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Turn of the millennium, deep in the rurals of West Tennessee, an area filled with old hippies and young red-necks, five of us got together to form a band. We could never settle on a name, but Eva P.O. got the most votes--2.
We were four guys--three acoustic guitars and a harmonica--with a chick bongo player. The youngest were in early adolescence. The oldest had been hanging onto his for a wee bit too long. Long hairs and short hairs. Usually there was one shirt between the five of us, thankfully worn by the bongo-player--more thankfully because she was my little sister.
We practiced once a week--about as often as three of us bathed. We tried to learn covers of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and the like--unplugged, unwashed, and unsuccessfully. Sixty-percent turnout was common. Sometimes it was even preferable.
At least in the choruses, four of us sang.
In unison.
Only two of us had ever sung harmonies, and those were in a church choir. The other three hadn't even been in a church. Harmonies is hard, though, and church harmonies didn't quite match our artistic vision. Sometimes even the harmonica player sang along. We didn't really mind. It meant that he quit trying to play harmonica.
It wasn't that he was bad, it's just that we could never figure out what key the song was in. That kind of information is important to a harmonica player. Ask one. He'll tell you. To watch him blow, you might say he was bringing out the "Monica" in harmonica. To hear him blow, though, it was clear he was bringing out the "Harm".
Still, he was (besides the bongoist) the "cute one".
It's not that the rest of us were any better. Hardly any of us knew anything other than open chords. Had someone learned to play a lead run or even a tasty rhythm riff I'm afraid he would have had to quit the band in disgust.
And then where would we be?
I'd been writing songs since I was 8 or 9 years old. I'd gotten most of my truly crappy ones out of the way by then, but what I was writing wasn't grunge. We were in every way possible and imaginable committed to that vision, and to that scent. So none of mine made the set-list.
I still remember some of the band-banter.
"Hey, that almost didn't suck!"
"No, no, no, no, NO!"
"Should we take that again from the top? #!@% no."
"Don't smoke all o' that."
At the end of the summer, Eva P.O. broke up. That didn't stop us from getting together to jam, though. Humility is good for young people. It ain't too bad for old people, either. It's better when it comes before humiliation than after.
Wasn't long after that I discovered computer-aided music making. And I sucked at that too, but at least I was finally the cute one. Got invited to join a private musical forum. Met some real players and writers and started getting (then sending) invitations to collaborate.
One of the members of that august organization was your Blue Attitude Dave. It is well likely that Dave was the one to hip me to BIAB. I do know that he kept pushing me later to upgrade to the version with Real Drums. But, while my dad was doing pretty well, his son wasn't and I just couldn't make it work.
Moved away and closed my studio.
Fast forward, and I'm doing a bit better, thank you. I shower now as many as three or four times a day. In Thailand, if you aren't used to the heat and don't do that, mushrooms will grow in your groinal area. Though I can still cuss the paint off a spray-paint display, I don't do it (much) any more. Got a little girl soon to be 7 who's conversant in two languages (though, sadly, all but illiterate in both) so..."little pitchers/big ears". The rest of my family there probably wouldn't know I was cussing if I did, so what's the point?
Found time, money, and opportunity to get BIAB 2018 and now a month or so later I have a half-dozen unfinished projects going at the same time. In addition, I have another half-dozen abandoned projects. (Better to be humble than humiliated).
That's just the way I roll.
What did I want in a band?
1. Better players. BIAB? Check.
2. Better players than me. BIAB? Check.
3. For them to play my songs. BIAB? Check.
4. For them to help me write my songs. BIAB? Check.
5. For them to have better personal hygiene. BIAB? Well, it is free of viruses.
Thanks, Dr. Gannon.
Last edited by Tangmo; 10/22/18 08:30 PM.
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Tangmo,
This is a pure delight to read. Hilarious! Insightful. And, perhaps most importantly... SO well written.
Not just a I-was-in-a-band "back in the day" ego regurgitation, but an essay of youth, of a time gone by, capturing a moment in time that we can all relate to.
I enjoyed this IMMENSELY!!! (I'm STILL laughing!)
Bravo. Thanks!
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Interesting story and very well written. You're probably a bit too harsh on yourself and your bandmates though there's a lot of consistency between that first band of yours and most other bands around the world on their first attempt too. A short period of time has given you a lifetime of good memories. Like Floyd said, your story was a joy to read. I'm right at home with Band in a Box where the musicians are better than me. The forum songwriters are better than me and I can't see if the forum members are better looking than me.... 
Last edited by Charlie Fogle; 10/23/18 04:55 AM.
BIAB Ultra Pak+ 2024:RB 2024, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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Man, I really enjoyed reading that! So well written, and very entertaining.
A little window into a more innocent, and fun time. Reminds me of my first "band", two guitars plugged into the same amp playing the riff from in a gadda da vida over and over with a guy playing drums on one of those childrens drum kits.
Don't remember if it was me that turned you onto BIAB, might have been, I've been using it since 2003 or so. And yeah, when realdrums first came out!! I do remember telling anyone who would listen about them.
Last edited by BlueAttitude; 10/23/18 04:05 AM.
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Wow - what a delight to read  Thanks for sharing your stories! Really funny to read too!
Cheers,
Deryk
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Great job Tangmo.
