History of QCC

In late 1999, after completing recording of the StrangeCloud CD Acousticity, and peforming 2 or 3 times a week at local venues with StrangeCloud, I begain to put together some electronic pieces that I had been working on for a while.  Some of them were developed initially while working out parts for songs on the first StrangeCloud EP Blueprint, and some ideas were developed while working on Acousticity.   The songs were more electronic, some of them heavy and more majestic sounding than anything that would fit with StrangeCloud.  Of the nature of film music.  In fact, several of the ideas came from films.  I was doing all the drum parts on an alesis drum machine, and all the keyboards on an Alesis QS8 and a Hammond organ.  Sound effects from various sources.  On a few songs I used my Ovation acoustic guitar and Fender Stratocaster.

Three of the first group of songs to be completed were based on the theme of monster movies.  They were "Monsters (Godzilla Mix)" (which has Jeff Anderson of StrangeCloud doing a short but very cool vocal passage), "Monsters (Jurassic Mix)" and "Monsters (Alien Mix)."  These 3, along with "Space Fairies Embark" and "Awaken New Day" (a soft piano and strings piece), were put up on mp3.com at the end of 1999 and immediately began to be featured by the owners of the site.  They all went to the top of the charts.

In January, 2000 I completed work on several other songs, including "Liquid Afternoon" (with Henry Early on guitar and bells), and "Fairy Funk" (with Tom McDonald on guitar).  In late January the 9 song CD Fairies and Monsters was released.  It was a success, reaching the top of best selling CD charts on mp3.com and getting some local interest.  Artwork was done by Shayne Hanson of Under Feather.

Soon after the CD was released I started recording some new songs, with an idea for a concept album.  It took a while for it to all come together, but by June, 2000 I released Escape.  The CD tells the story, in music, of a young thinker, silenced by the thought police and imprisoned in a prism of the mind.   It contains the song "Lockup", with Jimmy Stewart on guitar.   The song spent several months on the top of the mp3.com psychedelic and instrumental rock charts, and got some decent airplay locally.  It also contains the song "The Calling Spirit."  In the summer of 2001 the song was picked up and used as the recurring theme music for an independent film called "Ghost Hunters." 

Two songs, which were instrumentals on my versions, were later taken by New Jersey musician REMO, who wrote lyrics and added his vocals.  He also added a few keyboard parts.  Both songs were highly successful on the internet site charts.  They were "A Bug's Life March" and "Evening Retires."  Also, Todd Sauer of North Dakota wrote lyrics for the song Solitary, and added his vocals and some tremendous electric guitar.  In the summer of 2001 I took all the songs from both CDs, plus the collaborative songs and remixed and remastered them.  They were released on a new CD simply called Qui Custodientes Custodient.

In 2002, Angel, the vocalist from Project North Meets South, wrote some lyrics and added vocals to my song "A Child Cries."  We doubled the song in length.  Bill Farrish, jazz guitarist from New York, then added some great flamenco-style guitar.  Bill did the final mix and mastering.

Robyn Robinson, news anchor at KMSP-TV, Fox News in Minneapolis, became a fan of the music and interviewed me for her entertainment show "The Buzz."   They did a nice segment on QCC featuring some of the music and showing the QCC site on mp3.com.  This lead to a huge increase in interest in the music and increased sales of the CDs.

Shortly after the attack on the United States on September 11, 2001, several musicians in the twin cities area got together in a studio in Edina, Minnesota and recorded a song called "Old Glory."  The idea was the brainchild of local musician/promoter Neal Bond.  The song starts off using the music from my song "Solitary", with several singers doing a harmony.  Neal reads the poem "Old Glory" and then the song transitions seemlessly into "America The Beautiful."   I was truly honored to be asked to use my music for this production, and to participate in the vocal chorus.  Some of the most talented local artists participated in the project.

Over the next couple years, while working on new StrangeCloud material, I had very little time to put into QCC.  I released various compliltion discs on mp3.com, some of which included previously unused tracks and some tracks that were never completed.   I had a couple ideas for a follow up CD, and when time allowed I did start to put some of it down in the studio.  Never really had the time to get it all together.   In the early summer of 2004 I finished up 2 songs which were primarily sound effects and experimental keyboard work.  The songs are called "Greetings from teh Cosmos to Earth" and "Turbulent Gases."  Once again I went back to all the earlier QCC songs and remixed them, and remastered each song.  I then released the 20-song CD nebulae, which contains the 2 new songs, along with the best material from the first 2 CDs as well as the collaboration efforts.

nebulae is currently the only QCC CD available.  A brand new CD called Questions is now available in digital download format only.  It includes the new song "Questions," a collaboration with REMO.

Future

I fully intend to complete the project that I started working on a few years ago.   Several pieces are in various stages of completion.  With any luck it will be ready by the end of 2005.