I know Bud and Janice ride trail bikes, I know Notes writes styles, I know Pat Marr does animation, I know Herb trains dogs for search and rescue... What do you folks do outside of music?
My is dictated by my being single, as I have no "couples" things to do. I like small woodworking projects. (Like I needed to rack mount some gear so I rigged up a rack from spare 2x4s.) I love cooking. I play backgammon against my computer and rarely lose. I have played in online tournaments in the past and in fact got to the last 8 in the bracket in one nationwide tournament. The girl I beat to get to that round of 8 posted a comment that said "If you draw this guy, be prepared for the match of your lifetime. He plays like a textbook. Don't wait for him to make a mistake. He won't make one." I also enjoy chess but I don't play it often. I have played matches against people I met on AARP's web page by connecting on Zoom, opening up my online game, and sharing the screen control so the other side can roll and move. Really like strategy based games like that.
I DON'T like yardwork (though I do it), painting (inside or out), and could do home repairs if they were inside the scope of what I can physically handle. I just had my back gutters replaced and while it was something that in years past I could have done, I don't have any desire to be up 30 feet hanging on a ladder. I grudgingly vacuum and wet mop, but things like dusting can wait. It'd be different if I ever had company but it's just me and Chunk and nobody ever visits. That's probably not a shock to anybody knowing my shining personality...
Stuff like Herb did when he built that amazing studio just blow me away. I have tinkered with the idea ever since to buy a 12x24 shed kit and put it the backyard to be my studio. I might even do more actual work with a nice environment. The 2nd floor of mine is dreary and uninspiring. It'd be insulated, have 4 skylights, seating for 6, maybe a 6" raised floor so all the cabling is hidden...
I never forgot how great that studio looks. Here in the city I am limited to a 10x10 size before I need a permit, but I am really thinking about it... All cuz of YOU, you SOB you!!! Studio envy has me considering spending money! Everything about that room of yours is perfect, right down to the color!
I do a lot of stuff other than music....but the boss is calling at the moment so I will post later. Happy wife, happy life...lol
Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
The pig was good Bob. We do this every Christmas. This is a pretty normal Cuban traditional thing to do. I am not Cuban but my business partner is. His kids are at my house so much I am not sure they know where they live...lol
We did not do this last Christmas because of the pandemic. THe pig has been in the barn so long now he is becoming a pet and none of us has the heart to kill him...lol
WE have a lot of chickens but if the kids find out I killed one they will not eat it. They eat the ones from the store without issue....go figure.
The kids will eat the pigs, sheep or goats or cows I kill and butcher but not the chickens.
The weather here lets us grow vegetables here pretty much year around. I bring seeds from Europe so we have vegetables that you don't see here.
A lot of tropical fruit grows here without issue.
I think I may be the last generation to grow our own food.
Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
This is a pretty normal Cuban traditional thing to do.
When I was stationed in Oklahoma after Vietnam there were a fair number of Puerto Rican soldiers there and twice a summer they did a pig roast. They had this wild looking contraption that was chicken wire on every side welded to a metal frame held together at the corners by pins. The sides were hinged as well. When they pulled the pins the sides fell down. The pit they dug had allowed for about 9 inches on every side and they lowered that cage down onto cinder blocks at the bottom of the pit and thus had heat on the bottom and all 4 sides of the pig. And they had a vented metal hood that laid on the top to trap most of the heat and let some of the smoke out. When it was done they hooked a cable onto the cage and lifted the whole thing up with a hook on a tow truck crane arm. It was quite ingenious how they rigged it. The pig itself sat on it's own metal grate. These guys were all welders and metal workers and built this whole thing from an idea and scrap metal they got from the base. They were all lifers and where we were early 20-ish they were nearing the end of their hitch, like early 40s and up. We would all show up with side dishes and beer.
Mainly beer.
Between those guys they had a car repair business (this the tow truck), had built a race car to run at the local track, and were just outstanding welders. Being in the motor pool I got to know them well and when we had something that was a difficult weld I knew exactly who to call. I used to tell one guy he was so good he could weld air to water.
When I was growing up we raised hogs and chicken so we always had a good supply of meat and eggs. Dad also hunted and fished so we had plenty of squirrels, rabbits, raccoons and catfish. We also salt cured our meat so we had a year round supply.
We also raised all of our own veggies and Mom would can them so we had a year round supply of veggies too. One of my favorite things to eat was when she would open up some home grown/home canned tomatoes and fix them with macaroni. It's still my most fond memory of pasta dishes.
We didn't have to buy very much at the store food wise. Sugar, salt, flour. corn meal, milk, cheese and pasta were our main purchases.
Man I would love to have a bowl of my Mom's macaroni and tomatoes!
Pierogi is a new word for me. I had to go look it up. My wife makes something like that based on the recipes I read.
