Engineer Billy HIllman at HillTrax Recording Studio

Exceptional service (including help from experienced professional musicians with arrangement and writing input as well as professional advice on recording and mastering techniques from the Chief Engineer throughout the whole project) and customer satisfaction rank on the same level as affordability. The friendly people at HillTrax understand the needs of today’s musicians and their low overhead approach is geared towards an unparalleled return on your investment. They are able to help you through the whole process including writing, arranging, recording, mixing, mastering and reproduction of your finished project.

HillTrax Studio has recorded, mixed, mastered and released several projects (i.e. Neil Austin Imber, Micah Sims, etc.) and is looking forward to partnering with you on your next artistic endeavor. No matter how big or small your project, you can rest assured that you will get the ‘preferred’ treatment at HillTrax Studio.

Click here for more detailed information (incl. studio gear list).

Saddle Up Concert Poster

Story courtesy of Nancy Mills of The Mills Agency:

What’s a cowboy concert without a real-life, genuine cowboy? The Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra has thought of everything.

Although he won’t ride in on his horse, Todd Fritsch, a cattle-ranching cowboy and chart-topping country music singer-songwriter will perform at the Orchestra’s February 21 “Saddle Up” cowboy concert scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Stafford Centre. Also taking the stage is fellow Nashville recording artist Dixie Trahan.

Fritsch took his “Texas Talkin’” single to the top of the HotDisc charts in 2008 after finishing #1 on the same chart in 2007 with his fan favorite ballad “First Date For The Last Time.” Both songs are on his “Sawdust” CD. A popular performer at The Hideout at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™, Fritsch has opened for notables like Lee Ann Womack, Joe Nichols, Marty Stuart and Ronnie Milsap. He has also performed at the CMA Music Festival.

Although Fritsch is a relative newcomer to the country music scene, he’s an old hand when it comes to being a cowboy. Born and raised on his family’s ranch in Willow Springs, Texas, this down-to-earth, self-labeled “country-to-the-bone” cowboy is as comfortable riding and roping as he is in delivering his strong baritonelyrics under the big lights.

“I don’t ever want to leave ranchin’ behind,” says Fritsch. “It’s who I am; it’s what keeps me real and in touch. But I want the music, too. I’ve made some real good friends in Nashville who believe in me and the music that I make….five years from now I want to be playin’ in front of 50,000 people and be #1 on Billboard’s Country Chart.”

This marks the second time that Todd Fritsch and the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra have teamed up for an event and everybody involved seems very exciting about the upcoming re-union. Todd and his band will perform some of his fan favorites and a brand new song that will more than likely become his first single release of his upcoming new album.

“Returning to work with my friends of the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra is a real treat; we’ve had so much fun the first time around that I immediately jumped at the opportunity to do this again. Playing again at the Stafford Centre is also exciting as we had opened for Ronnie Milsap in 2007 at this outstanding venue. It just sounds so good ….” says Todd. “It will be the perfect kick-off for our Houston Rodeo season this year.”

Dixie Trahan (www.dixietrahan.com) has been singing for as long as she can remember. Growing up as a “preacher’s kid,” she was surrounded by talented musicians both inside and outside her family. When her dad decided to evangelize through music, she spent a year performing in Branson, Missouri with her family. At age 17, Trahan went solo and has traveled from Texas to Canada sharing her music with fans.

“Country music has just always been a constant for me,” says Trahan. “Something about a great country song…you just can’t help but sing along! ….This will be an awesome event ….. I have been to multiple events of the FBSO in the past and always wanted to work with them, now I get a chance to do just that and I am also looking forward to working with Todd…”, says Dixie during a recent interview.

In 2006, Trahan traveled to Nashville to record her self-titled debut album – a charming, yet polished collection of songs that showcase her vocal prowess. Most often compared vocally to Alison Krauss, Trahan has been carving out her own niche in the Texas music scene. She was one of six finalists in the 2009 Houston Press Music Awards “Country” category.

