My New Years resolution... try to record at least 1 song per week.
This week... "Baghdad Blues", by me, Steve Mohacey
In November 2005, I deployed with the 4th Infantry Division Band to Baghdad, Iraq as part of OIF 05-7. I post this information only to put in context where and when I wrote this song. I hope everyone will lay aside their personal feelings about the rightness or wrongness of the war. I do not want this post to become political fodder. It's just about this song and the guys whom I wrote it for and who first played it so long ago (almost 20 years now!).
While in Iraq, the band was tasked with many different duties and assignments. But the ONE assignment that kept us all going was this: we had a MUSICAL mission. Our little band of 37 (I believe that is correct... it's been a long time) musicians would head out to even the most remote Forward Operating Bases (FOB) and bring high quality, live musical entertainment, to our troops (the GREATEST audiences you could EVER play music for by the way). We wanted to bring them a few moments of peace, even if only for an hour. This was hazardous, as we had to get from point A to point B. During my time in Iraq, we travelled more than 25,000 miles, through the most dangerous terrain on Earth at the time. But.. I did it with some of the most talented, and certainly most committed to Soldier-Musicians ever assembled.
While many of our comrades were blogging about their time in Iraq, we decided to write music and create a musical blog of our experiences. My musical partners in jazz crimes, Joshua Distefano (keys), Chris Kerley (bass), Brian Archer (drums/sound), and I got busy writing music. We wrote so much music that we even recorded an album of Josh's music WHILE in Iraq during our scarce downtime.
"Baghdad Blues" was inspired by the sounds of the Mosque calls that we would hear in the mornings and evenings. Josh and I were always trying to figure out what notes they were singing. I'm sure we made everyone crazy while we were trying to put those sounds on our instruments and into our music. Those sounds, which I will NEVER forget, eventually made their way into our music. As you listen to this song, imagine you are starting your day in Iraq. You are prepping the people and the gear to move out and take music to one of the FOBs. You make your way through Baghdad. Soon, you are playing some banging jazz... but before you know it, the show is over. And then it's "rinse and repeat" time. Off to the next mission.
I REALLY wanted to use real tracks to create the entire recording. But there were so many written lines that it proved impossible. So, here is what I did:
I wrote the song and used Finale to save and engrave it. I had Finale generate a drum groove over the "head" of my song. I saved the individual tracks from the arrangement in finale to .mid files. I recorded myself on Soprano sax throughout the song. I assigned the following sounds included in Logic Pro to cover the other "head" tracks (00:27 - 01:32 AND 03:12 - 04:16). I used the Turkish Saz Zither, Slap & Pop, British Stack Synth Lead, and SoCal sounds.
The middle, "weird and freaky" section was all Apple Loops.
The cool "funky" solo section is all Band in A Box:
Memo: This RealStyle features a tight and funky horn section playing over electric piano, guitar, slap bass, and drums. -Examples: Get Up Offa That Thing, Get On The Good Foot, Papas Got A Brand New Bag, Genre "Intensity" Score=82/100 _DUPER.STY. Duper Funky Horns All RealTracks. Quintet. Tempo=110 (85-135) Instruments: El.Bass, El.Piano, El.Guitar, HornSection, Drums RD: FunkHalfNoteSync: a: Snare, Kick b: Busy Kick :Michael White RT2607: Bass, Electric, ModernSlapFunkAlex Ev16 110 , Alex Al RT2526: Piano, Electric, Rhythm FunkTremolo Ev16 100 , Jeff Young RT2525: Guitar, Electric, Rhythm FunkWahWahChords Ev16 100 , Greg Moore RT4416: Horn Section, Background Funk16thsChris Ev 110 , Chris West
The saxophone was recorded using a Sennheiser 441 with the "FETHEAD" to boost the gain. The Sennheiser 441 is a dynamic mic. The Fethead gives it a 27db bump via the pre-amp built into my Focusrite Clarett++ 2pre. Dynamic mics do not require phantom power. The FETHEAD uses phantom power to boost the gain and just plugs into the XLR out on my mic.
Backing tracks via Band In A Box 2025 Ultrapak Plus for Mac.
Recorded in Logic Pro 11.
Selmer Selmer Series III Soprano Sax. Mouthpiece- Bobby Dukoff 8* . Boston Sax Shop Black Box 3 reeds (the BEST REEDS EVER!).
Filmed on iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Sennheiser HD 620s closed back headphones (these things are AWESOME).
Ivy! Cool and very funky. Nicely played, arranged and mixed! Loved the playing-in-uniform pic.
Army bands have improved a TON of morale and built another ton or two of goodwill over the years. Sadly, many have been disbanded since 2005, which was SO shortsighted...
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
You have some serious chops on the sax. I don't often write music with a sax but if I do, I'll know who to call.
The bottom of the rhythm section sounds good on my system here in the studio with the sub
Guitarhacker-
Yeah... heavy on the funk. But it was a blues progression. I'm glad you liked the groove. Also glad to hear that the bottom end sounded good on a sub. I don't have one here. Still working on getting better at EQ. Just started playing with panning. Recording is a serious rabbit hole :-)
Ivy! Cool and very funky. Nicely played, arranged and mixed! Loved the playing-in-uniform pic.
Army bands have improved a TON of morale and built another ton or two of goodwill over the years. Sadly, many have been disbanded since 2005, which was SO shortsighted...
DC-
I am unsure how many Soldiers I played for over my 22 year career. But I can tell you, when we showed up at one of those tiny FOBs (and I mean tiny... maybe just a platoon), they were just fantastic. Those guys were so appreciative. I mean, how often do you play a Pat Metheny tune and have a 18 year kid from Boston ask, "Who wrote that? That's the coolest music I've ever heard."
