Show 103 - "Spirit, Sunshine, and Soul"

[Rick and Roll]

This week we have a busy show. The Spirit refers to our first and last artists. The Sunshine is artist 3, and artist 2 is the Soul.

Mike Visaggio - Starship Universe (2006) (55:05)

Mike contacted me via myspace. He's a 54-year old keyboard wizard living in Richmond, VA who has been in many bands, and is promoting his solo disc the best he can. I'll email Mike and hopefully he can add to this thread. His comments he mailed me about each song are very insightful - if there's a way to post those, Mike, it would be really cool.

The instrumentals are astounding. "Blues Variations" is the Emerson song, and "2001" is a great version of the Strauss classic. The title cut is a wonderful pipe organ song. Mike sings (very well), and does everything else except in three songs that have drumming. No bass or guitar.. I sense a lot of ELP and some Moody Blues, but the music draws from many influences.

In The Nazarene Church
Prelude No. 2 for Piano
My Elder's Son
Blues Variations
2001: Also Rocked Zarathustra
Starship Universe
The Synchronized Life
On The Ship of Emotion
Music's Coming To Us

Paul Weller - from As Is Now (2005) 16:29

I bought this in Heathrow Airport, trying to spend my money like they used to do on "Wheel of Fortune". I love his solo work, especially "Wildwool" and "Stanley Road". Not exactly prog, but a lot of soul. Four songs:

Blink And You'll Miss It
The Start of Forever
All On A Misty Morning
Roll Along Summer

Sunny Day Real Estate - from "The Rising Tide" (2000) (14:31)

Sent to me by Mossy, another non-prog entry but not really mainstream either. Regardless, I like it a lot and another fine call by Viva Las Mossy. A change of pace from the Weller. We'll do three songs:

Killed By An Angel
Tearing In My Heart
Snibe

Neal Morse - Testimony - Disc One (2003) 72:46

Neal Morse after Spock's Beard progressively left his pop behind, and this record started the process continued by the great discs "One" and "?". This disc is almost perfect, and Neal's musicianship is on stunning display. Anybody that has the DVD can testify haha that it's excellent.

The Land of the Beginning Again
Overture No. 1
California Nights
Colder In the Sun
Sleeping Jesus
Interlude
The Prince of the Power of the Air
The Promise
Wasted Life
Overture No. 2
Break of Day
Power In the Air
Somber Days
Long Story
It's All I Can Do

Neal Morse - Testimony - Disc Two (2003) 17:13

Transformation
Ready To Try
In The Middle
The Storm Before The Calm

We will finish off the show with four of the eleven cuts from Disc 2, for the following reasons:

1) There is no more room
2) You know how the story ends
3) These songs are quite proggy
4) the remaing songs are a bit heavy-handed.

These are excellent representations and cross-sections of Neal's incredible songwriting ability.

Enjoy the three S's!

Originally Posted by Rick and Roll

Enjoy the three S's!

I do every morning.............S**t, Shower, Shave.

[miketheorganist]

Rick, here are the liner notes, I hope they are informative for everyone. They are same as what's included on the CD. Of course the manufactured ones have artwork too. There are a bunch of reat reviews I posted in the blogs section of my myspace page.

Mike Visaggio STARSHIP UNIVERSE
E-mail Mike ...... bigroad3@gmail.com
website ............. www.mikevisaggio.com
press kit ........... www.sonicbids.com/MikeVisaggio
Myspace ........... www.myspace.com/MikeVisaggio
The lyrical themes in this CD are Christian, the music classic and progressive rock. This CD began when God nudged me to get busy because the time is now, the years would not wait, and help was on the way. So in response to the still small voice, here is Starship Universe. The title is supplied by my old guitarist with Billy Falcon's Burning Rose, Ricky Zollo, who used to tease me about my love for Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer by singing those two words to me during soundchecks. I hope you will understand my heartfelt emotion for God and that this music will move you.

1. In The Nazarene Church 6:37 Features B-3 and lead Moog sounds in a song about love and the resurrection. Composed in a Church of the Nazarene long ago. Michael Murray on drums. (I Corinthians 15:51-57)
2. Prelude No. 2 for Piano 0:56 Piano solo using melody and chords from track #3.
3. My Elders' Son 6:46 features melodic and lyric lead synthesizer and string backgrounds in a song about a young man responding to God's call to leave home and start living his own life. (Romans 8:35-38)
4. Blues Variation 8:01 Instrumental featuring lead synthesizer and extended B-3 soloing over a blues pattern that's rather unusually arranged. Composed by Emerson, Lake & Palmer for Pictures at an Exhibition. I quoted his themes but added my own soloing. Love those finger-snaps in the middle.
5. 2001: Also Rocked Zarathustra 9:51 This started the project with a simple
drum machine pattern over which I layered all kinds of keyboards and percussion in the form of a jam. The piece's theme was written in 1896 by Richard Strauss, and interpreted in 1973 by Eumir Deodato after it was used as the theme music in the 1969 movie "2001: A Space Odyssey." I guess you could say I rocked it up some.
6. Starship Universe 2:35 A piece featuring the pipe organ sounds of the Alesis QS 7.1 synthesizer. Quiet, then majestic. The universe displayed. (Psalms 19:1-6)
7. The Synchronized Life 6:54 Features an orchestral intro (all on the Alesis) and a prog rock/classic rock fusion with piano, organ, lead synth, and live drums by Michael Murray, in a song about getting our lives in sync with the Word of God. (Ephesians 5:15-17)
8. On The Ship of Emotion 8:38 An old song of mine about realizing you're in love combined with a recent jam in 7/8 time yielded a nice piece. Michael Murray plays drums. Dedicated to my lovely wife Eugenia. Guess who I'm calling attention to at the end. (Ephesians 5:22-29)
9. Music's Coming To Us 4:25 A plain old classic rocker but no guitars! Featuresthe B-3 sound, brass section, and BIG drums. A song about letting the music find us. (Psalms 150)

All instruments and vocals performed by Mike Visaggio except drums on tracks 1, 7 and 8 played live by Michael Murray.
Drums performed on the Yamaha PS-150, Boss Dr. Rhythm D-3 and Alesis QS 7.1 synth.
Organ performed on the Korg CX-3. Holy Tone Wheels, Batman, it IS a B-3!!!
Piano, fretless bass, percussion, brass, lead synthesizer, strings, kalimba, guitar, flute and all synth effects performed on the Alesis QS 7.1 synthesizer.
Recorded at New Beginnings Studio, Chesterfield VA during 2005.
www.newbeginningsrecordingstudio.com
Engineered by Mike "The Natural" Ferrell.
Produced by Mike Visaggio and Mike Ferrell.
Wisdom and guidance provided by God.
COPYRIGHT 2006 Mike Visaggio. All rights reserved.

[dinosaur]

Mike,
I look forward to hearing your work, and to letting the music find me.

[miketheorganist]

Thanks a bazillion Rick for playing Starship Universe, let me know if you get any feedback from anybody. I looked at DC Soar and although I don't have time tonight I will be communicating with them. MGLBWY. Thanks also to everyone who gives this music a serious listen. Mike V.