The backup band for both artists will be made up of professional musicians Billy Hillman (guitar), Joe DeLeon (drums & percussion), Kenneth Trahan (acoustic guitar, piano & harmony vocals) and Robert DiBlanco (electric bass, upright bass & harmony vocals). Sound Engineer Tim Weaver will ensure high fidelity sound quality throughout the performance.

Both artist’s current CD’s will be available for purchase during intermission and during Meet’n'Greet in the lobby after the concert.

In addition to songs by Fritsch and Trahan, FBSO’s February 21 “Saddle Up” cowboy concert features fun TV and movie songs that evoke the old West and give a nod to the cowboy culture. Tickets are $5 to $25 each and children 12 and under are free. Advance tickets may be purchased at www.fbso.org or by calling 281.276.9642. The Stafford Centre is located at 10505 Cash Rd in Stafford.

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When: February 21, 2010 at 02:00pm
Where: Stafford Centre, 10505 Cash Rd, Stafford TX
Tickets are $5 to $25 each and children 12 and under are free

For more information, please visit:
Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra – Web, Facebook
Todd Fritsch – Web, Facebook, MySpace
Dixie Trahan – Web, Facebook, MySpace

Grofé (Ferdinand Rudolph von Grofé), a New York City native, came from several generations of musicians. His mother was a cellist and his father was a singer. Ferde played several instruments, ranging from brass to strings. This helped him immensely as an arranger for Whiteman. (Grofé was also assistant conductor and pianist for the group.)

He put the wide range of knowledge he gained into every one of his works. The Grand Canyon Suite, the most popular work of this ingenious colorist, was composed in 1931 (and premiered by Whiteman) after Grofé had travelled extensively in Arizona. This grandiose music inspired by his travels shows he was profoundly impressed by the Grand Canyon.

Each movement, “Sunrise,” “The Painted Desert,” “On the Trail,” “Sunset,” and “Cloudburst” features a unique orchestral color. Many orchestrator’s tricks Grofé used became standard fare for Hollywood movies, especially westerns. This music may sound familiar even if you’ve never heard it before: its offspring are in countless westerns. However, there is another place you might have heard it – remember Walt Disney’s True-Life Adventure series? In 1958, the most spectacular film of that series was produced: “Grand Canyon,” which combined Grofé’s “Grand Canyon Suite” with some of the most astonishing cinematography of that era! It was one of Disney’s biggest artistic triumphs, and still well-worth seeing.

As to the Grand Canyon itself, whether you have seen it or not, go to the National Park Service Grand Canyon website and on the right hand menu, go to “In Depth.” Next page, from the lower-left menu, choose “Photos,” and then choose General Photos of Grand Canyon. From there, you can take your own photographic tour of one of our most awesome national scenic treasures.

Click here to purchase the orchestral score of this exciting work.

To listen to this music, check out the recording below:

Besides a great selection of Todd’s past hits and cover songs, they will also be doing Todd’s brand new songs, an exciting selection of music recently recorded by Todd in Nashville. “Calls I Haven’t Made” and “In A Song” are ballads, “Love Never Goes Out Of Style” is a honky-tonk tune, and “My Kinda Crowd” is an up-tempo barn burner. (Make sure you vote for your favorite by clicking here!)

Get your Thanksgiving holiday started out right with a great night of dancing and music at Sengelmann Hall! Tickets are $10 and are available ahead of time by visiting the Sengelmann Hall website.

Date: Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Time: 9:00pm – 10:45pm
Location: Sengelmann Hall
Address: 531 North Main Street, Schulenburg, TX

To book Todd for your own special event, just contact us. We’ll be happy to provide you with more information.

“Calls I Haven’t Made” and “In A Song” are ballads that bring out the best in Todd’s voice and suit his vocal style very well. “Love Never Goes Out Of Style” is a honky-tonk tune that can compete with the best of them and “My Kinda Crowd” is an up-tempo barn burner guaranteed to be well received by Todd’s fans.

This selection of songs represents some of the new material Todd and his team of industry veterans have been working on during his recent visits to Nashville and are expected to be included on his forthcoming album release in 2010.