The best part was this quote...lol
"While the origin of the pierogi is often under debate, the exact origin of the dish is unknown and unverifiable. It likely originated somewhere in Central Europe or Eastern Europe, and has been consumed in these regions long before any of the present political nations existed. Today, it is a large part of many Central European and Eastern European cultures.
One legend relates that in 1238, Hyacinth of Poland visited Kościelec, and on his visit, a storm destroyed all crops; Hyacinth told everyone to pray and by the next day, crops rose back up. As a sign of gratitude, people made pierogi from those crops for Saint Hyacinth.[15] Another legend states that Saint Hyacinth fed the people with pierogi during a famine caused by an invasion by the Tatars in 1241.[15] One source theorizes that in the 13th century, pierogi were brought by Hyacinth from the Far East (Asia) via what was then the Kievan Rus'.[16] Some believe pierogi came from China via Marco Polo's expeditions through the Silk Road.[17] None of these legends is supported by evidence, such as the etymological origin of the root pirŭ-."
A food that has it's own saint...that has to be good!
Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
I never forgot how great that studio looks. Here in the city I am limited to a 10x10 size before I need a permit, but I am really thinking about it... All cuz of YOU, you SOB you!!! Studio envy has me considering spending money! Everything about that room of yours is perfect, right down to the color!
LOL... well the paint was left over from painting my daughter's bedroom ceiling and the living room of the old house. I was just being cheap, not so much creative.... This room, is BTW.... 16x16 just so you know. And yeah, I did have to get a building and electrical as well as an HVAC permit to fix it up and do what I did. So yeah... get that permit if you need to and build your dream studio. Life is short.... enjoy it now.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Outside of music I design, build, and repair electronics - guitar amps, pedals, mic preamps - and I am working on more repair videos for my youtube channel. I also do some sound design for video games (as well as playing a lot of video games) or other audio recording/engineering.
I go swimming whenever possible, as they're one of the forms of exercise I can actually do with a spine injury, though I do like an occasional light walk in the woods. Otherwise I'm cooking or baking something with my partner, or maybe reading comics. Being autistic, I tend to get very deep into other hobbies from time to time, but those usually don't stick around long enough to be worth mentioning.
Hobbies... Reading, light hiking, light biking, light canoeing, light roller skating. I hate throwing / replacing things when they can be saved, so some appliance repairs, light electronics / electro mechanic repairs, not sure if its considered to be a hobby, but I get a feeling of satisfaction if I am able to fix something, especially if I never touched device before. I do have a passion of sculpting creatures, but that requires a lot of quiet time which is scarce with 2 children
So many people with the music creative thing are also creative in general. Cooking, art of any kind, building with wood from an idea rather than purchased blueprints, designing electronics... all creative endeavors.
I was a boy raised in the 50s when there was a ridiculous thought process that drew a thick and firm line between what boys did and what girls did, and boys who cooked or baked were teased. My mother, who I realized MUCH later in life was really smart, made sure I knew how to cook at least basic things and made me learn how to do enough sewing to handle emergency repairs. When I was in the Army, a lot of the guys would come to me with a panic stricken look because a button fell off their last clean uniform shirt and I got a lot of free beers because I could sew them back on. Then when I moved off post they would land at my house on weekends with all kinds of food and say "Here. Cook something with this."
I really enjoy creative people! A whole different zone of intelligence coming from the right side of the brain!!
Now what I'd like Simon to build for me is a MIDI thru box with a foot switch that lets me change from setup 1 to setup 5 to setup 3, etc... from a foot switch similar to the Line6 shortboard. Of course that's what a Digital Music MX-8 does, but the cool factor of having it custom built, ya know?
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!
Mac 2025 Special Upgrade Offers Extended Until August 15th!
It's not too late to upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® and save! We've extended our special until August 15, 2025!
We've added many major new features to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, including advanced AI tools like the amazing BB Stem Splitter and AI Lyrics Generator, as well as VST3 plugin support, and Equalize Temp. Plus, there’s a new one-stop MIDI Patches Picker with over 1,100 MIDI patches to choose from, all neatly categorized by GM numbers. The MultiPicker Library is enhanced with tabs for the SongPicker, MIDI Patch Picker, Chord Builder, AI Lyrics Generator, and Song Titles Browser, and the tabs are organized into logical groups. The Audiophile Edition is enhanced with FLAC files , which are 60% smaller than AIFF files while maintaining identical audio quality, and now ships on a fast 1TB SSD, and much more!
Check out all the new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® here:
Purchase your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac during our special to save up to 50% off your upgrade purchase and receive a FREE BONUS PAK of amazing new Add-ons. These include the 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK, Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana, Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes, MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano, Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7, Playable RealTracks Set 4, RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark, and more!
Upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and add 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and 20 RealStyles, FLAC Files for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks, Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster, MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster, Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8, and RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe.
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs!
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
The 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
Playable RealTracks Set 4
RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 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 and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 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 20 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.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 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.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 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 and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 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 20 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.
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