Welcome to a world of limitless possibilities, where the journey is as exhilarating as the destination, and where every moment is an opportunity to make your mark on the canvas of existence. The only limit is the extent of your imagination.
My Story
My Story is a smooth jazz style compilation of a ton of songs I have made in the past. When I first began creating this track, it had more of a gospel sound that I really liked. I sat with it for several weeks, and tried to figure out what I really wanted to express with this very inspirational sounding concept. After writing down several different things, I began to hear my older songs in the chord changes and decided to try to fit as many of them in the structure as I could. It ended up sounding best on Soprano Saxophone in my head, so once I started recording, it began to mold into the sound it is today. I’ve never designed a song that rotates back and forth from 4/4 time to 9/4, and for some reason, it felt so natural to feel the song that way. And My Story began to unfold.
In the grand story, ‘My Story’ starts us off on a journey of familiarity, much like my life was pre-2020 before things started changing. My album 2020 Volumes 1 and 2 express this in the tracks ‘Be Free,’ ‘Monte Skelton Overture,’ and ‘Hope,’ which are all featured in this song. Familiarity then quickly leads to big changes in my life, starting with the birth of my son Jace.
Jace’s Song
Jace’s Song is made with his favorite things in mind, primarily his love for the TV show ‘Spidey and His Amazing Friends.’ That was the inspiration behind the rock/ska sound of this tune, and it takes us through an energetic summary of all the amazing things that makes Jace who he is, while keeping the melody the same as what I wrote for him at the end of the ‘Monte Skelton Overture’ from 2020 Volume 1. The Jace Chant is our entire family, and it’s so fun to hear everyone together doing the chant! He instantly became the center of my world, and it’s so fun to hear both of my kids singing this song word for word now. Speaking of which, 2 years later, Josie was born!
Instrumentation:
Guitar, Bass, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Drums
Josie’s Song
Josie is my amazing daughter, and this song reflects the fun and quirky things that make Josie, Josie. I began singing ‘Oh Josie! Oh Josie!’ when she was very young and danced around with her, and she would giggle and have the best time dancing with her Daddy! So of course, I had to make it into a real song. With the technical expertise of guitarist Theo Akai, Josie’s Song became an instant earworm for my family, and was a new venture for me with both singing, rapping, and technical woodwind/string parts played by Monte on flute, clarinet and violin, as well as Soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones.
Instrumentation:
Drums, Percussion, Guitar, Violin, Bass, Flute, Clarinet, Soprano Sax, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax
Feat. Theo Akai- Guitar
TBH
This song marks the beginning of my self-reflection and improvement journey. It starts off with a very impactful yet simple quote. TBH, meaning, ‘To Be Honest,’ has a very funky jazz sound with a quirky twist that represents how learning new pathways of growth isn’t always so linear. Furthermore, this musical composition reverts to the familiar style in which the melody is performed on the alto saxophone by Monte, much like his songs Sunshine Cruise, Be Free, PJ’s Song and Vanilla Bean. This song also features Monte playing flute and trumpet in the chorus.
Instrumentation:
Drums, Guitar, Bass, Trumpet, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Flute
Scars
Of all the songs on this album, Scars was emotionally the most difficult one to write. I recall starting to brainstorm how I was going to portray the emotions I was feeling at one of the lowest points in my life, and hearing the notes, even in my head, brought me to tears. Each note and sound tells a story from the first impactful note, representing the initial pain and hurt, and having to work through the depression and anxieties. There are moments of light and power, but those moments are quickly weighed down, that is, until things start to shift. The alto sax, here portraying my mental journey through the struggles of my own choices, starts to take control towards the end of the piece. I realized that I can carve my own path, lift myself up out of the trenches, and keep pushing forward. You begin to hear the woodwinds foreshadow the song ‘My Awakening,’ and we get the full push towards something new. The final notes of this piece end with a triumphant melody reflecting the melody of the Monte Skelton Overture and ending with a very confident high note, leading us forward into this new era of Monte. Portraying this musically in a very short amount of time proved to be a challenge, but a very welcome one that left me with a piece of art that I will treasure forever.
Instrumentation:
Piccolo, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto, Tenor and Bari Sax, Trumpet, Violin, Viola, Various Percussion
My Awakening
A new era has begun. My Awakening started as a completely different idea as I was experimenting with reversing my guitar parts in strange and new ways. As I continued to progress, I realized that I wanted this song to reflect my divulsion into the philosophy and teachings of Friedrich Nietzsche and Stoicism (more on that later). The song began to transform into a whole different direction, much like my life did when I was finally able to find a balance that works for me. As most of the music I make is very positive and ‘Major-sounding,’ this song took a darker form, but much like Scars, by the end you hear the strength of the saxophone pushing through triumphantly.
Instrumentation:
Drums/Percussion, Guitar, Bass, Vocals, Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Soprano, Alto, and Tenor Sax, Violin, Keyboards
Stoic Path
When I first started making this song, the main melody was on piano. I knew that I wanted to experiment with a technique in the music software Ableton Live called ‘scripted looping,’ so I drew in this melody and started the creative process from there. As it progressed, I decided to try to play the riff on guitar, which proved to be a daunting endeavor. After practicing for a couple of days, I decided that the bass and guitar should play it, representing the patience and balance of stoicism. I definitely would not say that this song lacks emotion, but balances technical ability of the guitars with the warmness of the woodwinds to make what I like to call ‘Electro-Acoustic Fusion.’
Instrumentation:
Guitar, Bass, Drums, Keyboards, Flute, Alto Sax, EWI
Better Together
Better Together is the end result of the hard work to become a better version of me. After working on myself, I was then ready to extend my love and strength to others in a healthy way. And it came with so much joy and peace. I always feel very emotional when I get to this song, almost like it is the finale of a movie. When we are able to look at and handle the world around us and not let it get us too down, life in general gets so much better. And together, we are so much stronger. This song also blends a lot of different aspects of music together in a cohesive and warm sounding track.
Instrumentation:
Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Drums, Flute, Clarinet, Soprano, Alto, and Tenor Sax, Vocals
Feat. Katherine Beyers- Vocals
Closing Remarks
Overall, I want to first thank my Mom, who has always shown me the perfect example of love, strength, wisdom and joy. Next, my kids Jace and Josie, who literally changed my life in all the right ways. My stepdad Mike, who showed me exactly what love and compassion looks like in another man. I also want to thank Laurie, Kat and Emily for showing me so much patience and love. My best bros Justin, Anthony, Theo, and Dekar for being awesome, and last but definitely not least, I want to thank you ALL for taking your time to care about my art and my life.
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