Besides her classical work, Frances also enjoys jazz, having performed around the United States at the University of North Texas Jazz Festival, Wichita Jazz Festival, Notre Dame Jazz Festival, and the Festival of the States in Washington, D.C. In addition, Frances performed with the Borealis Brass in Rome, Italy, as part of the Fondazione Adkins Chiti: Donne in Musica. She has achieved success as a private instructor, master class clinician, and performer. In addition to her solo and small ensemble work, Frances is a member of the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra. She performs regularly in and around the Greater Houston area.

For a special touch at your next event, why not call on Frances and her trumpet? You’ll be glad you did!

This is a well-known story about a deranged musical genius hiding in the catacombs under the Paris Opera which explores the ultimate difference between true love and obsessive possessiveness masquerading — in this case, literally — as true love. There is a big difference between genuinely loving and accepting someone for who and what they are, and, on the other hand, regarding another person as an object to be possessed, to be owned, as putty to be shaped to fit the fantasy of the one obsessed, and in reality, as only an extension of the obsessed-one’s own ego. The Phantom of the Opera is a metaphor for that obsessive possessive so-called love that ultimately — if given free reign — destroys its own avowed “beloved.”

Webber’s music is familiar by now, and although there are other – and some, in many respects, more interesting – musical versions of this gripping and sometimes terrifying tale, his is the one we all know. You have heard this music so often you will likely recognize and anticipate every note – but it still chills the heart!

To purchase the piano music for selections from The Phantom of the Opera, click here for Vocal Selections – Souvenir Edition (voice and piano), or click here for Easy Piano Selections (voice, piano and guitar – chords only).

For a recording of all the songs you love, check this out:

Cooper went to college on a percussion scholarship, earning a Bachelor’s Degree of Music in Percussion with a minor in Piano and Voice. He loves being on stage and is not afraid to incorporate a variety of instruments into his show. His most recent addition is a studio size marimba, which he introduced during a performance of Jimmy Buffet’s smash hit “Margaritaville” at Mo’s Place in Katy, Texas.

Cooper’s shows are high energy and encapsulate music from the more traditional side of country to the Texas music scene to his original compositions. His first-rate band, Unclaimed Freight, is made up of musicians who are capable of playing anything he throws at them, including the occasional rendition of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” to the delight of his youngest audience members.

Imagine you’d seen these people in movies, on TV, heard them on radio, heard their recordings, news reports, comedy routines, and in concerts. Further, imagine this culture was ALL in Yiddish, the “Slavic-ized” European Jewish-German linguistic potpourri.

Imagine that a man named Boris Tomashefsky spearheaded a Yiddish theater in late 19th-century New York City, that all this activity by artists and entertainers listed above, and much more, grew out of that theater, that our radio, TV, cinema, and much serious American classical music has its roots in this world—ONLY: what if?—you must know Yiddish to understand this North American Yiddishkeit—“Yiddish-ness?” Nu?

Ashkenazic Jewish culture from Central to Eastern Europe; Yiddishkeit, a wonderful mix of Jewish, Slavic, German, Hungarian and other cultures came to NYC in the late 19th- and early 20th-century, coalescing—with a major push from Yiddish superstar Boris Tomashefsky—into the Yiddish theater. Those names above represent careers rooted in that tradition. But: the good news is: ENJOY!—you don’t have to know Yiddish: the whole thing transformed itself into English, in fact, “Americanese.” Why? Because one thing those immigrants and descendants listed above had in common is they wanted to be Americans! So did their theater—it became Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, radio, eventually TV; it became silent movies, then “talkies,” MGM and other movie dynasties, Gone With The Wind, Wizard of Oz, and so forth and so on. “A horse of a different color”—but still a horse!