Thanks for sharing!
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Truly a well told and inspiring story. Thank you for sharing and for taking time to write it so well.
Jim Fogle - 2024 BiaB (1111) RB (5) Ultra+ PAK DAWs: Cakewalk by BandLab (CbB) - Standalone: Zoom MRS-8 Laptop: i3 Win 10, 8GB ram 500GB HDD Desktop: i7 Win 11, 12GB ram 256GB SSD, 4 TB HDD Music at: https://fogle622.wix.com/fogle622-audio-home
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cool story.....
I've been in some bands like that.... well, fortunately the guys in the band did bathe on a regular basis.... our road crew..... anhhhh .... not so much. But that's a story for another day.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd 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.
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We had to read that twice to make sure we got all the nuances. As already said it is a cool look back that is so well written that about anybody with a whit of curiosity can enjoy it.
Fun!
J&B
PS Unfortunately we don't look quite as fondly back on our band days!
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 Regards, Bob
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Great!
Loved it!!
You might want to send this to Peter Buck and R.E.M.
Apparently at one time they took a separate bus from Michael Stipe because Stipe did not believe in bathing or cutting his fingernails at the time.
Maybe that could be the next part of your journey to greatness.
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What an awesome read. Thanks for sharing!
Cheers,
Ember
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Update Your PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 Today!
The Newest RealBand 2024 Update is Here!
The newest RealBand 2024 Build 5 update is now available!
Download and install this to your RealBand 2024 for updated print options, streamlined loading and saving of .SGU & MGU (BB) files, and to add a number of program adjustments that address user-reported bugs and concerns.
This free update is available to all RealBand 2024 users. To learn more about this update and download it, head to www.pgmusic.com/support.realband.htm#20245
The Band-in-a-Box® Flash Drive Backup Option
Today (April 5) is National Flash Drive Day!
Did you know... not only can you download your Band-in-a-Box® Pro, MegaPAK, or PlusPAK purchase - you can also choose to add a flash drive backup copy with the installation files for only $15? It even comes with a Band-in-a-Box® keychain!
For the larger Band-in-a-Box® packages (UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition), the hard drive backup copy is available for only $25. This will include a preinstalled and ready to use program, along with your installation files.
Backup copies are offered during the checkout process on our website.
Already purchased your e-delivery version, and now you wish you had a backup copy? It's not too late! If your purchase was for the current version of Band-in-a-Box®, you can still reach out to our team directly to place your backup copy order!
Note: the Band-in-a-Box® keychain is only included with flash drive backup copies, and cannot be purchased separately.
Handy flash drive tip: Always try plugging in a USB device the wrong way first? If your flash drive (or other USB plug) doesn't have a symbol to indicate which way is up, look for the side with a seam on the metal connector (it only has a line across one side) - that's the side that either faces down or to the left, depending on your port placement.
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows® Today!
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows for free with build 1111!
With this update, there's more control when saving images from the Print Preview window, we've added defaults to the MultiPicker for sorting and font size, updated printing options, updated RealTracks and other content, and addressed user-reported issues with the StylePicker, MIDI Soloists, key signature changes, and more!
Learn more about this free update for Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows at www.pgmusic.com/support_windowsupdates.htm#1111
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 Review: 4.75 out of 5 Stars!
If you're looking for a in-depth review of the newest Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows version, you'll definitely find it with Sound-Guy's latest review, Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows Review: Incredible new capabilities to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs.
A few excerpts:
"The Tracks view is possibly the single most powerful addition in 2024 and opens up a new way to edit and generate accompaniments. Combined with the new MultiPicker Library Window, it makes BIAB nearly perfect as an 'intelligent' composer/arranger program."
"MIDI SuperTracks partial generation showing six variations – each time the section is generated it can be instantly auditioned, re-generated or backed out to a previous generation – and you can do this with any track type. This is MAJOR! This takes musical experimentation and honing an arrangement to a new level, and faster than ever."
"Band in a Box continues to be an expansive musical tool-set for both novice and experienced musicians to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs, as well as an extensive educational resource. It is huge, with hundreds of functions, more than any one person is likely to ever use. Yet, so is any DAW that I have used. BIAB can do some things that no DAW does, and this year BIAB has more DAW-like functions than ever."
Convenient Ways to Listen to Band-in-a-Box® Songs Created by Program Users!
The User Showcase Forum is an excellent place to share your Band-in-a-Box® songs and listen to songs other program users are creating!
There are other places you can listen to these songs too! Visit our User Showcase page to sort by genre, artist (forum name), song title, and date - each listing will direct you to the forum post for that song.
If you'd rather listen to these songs in one place, head to our Band-in-a-Box® Radio, where you'll have the option to select the genre playlist for your listening pleasure. This page has SoundCloud built in, so it won't redirect you. We've also added the link to the Artists SoundCloud page here, and a link to their forum post.
We hope you find some inspiration from this amazing collection of User Showcase Songs!
Congratulations to the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!
We've just announced the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!
There are 45 winners, each receiving a Band-in-a-Box 2024 UltraPAK! Read the official announcement to see if you've won.
Our User Showcase Forum receives more than 50 posts per day, with people sharing their Band-in-a-Box songs and providing feedback for other songs posted.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed!
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