When I came into the Army, we had 62 active duty bands world wide. Now there are only 16.
All those photos were from Iraq. Yes, we did have other duties.. not very pleasant and not worth talking about. But, we also kept our musical mission... a testament to the high level of musicianship of my fellow Soldiers. I wish I had recordings of the groups (we did everything from Woodwind Quintets, Jazz Quartet, 3 Rock Bands, Country Band (we opened for Charlie Daniels... at the big FOB Camp Liberty. He didn't go to the far flung, tiny places), and full on Salsa band w/horns). This Army band was LOADED with talent.
Thanks for giving it a listen. Just exercising a few demons as I approach the 20th anniversary of our deployment.
Wow! What a trip! Love all the textures, the obvious attention to detail. I esp liked that step-wise section with the tight interval harmony. Great track. I've recently been diving back into Don Ellis video's, and this reminded me of that approach of blending jazz arrangements with Eastern/MidEastern flavors. I'm so impressed by your use of the software tools...I didn't realize that Finale was anything more than a notation system--my impression from 25 years ago! Glad to see you back active again!
Windows 11, Intel Core i5-8600T 2.3Ghz, 16 gig ram, BIAB 2025 MegaPak, SampleTank 4, Keystation49 Kybd, Neewer NW-800 mic
Wow! What a trip! Love all the textures, the obvious attention to detail. I esp liked that step-wise section with the tight interval harmony. Great track. I've recently been diving back into Don Ellis video's, and this reminded me of that approach of blending jazz arrangements with Eastern/MidEastern flavors. I'm so impressed by your use of the software tools...I didn't realize that Finale was anything more than a notation system--my impression from 25 years ago! Glad to see you back active again!
Tom-
I wrote this back in the early Spring of 2006. Finale will generate "drum grooves". When I wrote the song, I didn't need to generate anything more than a lead sheet. We were in Iraq... we had time to rehearse and come up with a groove that fit the song. Writing drum parts is a major pain, so I copped out and just let Finale generate a track for the recording.
I've been staying active staying recording (with BIAB). Just not any of the original material (what I have left to record is highly arranged). Now that I have the plan figured out how to get those parts tracked, I'll have some more dropping here soon.
Thanks for having me work with your "Promises" project. Enjoyed the song and the challenge of remote recording.
Absolutely brilliant piece of music. I have CDs of world music and love the saz and other Arabic & Turkic instruments. A pity that BiaB doesn't have any. You've 100% captured the Mid-East flavour with the sax.
Some favourite Waoist Adages: #1: Play on the Way. #13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you. #58: Bring consciousness to it. #63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made. #92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
This is so freakin' cool!! I absolutely love it. I often listen to Zikr, so I already love those Arabian sounds. And I love a good funky beat. How you managed to put those two together blows me away. I bow to you, sir. This was truly delightful.
Absolutely brilliant piece of music. I have CDs of world music and love the saz and other Arabic & Turkic instruments. A pity that BiaB doesn't have any. You've 100% captured the Mid-East flavour with the sax.
WaoBand-
Thanks for giving it a listen. Maybe BiaB will put out an Xtra Styles PAK with those sounds for World Music.
This is so freakin' cool!! I absolutely love it. I often listen to Zikr, so I already love those Arabian sounds. And I love a good funky beat. How you managed to put those two together blows me away. I bow to you, sir. This was truly delightful.
BYOBand-
Thanks so much! Always nice to get such positive feedback.
I've hardly been here since my wife passed away in May. More than delighted I got back to hear this.
What a great mix of cultural sounds. You sure know your way around those keypads! truly love how you mixed all the sounds and sections. That was a great listen!
BTW, I was with the 4th Infantry Division in Vietnam. It wasn't quite as nice as your visit with them! Got a couple scars to remind me once in a while.
I've hardly been here since my wife passed away in May. More than delighted I got back to hear this.
What a great mix of cultural sounds. You sure know your way around those keypads! truly love how you mixed all the sounds and sections. That was a great listen!
BTW, I was with the 4th Infantry Division in Vietnam. It wasn't quite as nice as your visit with them! Got a couple scars to remind me once in a while.
Impressive, to say the least. You kept up with those arpeggios with no problem, that would've shut me down good. Great work.
TuneMonger-
Thanks for giving my song a listen. I've played it out live more than a few times in the last 20 years. Unfortunately, never had a chance to get a decent quality recording. Thanks to Band in a Box, that dream has been realized.
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new user interface in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®! This modern GUI redesign offers a sleek new look with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, and a smoother workflow. The brand-new side toolbar puts track selection, the MultiPicker Library, and other essential tools right at your fingertips. Plus, our upgraded Multi-View lets you layer multiple windows without overlap, giving you a highly flexible workspace. Many windows—including Tracks, Piano Roll, and more—have been redesigned for improved usability and a cleaner, more intuitive interface, and more!
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 60 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until December 31, 2025. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49. Browse the full contents of each package and listen to demos here.
XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
The XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs special offers are now available until August 31st at 11:59pm PDT!
Ready to take your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 experience to the next level? Now’s the perfect time! Expand your style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs—packed with a wide variety of genres to inspire your next musical creation.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-9 includes 900 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). With over 3,500 styles (and 35 MIDI styles) included in Xtra Styles PAKs 1-20, the possibilities are endless!
Get the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Get Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 19 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Don’t miss this chance to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box setup—at a great price!
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean