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Hello forum friends. This song was conceived in Hawaii. I was pushing my kid's on some waves while they were boogie boarding. The hook line (High in Hawii, and I'm feelin' so low) just started running through my head. Wasn't sure where it was going but I banged it out at home a few weeks later. It is a slow ride. If you're in the mood for ear candy or something energetic, come back later when you're feeling mellow. Always love to hear what you think. Take care all. Greg https://soundcloud.com/gjohnson-2/high-in-hawaiiHIGH IN HAWAII There are times in your life when you look, and you see a dead end And sometimes a soul can sink down beyond the reach of a friend We had a good thing, better than most And to strive for perfection may be chasing a ghost But I dreamed of Hawaii Of a life beyond reach Longboards and shave ice Gettin’ high on the beach But dreamin’ of paradise Still don’t make it so Now I’m high in Hawaii And I’m feelin’ so low Sometimes your heart gets confused, and ambition just fails Scrapin’ by in those winters in Pittsburgh, hammering nails And it’s hard not to tell yourself there’s got to be more Some brighter horizon, some warm, distant shore So I dreamed of Hawaii… And if ever a boy had regret, I guess I got it bad Pity the soul, the fool who lets go, of the best thing that he ever had Because dreams of Hawaii They never come true Now I find myself dreamin’ Of a life back with you It may not be paradise But it’s the best thing I’ve known Now I’m high in Hawaii And I feel so alone Yeah, I’m high in Hawaii
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Sensationally presented Greg, great crisp vocals, well mixed, and the use of the harmonica sat perfectly in the blend.
You nailed it.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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Greg
A Jimmy Buffett ballad vibe (with the Coral Reefer band) - beautifully presented with a lovely melody.
Excellent vocal - evocative lyric - really well done.
Peter
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Love your vocals Greg. Super delivery. Excellent backtrack. Excellent lyrics
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Greg,
This is outstanding... Loved the vocals and production - also a very cool backdrop for the lyrics.
Bob
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Wow Greg, this is gorgeous!
A very surprising beginning. And after that a perfect buildup of the instruments.
Especially the pedal steel guitar works great.
Your vocals are beautiful.
Rob & Anne-Marie
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What a hauntingly beautiful song. I especially love these lyrics:
"Because dreams of Hawaii
They never come true
Now I find myself dreamin’
Of a life back with you
It may not be paradise
But it’s the best thing I’ve known"
Keep up the great work.
Cheers,
Ember
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Greg,
A beautiful write. Solid from start to finish and from every angle. It's natural to go with a Buffett comparison, but to me it calls to mind the best of Don Henley's introspective stuff...
The production is "just right". Excellent mix. Gorgeous vocal. Such "feeling" to it..
What's not to like...
floyd
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Really nice - great vocals and a beautiful mix - everything sits just right.
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What a great write and you delivered a super vocal
very visual, very much enjoyed the listen
Loved the chord progressions too
Kenny
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Hello, Greg
Very beautiful tune with great vocal!
Lyrics touched my heart deeply. The melody line is also wonderful.
The reason the key of this tune is F#major is in order to be matched to the vocal range?
And as usual you have some ingenuity in chord progression.
The chord progression of the beginning is very good.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.
Best regards.
Shigeki Adachi
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I've never been to Hawaii, but its always peaked my interest, and this song really paints a vivid picture of how wondrous I imagine it being  The delivery on this is truly beautiful, and the lyrics are imaginative and heart felt. You should be proud of this!
Cheers,
Deryk
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Wow!
Wonderful in every way, lyrics, instruments, mix, and especially the vocals. Great song, great performance!
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“And if ever a boy had regret, I guess I got it bad
Pity the soul, the fool who lets go, of the best thing that he ever had”
There is a ton of emotion packed into those two lines. This is an wonderful write and the production just takes it over the top. floyd mentioned Henley and the more we think about it the more it seems apt. And the pedal steel pushes it every slightly more into that feel. A good thing.
Your mastery of the ballad is second to none.
Outstanding
J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Simply beautiful, I feel like I'm in Hawaii Great arrangement with harmonica and pedal steel blending together nicely. Excellent vocals and very emotional lyrics. Janne
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But dreamin’ of paradise
Still don’t make it so
Now I’m high in Hawaii
And I’m feelin’ so low
What Great lines Greg!! I really loved the whole feel of this song and the vocals especially.
The whole production really shines, but your vocals are especially great one this one.
Going back for another listen! Well done!
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Sensationally presented Greg, great crisp vocals, well mixed, and the use of the harmonica sat perfectly in the blend.
You nailed it.
Thanks Trevor. I appreciate the listen and nice comments! The harmonica was just something I thought I'd try and I loved the feel (YAY BIAB!) Take care. Greg
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Greg
A Jimmy Buffett ballad vibe (with the Coral Reefer band) - beautifully presented with a lovely melody.
Excellent vocal - evocative lyric - really well done.
Peter Thanks Peter! I too am a big fan of Buffett (an unabashed parrothead) and the reefers (great band). I saw Jimmy's studio in Key West about a week or two ago-doesn't look like much (a building used to store shrimp before he converted it) but it was a thrill for me. Take care. Greg
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Love your vocals Greg. Super delivery. Excellent backtrack. Excellent lyrics Thanks so much for the kind words and continued support Scott! I really liked your "color of sound" on the last one. Take care. Greg
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
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Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
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- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
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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!
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