A SYNOPSIS OF MY ORANGE PERIOD: 

In the past 9 months, using my personal computer software, and driven by unknown forces, I have written and recorded several songs, under different album references, including "Uneasy Pieces", "Metro-Noire", "EastCoastProject", and "SteinTimesTwentytwo".

"Not An Ordinary Night", and "Always Tomorrow", are songs that were written for two couples soon to be married, and I felt the exhilarating, adrenalin rush of singing these tunes at their weddings.

"New York City (will always be home)", and "I Wish That You Never Had Gone", are ballads that uniquely define whatever it is that I do.

"Not An Ordinary Night - the instrumental" demonstrates the stand-alone capacity for that melody, that I so much enjoyed writing.

"Rock Sonata", and "Running From Time", are experimental instrumentals that round off  and complete my orange period.

"A Young Girl Was Laughing (by the window)",  is a ballad that was plucked on the strings of the heart of love.The album cover is graced by a beautiful work of art, painted by my friend and colleague, Al Gelber.  Be your own truth. Thank you and goodnight.

"A Young Girl Was Laughing (by the window)" is a tune that emerged while writing a different song, a sequence which often typifies my songwriting. Usually, I am struggling with a melody and lyrics, when, suddenly, a new melody comes to mind, and the "real" song emerges from the struggle, within a few hours; the lyrics appear spontaneously, almost in full, and I feel emotionally relieved and exalted, that I have a new song for myself: to listen to on my downloads and in my car, to share with my friends, and to expose to the world market, that others may express interest my creation. Of note, the first take, of both the vocals and the instrumentals, often end up as the most compelling, and the song literally resists further changes, but for a few minor corrections. In this song, "A Young Girl Was Laughing (by the window)", I attempted at one juncture, to record a new lead vocal, and the software stubbornly refused to cooperate; first there was noisy static and the mic would not function; then, the track reverb would not allow me to adjust the vocal, according to my tastes (I love the sound of reverb as if I were singing in the Grand Canyon).  These obstacles then guided me to stay with my initial lead vocal, only to add a touch of harmony, at the first and last line of each verse; and, according to my very personal tastes,  this was the "touch" that was lacking. Upbeat tunes do not move me; my preference is the melodic and harmonic beauty of the ballads that I internalized as a young person. Such ballads include: Yesterday (Beatles); Catch The Wind (Donovan); As Tears Go By (performed by Marianne Faithful; Rolling Stones); Long, Long Time (performed by Linda Ronstadt); Walk Away Rene (performed by The Left Banke); Hello In There (John Prine); Maybe Tomorrow (Badfinger); Something In Red (performed by Lorrie Morgan); Secret Gardens (Judy Collins); Dangling Conversation (Paul Simon); Song For Adam (Jackson Browne); Visions of Johanna (Bob Dylan); Sweet Baby James (James Taylor); and, more recently, Always On Your Side (Sheryl Crow). There are countless talented songwriters of beautifully written ballads, performed by the most superb artists; these songs are of low volume; their appeal lies in their softness, simplicity, subtlety, sadness, and sincerity; and the excellence of the audio engineering is also a vital ingredient to the song's success...pjs

eastcoastproject album

"New York City (will always be home)"

The completion of a song comes at a price - a difficult emotional and time-consuming struggle, with the blending of lyrics and melody and technology, such that, together, they merge to form an heretofore unknown creation. In my struggles to create coherent and satisfying musical meanings, a melody emerges first, then a search for lyrics, and both are gradually forged into a song, sometimes initially resembling the awkwardness of an arranged marriage; but with hard work, the pair begin to form a loving relationship. The thematic content of a song often remains unknown, almost to the end of the creative process, for which even the songwriter, himself, is unaware of what manner of creature he is gestating. Interestingly, a simple adjustment of volume or reverb, or the addition or deletion of a few intruding measures, or a panning of an instrument or vocal, may sometimes turn a mediocre tune into a beloved one, for the songwriter. New York City is a great city. I will even venture to say that New York City is the greatest of cities, a dynamic forward-moving amalgam of places and people, with strata of complexity that one can ever know. At times, especially within the vastness of New York City's disparate cultures and neighborhoods, one can feel very alone here. But it's always my home here...pjs