Now: those names above: because those names were changed by these persons, their parents, or grandparents to sound American, we know—not in any particular chronological order—Bernard Schwarz as Tony Curtis, Issur Danielovitch as Kirk Douglas, Betty Perske as Lauren Bacall, Mr. Steiner as “Ashley Wilkes,” a.k.a. Leslie Howard, followed by Gene Wilder, Michael Landon, Bea Arthur, and Fred Astaire. Mr. Weiss “escaped” that name to become Harry Houdini. Larry King interviewed, and Mike Wallace roasted, some of the following: Roseanne Barr, Woody Allen, Joan Rivers, Jack Benny, George Burns, Jason Alexander. The musicians are Al Jolson, Bob Dylan, Eddie Cantor, Victor Borge, Irving (“Oiving,” as he said) Berlin, Fanny Brice (played in Funny Girl by Barbra Streisand, who kept her name), Michael Tilson Thomas (grandson of Boris), an operatic diva of the very best sort who started, age 4, on Yiddish radio as “Bubbles” Silverman—the late and very great Beverly Sills. Kaplan became Copland. Finally, the last three names—and here the theme unfolds: what’s in a name? A language? What happens when you put Yiddish and Yiddish-culture into English and English-keit? David Kaminsky becomes Danny Kaye—who, for those of us old enough to remember, could sing more names of more Russian composers in a shorter time than anybody, in the song “Tchaikovsky” (imagine what he could do with these name changes!) That song came from the 1941 show, Lady in the Dark with lyrics by Ira Gershovitz as “Ira Gershwin,” and music by Kurt Weill (same name as always); Ira Gershovitz-now-Gershwin was by then working with Weill, because four years earlier, his life-long collaborator, brother Jakob Gershovitz, the great composer and performer, had died. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the man we know as George Gershwin.

Now that you know—if you didn’t already—you do know quite a lot (even if it is in English) about Yiddish culture, its legacy, and that much of it permeates your cultural life much of the time, you can better understand George Gershwin. His entire art grew out of that soil, combining it with other traditions in a masterful, convincing way no other composer has equaled. He synthesized the diverse elements of Yiddishkeit, and infused them with his classical training to produce a unique music as American as any music could be. His music is the old-world immigrant become American, and in turn helping build a newer, bigger, and better America. Gershwin’s “schooling” was mostly in Tin Pan Alley, starting as a teenager, and then on Broadway, moving to the concert hall somewhat later. Paul Whiteman, who commissioned Rhapsody in Blue, played a major role in that. All along, brother Ira wrote lyrics for most of George’s songs, then many of his big theatrical productions—Ira was good with words as George was with notes. Ira, by the way, as a young lad “gave” George a piano: their parents bought it for Ira, their oldest, hoping for a pianist. They got one: George! He loved the piano, Ira didn’t, and the rest, as often said, is history. Ira was happy: he much preferred writing words to making music.

George Gershwin did study privately, first with Charles Hambitzer, then Rubin Goldmark who also taught Copland, and Henry Cowell, at that time an avant-garde composer. Gershwin also consulted with Joseph Schillinger, a musical mathematician/theoretician, and he also with 12-tone composer/theorist Arnold Schoenberg (with whom he also played tennis regularly) In Paris, Gershwin consulted Ravel. It is fair to say George Gershwin had a thirst to improve his knowledge of music and worked hard to do so.

Gershwin was also interested in jazz, and that was reciprocal: Paul Whiteman, known as “The King of Jazz” by the media, commissioned Gershwin to compose a work bringing together jazz elements with classical elements. That work was Rhapsody in Blue. It was composed in 1924, orchestrated by Ferde Grofé (known mostly for his Grand Canyon Suite), and premiered by the Whiteman orchestra with Paul conducting and George himself—a phenomenal pianist—at the keyboard in Aeloian Hall in New York City in 1924. This is where this version of the Gershwin saga ends, because it is in this work that the immigrants—George Gershwin and the Yiddish culture from which he came—REALLY arrived on the music scene and became yet another important part of the American melting pot. George brought it all together, and it became a new musical-cultural platform upon which all of us since have built. As Paul Whiteman said of Rhapsody in Blue, “Jazz became a lady;” and this writer might add, America enriched its culture by bringing the Russian-Jewish Gershovitzes and their culture aboard and providing a safe, supportive, and free milieu in which they grew into “the Gershwins.”

