Audio Visions

Welcome to the page where I will be bombarding you with pictures, audio and video samples.

I've included a few different things here...

For starters there's the Band Samples - pictures, audio and sometimes video from the various groups I've performed with...
                                         (I can't believe I don't have more pictures of some of the older groups...)

Then there's the Flash Samples - these are custom Flash files that I've created for websites...

Corps Samples are MIDI performances of drum corps charts I've composed, arranged or just taught as performed by the MIDI-Evil Knights Digital Drum & Bugle Corps... and I've even dropped some video clips of the real corps here too!!

And finally some miscellaneous Video Samples - the depository for the odd video clip from bands I've filled in with or am just a big fan of...

ENJOY!!

Band Samples          Flash Samples          Corps Samples          Video Samples          TomiJo Samples

Band Samples

Here are some recordings from past and present projects...
This is just a sampling to start with - I'll add more as often as I can!!

Let's start at the beginning... my first band, 'The Dixie Daddies Dandies of Jazz'...

The year was 1978... I was 18 years old... a few months out of high school, playing with some seasoned pros and it sounded like this:

Woody Strobeck - trombone
Charlie Comstock - trumpet
Lloyd Brush - clarinet
'12 Fingers' Doug Archer - piano
Jamie Dier - bass
'DJ' Jeffords - drums

With special guest
Bill Richards - valve trombone and vocals

In the early 80's I did a stint with 'Doc Scanlon's Rhythm Boys...

At the time the boys were still playing Benny Goodman quartet stuff, swing, Real Book jazz and big band standards but were making the transition to more of a rock, rhythm and blues band...

Ritchie Lainhart - vibes, organ and vocals
Don Dworkin - bass and vocals
Greg 'BB' Rozano - guitar
Cliff Lyons - sax
Scott Black - coronet
'DJ' Jeffords - drums

All In Love Is Fair          Choo Choo Cha Boogie          Hallelujah I Love Her So          Hot Little Mama

In the Mood          Stardust          Straighten Up and Fly Right


Now flash forward to 1985 and the house band at The Tropicana...

The band was 'the Main Event' - in the middle of this song I was asked to take a solo... I've never considered myself to be a strong soloist and being of the belief that most people aren't particularly interested in prolonged drum solos, I was looking for ways to make this work for all parties involved. What I came up with was a mixture of MIDI, electronics and live playing... I start the solo on the kit then in the middle I actually get up and play a steel drum melody on a Roland Octapad while a drum machine takes over. Then I sit back down and complete the solo by playing 'trades' with the machine.

Danny Lombardo - keyboards, pedal bass and vocals
Nadine Toma - vocals
John Eisenhart - guitar, bass and vocals
'DJ' Jeffords - drums, drum sequencing, keyboards and vocals

The whole thing sounded like this:

Conga

Click here for more info on 'The Main Event'

About 1988 I joined a unique new trio that would come to be called 'Voyager'...

We played classic 50's and 60's rock, classic and semi-contemporary country and Ray's originals.


 

Ray Blackwater - guitar and vocals
Tom Sullivan - bass and vocals
'DJ' Jeffords - drums, keyboards and vocals

Here's some VIDEO from the late 80's
at Wade's in Lake George, NY

Hitchin' A Ride

Another visit to Wade's - March 31, 1989
We were entertaining the the N.Y.S. Women's bowling league members in town for the state championships...
...and celebrating my birthday!!

 Good Lovin'

 Runaround Sue

 Stuck On You

Again from the late 80's
at Fort William Henry in Lake George, NY
Here's one of Ray's originals...

 Friends To Lovers To Strangers

Click here for more details on 'Voyager'

In the late 80's / early 90's I was (and still am) a big fan of the 'Manhattan Transfer' and some friends and I (all professional music educators and performers but one) put together a band where the repertoire was about 60% 'Manhattan Transfer'.

From 1989 here's 'Swing Fever':


 

Seated in front from left to right:

Marilyn Beuhler - keyboards, bells and vocals

Val Lord - keyboards, violin, clarinet and vocals


Standing in the back from left to right:

Dr. Anthony Holland - keyboards, woodwinds and vocals

Gus Russo - guitar and vocals

'DJ' Jeffords - drums and vocals

Mike Dimin - bass guitar

 

From 1993 to 1999 I had the great pleasure of performing with 'The Upstarts'. We were tight, polished and professional and booking about a year and a half in advance...

And we never got tired of hearing "you guys put out a lot of sound for just 3 guys"!!
 

 

Matt Donnelly - keyboards, vocals
(bass and MIDI light show programming)

Mark Caruso - guitars and vocals

'DJ' Jeffords - drums, vocals
(bass and MIDI light show programming)

Listen to what 3 guys can do:

Hot, Hot Hot
This Buster Poindexter tune was always a crowd favorite...

Linus & Lucy
This became one of the most requested numbers we played -
probably because not many groups even attempt it...
Matt never even broke a sweat...

My Favorite Things
The group's own interpretation of the jazz standard...

Crossfire
Fans of Stevie Ray Vaughn will enjoy this...

Bohemian Rhapsody
This was one of my arrangements by way of 'Dream Theatre'
and Mark Caruso's incredible voice...
We were proud to be one of a handful of bands to pull this one off...

'Railway' has been playing in the area since the late 70's... In August of 2003 I got wind that they were replacing their drummer and decided to audition and in September 2003 I started drumming with them!!

It was high energy and fun... drumming was often a welcomed 'aerobic' workout!!

Josh - guitar, bass and vocals

John - bass, guitar and vocals

Dennis - keyboards and vocals

Dutch - guitars and vocals

Debbie - vocals

DJ - drums and vocals


Josh and John are still with 'Railway' (www.railwayonline.com)
and Debbie and Dennis left to form
'Prolonged Exposure' (www.prolongedexposure.net) and Dutch would follow later...

Here are some songs off this cast of Railway's demo...
It was my first recording attempt with my then new Tascam 8 track digital recorder...
 
  All Night Long
 This was the band's signature song -
we closed every show with it...		  
That'll Be the Day
(SAMPLE)		 China Grove
(FULL)
Big Deal
(SAMPLE)		 The Only One
(SAMPLE)		 The Losing Side of Me
(SAMPLE)
Stop Draggin' My Heart
(SAMPLE)		 When Will I Be Loved
(SAMPLE)		 Silver Springs
(SAMPLE)
  On A Mission
 This little known number became
the band's theme...
"On a head on collision
with a real good time!!"		  

Click here to for the 'Railway' saga...

 

SPECIAL BONUS TRACK!!

'Railway' was invited to record a Christmas song on a fundraising CD produced by a local radio station...
It could have been a cover tune but the band decided to record this destined to be a classic original:

What's Daddy Doin' With the Reindeer In the Barn
by 'Dutch' Dearstyne and 'Josh' Welch

        

        

        

        

        

        

Here are some pictures from my first time around - March 2007 - August 2008...


Vapor Lounge in Saratoga Gaming and Raceway

              

 

Bridgeway Dance Hall, Berlin

  

 

Canal Square Concert Series, Cohoes

        

 

Cook Park Amphitheater, Colonie

 

WGNA CountryFest 2008

Click these links for a couple YouTube videos...     Video 1    Video 2

        

 

Frosty Acres

        

 

Opening for Luke Bryan at Revolution Hall

     

 

Rowdy Friends Block Party in front of the Times Union Center
before the Lynard Skynard / Hank Williams Jr. