Demo Reel 2:09This is a quick montage of seven different clips demonstrating a range of styles: some atmospheric, some bouncy, some strange. The assortment includes mostly all-acoustic instrumentations. For more computery/dancey stuff, see Move to the City Mix and the Theater section.

Intro 1:00A piece created as a demo for a TV show theme. Short and sweet. Mandolin, guitar, flutes, keyboard, bass, and cajón. The intention was to get to the point quickly, to maintain a relatively high energy, and to be catchy. I've used this piece for a lot of things... never hurts to have a 1:00 piece of music handy.

Give You a Word 1:38This frenetic jam starts off with the moan of a distant circular saw and launches into a tussle between guitar and whistle. No one has used this underneath anything yet, but I'd sure like to see it when they do.

Move to the City Mix 0:36This is a remix of a song by The Trucks. Besides the original Trucks vocal track, it adds a bass line, beat, and a set of custom samples recorded by hitting everything in the kitchen with chopsticks. Despite the use of chopsticks, it did not win the remix contest. There's always next time.

Sleep 17:10The idea here was to make a track as absolutely boring as possible with the goal of putting someone to sleep. No sharp edges, no interesting changes. Just smoothed-out, unabashed muzak. Sorry to say it didn't work for me, but maybe your experience will be different. Fades in slow, naturally.

Atmospheric Improv 1:05Recorded at a live show, years ago, this is a snippet of improvisational guitar. This kind of playing was inspired by study of the sitar, and it can vary from slow and contemplative (as in this clip) to intensely rhythmic.

Space Montage 1:44A comedy duo needed a few pieces of music for one of their shows. For the first two pieces in this montage, imagine a repetitive, soul-draining journey back and forth through space. The last one is the music that a burnt-out space-crane-stealing squatter rocks out to. Maybe you had to be there.

Wembly 0:41Another piece for the same performance. This was the background after-show music. These kinds of tracks are easy to mix down to 20-minute long loops, to fill in that dead air when some technical glitch means a far longer transition than planned.

Dancey Pants 1:38This piece was used as a demo for the pilot episode of a TV show. They didn't have the budget to use the original pop song that they choreographed a dance to (and used when filming), so they needed a custom-made song that matched the tempo and basic changes in feel without using any of the original music.

Transition Time 0:38This was the transition music at the end of the space-crane sketch. There were actually three versions of one of the Space themes, each getting progressively faster, more urgent, and sinister.

Master Craft 5:43Written and performed by Leslie Helpert, with Cochran (McMillan?) on percussion, this was recorded live in a living room. Mic placement was done with sensitivity to aesthetic and psychic impact. Despite the more distant spacing, the result is clear, intimate, and balanced.

Virginia May 3:50Written and performed by Gregory Alan Isakov, with Ramaya Soskin. This was recorded live at a house show. The audio underneath this unassuming YouTube video is mixed and mastered. I also did the live sound for this show. (Video by someone else.) Keep in mind that YouTube thrashes audio when videos are uploaded.

Alabama Chicken 5:51Written and performed by Sean Hayes, with James Riotto and Ezra Lipp. This was also recorded live at a house show that I also ran live sound for. Equipment was very limited for this recording (e.g. one mic for the drums), but it turned out well. I like the grainy quality of the super cheap video camera.