Rhapsody in Blue has all that in it, and says it all more eloquently than words.

If you are interested in performing Rhapsody in Blue, check out these links:

Rhapsody in Blue for Piano, click here.

Rhapsody in Blue for Full Orchestra (Miniature Score), click here.

Rhapsody in Blue. Arranged by Bob Cerulli. For Intermediate Full Orchestra. Conductor Score & Parts. Click here.

For your own recording of Rhapsody in Blue, check out:

One thing most people will agree on is the fact that well written lyrics play a huge part in the success of a song. A great melody and hook-line (a melodic “chunk” that is repeated throughout the whole song) are certainly considered key ingredients to a successful song on the pop charts. But at the end of the day the phenomenon known as ‘the groove’ will ultimately decide the fate of most popular songs (just ask any bass player or drummer).

Wikipedia defines groove as “… is the sense of propulsive rhythmic “feel” or sense of “swing” created by the interaction of the music played by a band’s rhythm section (drums, electric bass or double bass, guitar, and keyboards). The term is mainly used in the context of genres outside of Western art music, such as funk, rock music, power groove, fusion, and soul.

While some musicians have called the concept of “groove” a subjective and elusive notion, they acknowledge that the concept is well-understood by experienced musicians at a practical, intuitive level. Funk and Latin musicians refer to “groove” as the sense of being “in the pocket”, and jazz players refer to groove as the sense that a jam session is really “cooking” or “swinging.”

Musicologists and other scholars began to analyse the concept of “groove” in the 1990s. They have argued that a “groove” is an “understanding of rhythmic patterning” or “feel” and “an intuitive sense” of “a cycle in motion” that emerges from “carefully aligned concurrent rhythmic patterns” that sets in motion dancing or foot-tapping on the part of listeners. “ (Copyright by Wikipedia / excerpt from Wikipedia.com)

Although groove is very hard to explain, it is fairly easy to ‘feel’ whenever a band’s rhythm section is in it. A groove happens when the drummer and bass player , along with the rhythm guitar player and keyboard player (being the other two pieces of a typical popular band’s rhythm section) fall into rhythmic patterns that add up to one ‘undeniable feel’ that will make most audiences want to move (i.e. dance, snap their fingers, bop their heads, etc.).  Although groove has been described as something individuals feel differently, the effect of a solid groove can be experienced when watching the audience’s reaction and movements at any good band’s performance.

Consider this: when you get closer to the stage of any open-air venue, what is the first thing that captures your attention? From a distance it is usually hard for anybody to make out the vocals or intricate facets of the lead players’ lines, but you will be able to hear the drums and bass hopefully creating the ‘groove’ that will draw your attention to the music. Coincidence? I don’t think so

A good groove can make the difference between between a hit record and a regular song – just look at the liner notes in your record collection and you will find out that there are certain rhythm sections that could be considered ‘hit machines’ because of their undeniable grooves: in country music you can make the case for drummer Eddie Bayers Jr. and bassist Michael Rhodes being the No.1 team; reggae music featured Robbie Shakespeare and Sly Dunbar as their predominant groove machine; Motown music was heavily influenced by geniuses such as James Jamerson and Uriel Jones (The Funk Brothers); the Beatles were certainly blessed with the exceptional talents of bassist Paul McCartney and drummer Ringo Starr; rock music owes a lot to groove masters such as Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham or Toto’s Jeff Porcaro; popular music was heavily influenced by rhythm sections like Sting and Stewart Copeland; the Muscle Shoals Rhythm section has achieved worldwide recognition for their outstanding work – case in point, an awful lot of a song’s potential to be a hit is related to its potential to ‘groove’ or ’swing’ and record producers all over the world have been paying close attention to this fact throughout the history of popular music.

The next time you listen to your favorite music, try to pay some attention to the rhythm section work to ‘detect’ the groove – it is a lot of fun and might give you a whole new appreciation for your favorite artist’s work.

Until next time, keep groovin’ -
Robert DiBlanco