Previously known for his experimental electronic music (see Sonic Ninjutsu), John Shirley has now brought his genre-smashing eclectic writing style to the realm of popular music and song. His new EP, Not So Blue, packs a lot into just five tracks. With elements of psychedelic rock, 90s alternative, blues, Indian music, heavy metal, jazz fusion, southern rock, and even video game music… stylistically there's something for everyone. One unusual feature that runs throughout the project is the harmonica, an instrument that Shirley pushes into new sonic territories and modes of expression. It's the way that the various styles and timbres combine and interact with each other, however, that makes this project truly unique. Alive, for example, starts out in a raucous Chicago blues style (but with chromatic inflections in the harmonica) before quickly moving through a country/southern rock feel and a momentary jive followed by a false start and a short melodic fragment from the song's vocal theme. It then slams into the hard rock styled first verse made up of rock/metal vocals accompanied by a highly energetic acoustic guitar, harmonica and a slide guitar simultaneously reminiscent of both southern rock and Hawaiian lap steel. Both verse and chorus are interspersed with aspects from rock and metal, with blues harmonica style fills, but all bets are off during the bridge where the cascade of influences makes each successive listening bear different fruit. This creates a fun game: sort of a "name that style / name that riff / name that band" combo. (Most readily heard may be The Who, The Moody Blues, Judas Priest, Bill Haley, Smashing Pumpkins and Mott the Hoople… but keep listening: there's more!) The differences from track to track are equally as striking: Warming Glow is a slow melodic ballad with sitar and eastern sounding harmonica. It borrows the feel of popular styles from the 60s, 70s and early 80s, as well as from around the world, all while maintaining a freshness and overall sonic aesthetic of current styles. Wrong is a darker mix of Industrial metal, psychedelic and prog rock, with an acoustic chorus, and introduces the concept of the heavy metal double bass harmonica. XBiddy is a kind of jazz/funk fusion mash up that explores bending and pitch shifting through both electronics and new harmonica designs. Besties (and other delusions) offers a curmudgeonly take on social media and life in the virtual world while stepping through increasingly energetic nods (head bangs?) to nu metal, alternative metal, speed metal and video game music. On Not So Blue, John Shirley wears his influences both on, and up, his sleeve. Definitely worth repeated listening. --- More from the artist: A few years ago I received a 10-hole diatonic harmonica as a Christmas gift. Right away I discovered the unique and complex personality of this seemingly simple instrument. With its deep history in the blues, the harmonica lends itself very well to composition and improvisation in many modern popular music structures. Further, the bending capabilities and acoustic tone, resembling other traditional wind instruments, can be effective in jazz, classical, folk and various world musics. With added processing and amplification it transforms into a great instrument for rock and metal. I was hooked, and inspired to explore the possibilities. My explorations of all things harmonica has had numerous unforeseen, yet highly positive, consequences. I delved into amp and microphone design, created original software and learned a lot about American roots musics, but most important, perhaps, is that I began composing and improvising again and through that creative outlet found my way back to playing guitar, bass and keyboards… and then even singing. My first foray into composing for the harmonica came through merging my past work in experimental electronic music with extended harmonica technique and I was lucky enough to have the guidance and support of world-renowned harmonica player, Howard Levy. Howard was generous enough, and open minded enough, to premiere the piece, titled 8 Bit Attitude, and help give my compositional life the kick in the pants it needed. (There's video of one of my subsequent performances of the piece on my YouTube channel) One year later, while on sabbatical from my position at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, I composed and recorded Not So Blue. Over a three-month period I composed an album's worth of material, but only these five made it to their final form before my time ran out. I do plan to keep going with the others and seeing them through to eventual release in the future. Below are notes on the tracks, followed by credits and thanks: Alive emerged organically from some initial blues ideas and riffs on diatonic harmonica. It then merges numerous styles, including elements