I play live. I switch it up so I’m not always playing the same instrument on stage. Sometimes other players join me, sometimes they don’t. I’m not partial to either setup. My only real concern is putting on a good sounding, entertaining show. Something worth mentioning is my disdain for performing cover tunes. I know that the “thing to do†to pave your way as an original artist is to land gigs playing top 40 and slip in the occasional original until it gains weight and familiarity with the crowd so on and so forth. But I’ve never been all that good at playing by the rules. Especially when they’re flawed, inconsistent and go against my nature. I do learn, perform and even record the occasional cover tune. But even then I try to interpret it and make it my own. Just like the way I approach doing business. Engineer / Producer In January of 2001 I founded Golden Cage Productions, Inc. which serves as a platform from which I can orchestrate my career. It’s first addition was a recording studio that I opened to the public with warm reception. Through the many collaborations and projects that ensued I managed to hone in on my engineering and arrangement skills and my knowledge of the creative and business side of music. The Golden Cage continues to maintain its reputation as being a comfortable, cost-effective place to make quality-sounding audio recordings with a professional but homelike, down to earth vibe and atmosphere. However.. because the production company’s primary purpose is to motor “al yellâ€, I’ve been in a position at times where I’ve had to pick and choose which projects I could and couldn’t allow myself to participate in. A word to potential clients.. there is a bit of a screening process but all are more than welcome! See studio for more info. Body / Mind Music, martial arts, magic, film, literature, sports, science, economics.. none of these have ever interested me for their individual qualities so much as for the thread they share in common. Their mystery. Why do we do what we do? What purpose do we serve? What questions should we pose? What answers can we exhume? How does it transition us into higher, spiritual beings? I should clarify something here that a lot of people have a hard time understanding. There are times I block music out. Like a chef who comes home from work, the last thing he wants to do is cook. Media, which I rarely tap in to, keeps me informed as I’ll ever need to be about music today. It’s still the same old song. I’m not pressed to keep up with the way things are going. I absorb what makes itself my way, like a new band recommended by a friend. But I never go out of my way to find it. When I do find something that truly inspires me I’ll listen to it repeatedly for weeks on end. My collection is very small, consisting of a couple dozen albums made up mostly of classic rock. Don’t ask me what the latest bands are, who’s topping the charts, who’s singing who over to what label... I probably won’t know, nor could I care less. Details Anything you want to know, just ask. - email@alyell.com Check out the artist's website: http://www.alyell.com Track List: 1. no more 2. living in a dream 3. no mountains 4. into the night 5. perennial stream 6. in the playground 7. amerika's delight 8. madness 9. here Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
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