Father & Daughter

Currently I’m working on a cover of the song “Father and Daughter” as a gift to a friend who’s daughter is getting married. If all goes well, they will have the recording to play during their dance at the wedding.

I changed the tempo and key as well as the arrangement. It has evolved into a very different presentation than Paul Simon’s. While his is very upbeat/up-tempo, this production is absolutely ballad and very tender.

I’ve been enjoying the creation of this cover. The best part has been the inclusion of my own daughter, Samantha, who contributed incredibly beautiful vocals.

Despite this being intended as a gift for my friend who will dance at the wedding with his daughter, it will certainly be a treasure for me.

By the way, check out Samantha’s new single!
Samantha Murray: Put on the Dog

Father & Daughter in Studio

Put on the Dog

“Put on the Dog” by Samantha Murray was released today.

We had a lot of fun creating this track.

Samantha did a terrific job performing multiple tracks of vocals and played electric guitar as well. The “rap” section is like ear candy.
I love the reaction we’re already getting from this release.

You can find it on all streaming platforms. Click the link below to find your favorite.

Put on the Dog
Samantha Murray: Put on the Dog

Too soon

The world lost a giant in the world of comedy this week.

Gilbert was famous for his over-the-top humor, his unique voice and the characters he played on TV and in the movies.

I knew him, off mic, as a kind, somewhat timid, shy and very friendly man.
And, wow, did he have an incredible memory for entertainment trivia.

When the mic turned off, he was a different person than the super/energized character he was known for. He was suddenly soft-spoken, concerned for those around him and generous with his time. He could put you at ease in a heartbeat.

Gil was so easy to like.

I sincerely enjoyed every encounter with Gil. He cracked me up on countless occasions and gave me the honor of his own as wonderful laugh.

I will miss that fantastic, sincere laugh.

Today, his friends and family gathered to say goodbye. Although I should have known better, I expected to just cry. But, the room was filled with so much laughter.

It felt so good to laugh and was the perfect way to honor this wonderful man.

Being roasted during his memorial service; Gil wouldn’t want it any other way.

Gone Too Soon. Gilbert

Gilbert

Making a Colossal Classic

Writing a 30 second Jingle often takes more energy than writing a pop tune.

First of all, there’s the limitation.
In most cases, it’s a target of 30 seconds on the nose.

Then, getting the hook in there so people remember it.

There’s not much room for a verse or chorus. Not much time to say what you’ve to say.
You have to make your point quickly and sell the product with a fast pitch.

‘Lots of limitations with way too much to say in a short time.

But, when it all gels, it’s great fun.

Personally, I love writing jingles. I like the format and I like the puzzle-like challenge that composing one presents. I’m at my creative best when I have limitations.

That being said, my latest project was to create a jingle for Gilbert Gottfried’s new “CLASSICS” podcast which will feature a weekly Colossal Classic show from the library of 400+ episodes (many of which I engineered and/or produced.)

After composing the jingle, I arranged and produced the musical bed.

I brought my talented daughter, Samantha into the studio to work on vocal harmonies with me.

Great fun! We had a blast pulling apart the chords and arranging the vocal blocks so they punched through the mix.

The result is a 30 second jingle that says it all about the new show in the genre the fans are familiar with all packed into 30 seconds of jingle goodness!

Have a listen and don’t forget to check out the new Podcast on Stitcher, i-tunes or wherever you stream your podcasts from. Look for GGACP CLASSIC.

Let us know what you think of the new jingle in the comment section below.

Colossal Classic Jingle
c 2021 John Murray/PE MUSIC (ASCAP)

Remote Magic

One of the biggest challenges that has presented itself during this pandemic age is the problem of recording hosts and guests remotely.

The question I am asked most often, during consultations is, “How do you get everyone to sound like they are together?”

If everyone were recorded in the same room, the timing of laughter, quick questions and snappy responses feels natural. However, this natural, conversational feel is impacted by the latency and distorted sound that remote recording can present.

I spend a great deal of my post production time slipping tracks back and forth to make everyone sound like they are responding in a natural way while eliminating the accidental interruptions that occur constantly throughout a remote session.

Another “trick” I employ is a cocktail of special, tested audio engineering techniques to make it sound like everyone is in the same room despite the fact that they are really attending from different points around the country.

This is not always easy because we rely on the guests to record their voices locally. So, it’s very important that I have a pre-show test session and supply guests with clear and easy instructions.
Some are very nervous about messing up the recordings. Part of my job is to put them at ease and give them simple instructions so they feel confident and not distracted by technical issues during the actual show-session.

When the session is finished, my heavy work begins; Cleaning up every track and syncing everyone so that the conversation flows and the audience doesn’t realize that everyone is basically on a zoom-call and, finally, the trick of making everyone sound like they are in the same room.