of classic rock forms, southern rock, alternative, metal and blues. On this track I sang as well as played acoustic guitar, electric slide guitar, bass guitar, diatonic harmonica and keyboards. Drums were generously provided by Mr. Dan Tang. The harmonica parts were recorded on two channels using a customized Weber tube amp (5F2H) and a MiniMass. Thanks also to Brad Behling for helping me find the Taylor acoustic guitar I used in this track. I promised him I'd make recordings with it, and it's been a long time…. Warming Glow was built around the underlying Sitar part, played on a Line 6 Variax JTV69 modeling guitar. It was written for my wonderful, and supportive, wife Susanne. On this track I whistle and sing, as well as play a Line 6 Variax JTV69 modeling guitar, bass guitar, double bass harmonica, Hohner XB-40 harmonica, diatonic harmonica, and synth pads as well as added percussion programming. Wrong is a mixture of Industrial Metal, psychedelic and prog rock that's based on a short rhythmic vamp on the double bass harmonica. This bass harmonica material is introduced just after an opening warbling passage, played on a chromatic harmonica in A (broken, with the cover plates and slide assembly removed). The vamp is then underscored by drums, added later by drummer Jeff LaChance. The harmonica solo utilizes a Hohner XB-40 in E-flat. On this track I played: Line 6 Variax JTV69 modeling guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, Hohner 268 double bass harmonica, Hohner XB-40 harmonica, Hohner Special 20 diatonic harmonica, Hohner 270 Chromatic harmonica, synth pads on a E-mu MoPhatt and sang. Thanks to David Kissel and Bill Morris for helping me find a decent double bass harmonica without breaking the bank, as well as to SPAH for introducing me to orchestral harmonicas and their possibilities. Thanks again to Brad Behling for helping me find the Taylor acoustic I used here; it sounds great. XBiddy was created as an exploration of the note bending available on the XB-40 harmonica, interacting with numerous pitch-shifting technologies. The XB was used for all leads and were layered to produce the organ-like stabs in the "funkier" sections. On this track I played Line 6 Variax JTV69 modeling guitar, bass guitar, double bass harmonica, Hohner XB-40 harmonica and synthesizers. My wife Susanne lends spoken voice talents and the drums were generously provided by Mr. Dan Tang. All My Besties (and other delusions) was inspired by nu metal, alternative metal, speed metal and video game music. It features my voice as well as my playing on electric guitar, bass guitar, diatonic harmonica and keyboards. Drums were generously provided by Mr. Jeff LaChance. On this tune I kept the harmonica playing down to just the end solo, which was played on diatonic harmonica, though highly processed and sped up (just slightly….) * I recorded and mixed all parts for all tracks in my spare bedroom, except for Dan and Jeff's drums which I tracked at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. These tracks were expertly mastered by UE Nastasi at Sterling Sound in New York; thanks to UE for his generous support and professionalism. Cover artwork by John Shirley. All materials Copyright 2015 by John F. Shirley. All rights reserved. LOTS OF THANKS AND PROPS... Thanks to Howard Levy, Dennis Gruenling, David Barrett and Jason Ricci, all of whom have been instrumental in my harmonica education and truly inspirational as players, composers and mentors. Thanks also to Winslow Yerxa for turning me on to the Hohner XB-40 and to Buzz Krantz for being, well… both a blues ambassador and Santa. Special thanks to Alan Williams and Darlene Wilson for their musical insight, guidance and moral support, as well as Alan's dedication to seeing I had the time and space to undertake this composing/recording project. Also, for her dedication to helping me carve out the time and keep things on track, serious props to Amy Dinsmore. Further thanks goes to Mike Testa, Paul Angelli, Sandy Siegel, David Kissel, Timothy Crain, Joshua Millard, Christopher Richards and Richard Sleigh for their insight and moral support. A special shout out to Joe Filisko as well whose encouragement to take on this composing/recording project in the first place helped me summon the courage not only to get this started but to keep going when obstacles like computer crashes and self doubt got in the way…. Thanks to the folks at iZotope for their fantastic products. Thanks to Chancellor Marty Meehan, Provost Ahmed Abdelal and Deans Luis Falcon, Julie Nash and Andrew Harris for their generous support, as well as to the greater UMass Lowell community and my students (who have taught me so much). Finally, thanks to my family, especially my patient, understanding and loving wife Susanne. There's no way this would have happened without her.