TampaStan - Singer, Songwriter, Clocksmith, Fanman.
"TampaStan" has been writing songs the last 25 Years, about every Subject Imaginable. Humor comes Easy..."I was a Cartoonist from Jr High thru College,
a Year in Viet Nam, then into an 18-Month Army Stretch in Heidelberg, Germany. There I began painting Clock Dials On-The-Side & gettin' Paid
in Dead Clocks. Met my wife of now 32 years there, and she's from a Swiss-French Clockmaking Family. Ended up a Clockmaker after 3 years at SHAPE
HQ in
Belgium as an Illustrator. Returned to US with 150 Antique Clocks& settled in Tampa, FL, as I used to LOVE Scuba Diving."
NO Time for that, however, since I ended up running a rather Large Clock Shop on a Busy Tampa Corner. And raising 2 Sons, Chris
& Max...who've both Kept Me Young, AND added a few Gray Hairs along the way.
Tried breakin' in as a Singer-Songwriter back in the =
'80's...(Read Chapter 7 of Janet Fisher's "MUSIC HORROR STORIES", available from
GoodnightKiss Publishing..) After a Decade's Frustration, I quit & began collectin' Early Electric FANS...now have over 1000
FANS...heh! 3rd Largest Collection in the World. I'm One of the First 28 Collectors who
founded the Antique Fan Collectors Association..(Check out Their Website..they're great folks!) AntiqueFanCollectors.org =
have written a FAN BOOK, but Procrastinating led to a "Song-A-Day" Habit
that re-kindled my Love of Songwriting & led to Internet Collaborating
all over the Globe. Have writen Over 1000 Lyrics since 1999...& the
Ideas just Keep Coming In!
Early in 2002 I discovered a guy I'd
known for a Decade, buyin' FANS from him at the Webster Flea Market, was a
Sorta Retired Ol' Western Swing LEGEND. Gene Allen is his Name, and Gene
sifted thru 100+ Demos of mine to come up with the 10 "Keepers" that
became
"DON''T YOU EVER GROW OLD"...
recordeding March & April out in Branson, MO. (We both got our Death-of-Colds in
the March Branson Air...so had to come back in April & finish it
up...Pretty Proud of what came out after puttin' $25K into this CD!) The
Musicians here work(ed) with Micky Gilley, Mel Tillis, Janie Fricke..to
name a few....& Gene is a MASTER Arranger!
For my Interim
"Follow-Up CD," Producer Gene was kind enough to let me Produce One on my
Own...just strictly for FUN...
"SONGS NOBODY ELSE'LL EVER
SING"....
I write a LOT of Songs just for the Heck of It, real
Over-The-Edge Stuff and THIS CD actually HAS some stuff other Big Name
Guys ARE Already "Considering"...Ol' High School Buddy/Local Tampa DJ Bill
Dudley did the Music on this One... This CD was released in Europe in
Mid-August. (US Airplay seems to be a Pay-for-Play Affair.) So..costing
only Postage, it's been Airing Well in France--7 Straight Weeks
already!
My Christmas CD Project with Producer Gene ALMOST =
took Place in mid-September, but Our Backer lost $60K in a Poker Game and
Backed Out. (These Things Happen/..Music is a WEIRD Business!) So, I
worked on another Do-It-Yourself CD, Titled
"SESSIONS WITH
SUE"...
Sue Shoshana's been my Tampa Musical Collaborator
for Several Great Years now. Most Every Week, she picks 1-2 Lyrics from
the 6-10 I write, and we Make a Demo in her Home Studio, nearby. This has
resulted in a Catalogue of over 100 Songs; I recently began re-mixing 11
of The Most-Interesting of Our Babies at Bill Dudley's Studio to show Sue
Off to The World... She used to be Keyboardist for Belinda Womack back in
the '80's, now teaches Media at Monroe Jr High here in Tampa...AND I'm her
"Guinea Pig" while she masters Protools in her Home Studio.
This
Latest CD's a BIG Change from the 2 Previous CD's....because Sue's
Melodies range from Synth-Edged POP, R&B, to JAZZ. (She does
COUNTRY,
Too...but the Korg Karma Synth we acquired lends itself Better to Doing
Melodies in the 3 Earlier-Mentioned Genres.)
Sue does SOULFUL
Tunes, and this CD's Full of Them! Hope nobody's Disappointed, after the Previous 2 "Country-Flavored" CD's... I refuse to be Labelled
"Just Country"...just as Ray Charles never settled for "Just R&B"....
One Song, "WHERE THE HELL IS HEAVEN"Re-Appears
here...in TECHNO-POP. (As it was Originally Demoed...) It Worked Well as
"COUNTRY" when Gene Allen Arranged it to fit in on the "DON'T YOU EVER
GROW OLD" CD. Sue often Surprises Me by taking an Obvious "Country
Lyric" & Doing her "Something SPECIAL" Musically to It... DO Listen to
"GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER (OUTSIDE OUR 1-HORSE TOWN)" for what's
Incredibly-Close to "Country-RAP"...Heh-Heh! It's a Nice Unexpected
Change-of-Musical- Gears!
I'm a Cleveland-Born Kid...I've got ROOTS
in MANY-A-GENRE Up There---Hope You Enjoy this Latest Effort!
I'll
be back workin' on Country-Comedy with Bill Dudley for a Christmas CD next
Month, If Gene can't get Our Backer Back...heh!
Meanwhile, TRY this
SERIOUS CD from Me & Sue, OK?
Big Hugs,
BIG THANKS for Visitin'
Us!
(c)TampaStan Music, Inc.