Bill's Brain - Creativity

Welcome to the musical portion of Bill's Brain. Bill isn't just a political hack, he's a musician too. From 1996 until early 2005 he ran Aural Adventures, an online independent music retailer that sold CDs for over 80 selected independent artists. He has now shut down that web site so that he can devote more time to his own music and writing. Aural Adventures still exists as a publishing company and retail outlet for Bill's music, so read on to find out more about Bill's musical adventures and purchase his music or the music of one of his good friends and musical collaborators, Bryan Lee Foster.

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Vincent Lee

Vincent ("V") Lee is Bill's alter ego (some would say evil twin) and stage name. V has been playing guitar and whatever else he could get his hands on for longer than he cares to admit, in a series of bands including Nebula (no relation to the current band of that name), Assassin, Axxe Minister, and Maniaxe. In the seemingly ancient past he also collaborated with various musical friends on somewhat bizarre tongue-in-cheek side projects, including Atomic Orgasm (in which punk music exceeds all bounds of good taste, and the result isn't pretty) and Subtle Concussion (heavier metal that you can possibly imagine). Throughout the 1980's and 1990's he released three solo albums, "Socks-N-Rugs-N-Rock-N-Roll," "Almost ...," and "Less of the Same." Somehow, in the midst of all this lunacy, he also managed to engineer and produce the album "72 Hours in San Francisco" for the band Brigitte, master and distribute the album "Journey to the Center of the Butt" for the groovaliciously hilarious funk band Vanilla Buttshake, team up with a bandmate to record the disturbing ode to the deceased known as "Do it With the Dead" (sample lyric: "You can take 'em out to dinner, you can take 'em to a bar, you can take 'em to the drive-in in the trunk of your car"), and record soundtracks for a handful of videos (literally, they fill your hand). There are also reports that he was known for occasionally consuming excessive quantities of Yukon Jack ("a taste born of hoary nights, when lonely men struggled to keep their fires lit and cabins warm"), but we have not been unable to verify the accuracy of these reports, so we won't mention them here.

More recently V has been working solo in his studio and continuing his collaborations, most notably with Bryan Foster. V has contributed numerous guitar tracks to Bryan's CD "The Phoenix," as well as Bryan's second CD "Flashes of Brilliance" (see below). You can order both CDs below, and in the coming weeks we'll post some song clips from the two discs.

So, without further ado, we present some of V's blasts from the past. All of these selections were recorded many years ago in a galaxy far, far away. They're presented in the RealMedia format, just click on the song title to listen.

First, the more conventional pieces:

Barbasol - Inspired by Barbasol, the shaving cream. In this delightfully humorous song, Barbasol is a cowboy who rides through the Old West on a mission to give everyone a clean, close shave. (This is what happens when V looks at a can of Barbasol in the shower day after day, week after week, month after month ...)
Lack of Lyrics Blues - A song about being so blue that you can't even write a song about it.
Remembering Today - An introspective song about losing sight of what really matters in life.
Brie - It's funky, it's creamy, it's cheesy, it's Brie! This is a really old one.
Danger - Definitely a rocker! A bit of V's darker side here.
No Way Out - Another old one, with more dark overtones.
The Unknown Song - Another rocker, with a message. V likes the guitar work on this one.
Prelude I - A short organ piece that was the opener to the album "Less of the Same."

And now for the weird (experimental, improvised, avant-garde, etc.) stuff:

Baraka - A free-form improvised "meditation" piece inspired by the movie Baraka. If you haven't seen the movie yet, go rent it and watch it, you'll enjoy it. It has some of the most stunning cinematography you'll ever see.
Rainy Nights - Improvised synthesizer and sound effects, layered over the soothing sound of a soft rain. Inspired by - you guessed it! - a rainy night. (And if you didn't guess it, please, try to keep up with the rest of the class.)
TeleVision - Experimental improvised spoken-word. Say it with me: "The television has become the box of death."
Eagle - Droning music and spoken-word.
Dear - Words and sounds, sampled, processed, folded, spindled, and mutilated.
Sounds II - Another one of V's "sound collages," or collections of sounds assembled in ways that make sense only to him, people with mental disorders, those under the influence of hallucinogenic compounds, and certain small mammals.
Jazz for the Insane - As the name implies, this is jazz for those who have lost their sanity. This piece started out as an improvised guitar track (with the requirement that "you can't play any chord you've ever played before"), and then other tracks were added to it. We don't have any idea what it means, but it was an interesting exercise.
Almost-Sounds - The collection of random sounds from the album "Almost ..." These were scattered between the songs.
Less of the Same-Sounds - The collection of random sounds from the album "Less of the Same," where they were scattered between the songs.
Hot Dog in the Sky - I dunno, this one even stumps us. V swears he had nothing to do with it. He says he just remembers a really bright light, and being lifted out of the studio, and when he woke up this track was on the tape. He also mumbled something short gray creatures with big black eyes, an anal probe, and a government cover-up, but we have our doubts. Listen at your own risk.

Bryan Lee Foster

Bryan Lee Foster first made a significant impact on the music scene as the high-energy bassist and keyboardist in the band Brigitte. In Brigitte his funky, stylish, and always memorable bass lines stood out as an integral part of the band's sound and a high point in the creative use of the instrument. At times interweaving melodically with the other instruments, and at times laying down a grove so solid you could build a house on it, anyone who has heard him will agree that he plays with a grace and power that few have mastered.

After the breakup of Brigitte, Bryan spent several years producing scores of videos, including work with ESPN’s Denise Austin and supermodel Kim Alexis, and winning numerous Telly Awards. More recently he produced the independent film "Carpe Diem" which has won praise from viewers all over the world. Now he’s back in the studio, this time as a solo artist, re-emerging on the musical scene as "The Phoenix."

As The Phoenix, Bryan brings his keyboard skills to the forefront, creating compositions that are sometimes grandiose, sometimes calm and reflective. His musical style is often cinematic, with soaring keyboards combined with driving drums and electric guitar. Bryan has taken his 1980's synthesizer influences, added a potent kick, and turned them into a style that's all his own.

The Phoenix - The Phoenix >>> Buy the CD from CCNow >>> View Shopping Cart / Checkout
This self-titled disc is Bryan's first CD performing as "The Phoenix." It features Tracy Schuler on vocals and V Lee on guitar on several tracks. Guest appearance by Bryan's former Brigitte bandmate Dave Saxon on guitar.
9 songs, compact disc, $6.00.

The Phoenix - Flashes of Brilliance >>> Buy the CD from CCNow >>> View Shopping Cart / Checkout
Flashes of Brilliance is Bryan's second CD, and it also features V Lee on guitar. Guest appearance by Dave Saxon on guitar.
7 songs, compact disc, $6.00.

Visit Bryan's web site at www.ThePhoenixMusic.com.