I hope you enjoy the sample shows I have posted on my Podcast! page.

John with Gilbert & Frank

Episode—— Goooooood! Grrr

Episode— Goooooood! Grrrr!!
My closest friends and colleagues know I have a fanatical appreciation for old time radio shows. I’ve been listening and collecting old shows most of my life.
In this episode I had a little fun creating an intro in the style of those old radio shows. Gil is in top form and my daughter makes a guest appearance.

About the intro;

I found some old commercial sound of Boris Karloff pitching coffee.

I ran the audio through my cocktail of noise reduction and enhancing techniques. Once I was satisfied with the clarity of the sound, I cut together dialogue with spaces where I knew I wanted to fit Gilbert into the mix.

I sent Gil the script and he recorded his portion of the dialogue and sent it to me.

I matched his mic sound to Karloff’s, created sound FX and composed a special Horror version of the Podcast theme.
‘Put it all together and we have Gilbert & Karloff in a fun, fake and funny coffee commercial. “Harmless Nut Coffee!”

(I’m fortunate to have my daughter Samantha around for addition voices and FX. She’s a real pro!)

Three great guests interviewed by the best; Gilbert & Frank. Enjoy!

LISTEN HERE

SKEETS

Skeets was my dad and friend.

SKEETS MURRAY
He passed away on 9-11 leaving behind a great void that will be impossible to fill.
Skeets left this planet remembered as a good father, a wonderful grandfather, husband and, to me; a dear friend and musical companion.
So much of what I understand of music was learned from my countless sessions with him.
He began his own musical journey when he was about 13 strumming and picking on a used Epiphone guitar found at a local hock shop

After school he joined the US Army Paratroopers serving during and after the Korean War and was based in Germany.
While serving he developed a musical skill as a masterful Harmonica player. This earned him a spot on the musical team with Johnny Puleo’s Harmonica Rascals. The Harmonica Gang was featured on popular TV shows like Milton Berle, the Tonight Show and the Ed Sullivan show.
After he married my mom in 1959 he began a life as a musician, gigging every weekend with a variety of bands in order to support our family. And he loved to play guitar. Being a Guitarist became what he was most identified with.
Fast forward to several years ago, as he was battling cancer; I was fortunate enough to spend each week playing duets with him and learning how he navigated his way through solos and chord structures. It was a master class in guitar playing. During this time, he kicked cancer and was a happy, retired survivor.
On 9-11 of this year, his weakened heart stopped and he was no longer here.
It’s always difficult to comprehend the loss of a loved one.
In addition to being with my Mom, his constant companion was his little dog, Penne, who he spent every waking and sleeping moment with. Boy, did he love that dog.
He loved his retirement, enjoyed reading books, walking Penne around the block and saying hi to his neighbors. He would keep doggy treats in his pocket for any other pooch he met along the way.
I find myself reaching for the phone on a daily basis. I feel very off-balance not having him in my life.
I miss his laugh, his old jokes, the welcoming sound of his voice, advice and, of course, the sound of his guitar.

He was my father and my dear friend.
Skeets. 1935-2021

Just Another Love Song

So proud to announce the release of my daughter Samantha’s single “Just Another Love Song.”

This track is currently available on Youtube and, over the next week, available on all streaming, digital platforms like Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora etc…

Links to the various platforms will be posted on this site.

“JUST ANOTHER LOVE SONG”

Featuring Samantha Murray

Words and Music by John Murray c 2021 J MURRAY/PEMUSIC/ ASCAP

Summer Songs for All

The most recent video episode of “Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast!/Show with Frank Santopadre,” that was premiered to Patreon members first, is now available to all. Woo Hoo!

Proud to be a member of Club Obsession. I had a lot of fun “Chew’in the fat” with Gilbert and Frank as well as sharing about and performing one of my favorite “Summer Songs.” 

Watch it! 

Share it! 

Chew it to pieces!

See it HERE!

Summer Songs

Proud to be a part of this very cool gang of talented people. In addition to wearing my frequent hat as Audio Producer, in this newest, special-episode, I enjoyed being one of the musical guests and video/audio editor. (And I’ll say, right up front, John Titta has me beat as the guy with most guitars and the coolest collection. Wow!)
Joining me, chew’in the fat with Gilbert & Frank, are Joe McGinty, Seth Saltzman and John Titta. So many “Summer Songs” to reminisce about and perform.
I played one of my favorites; “Summer Breeze” by Seals & Crofts.
If you’re a loyal Patreon member of Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast!/Show, you’ll be able to view this special Patreon-only “SUMMER SONGS” episode. (If you’re not a Patreon member yet, what are you waiting for? Visit the official GGACP podcast page and click “membership” for more information. https://www.gilbertpodcast.com )

Frank Santopadre, John Murray, John Titta, Joe McGinty, Seth Saltzman & Gilbert Gottfried.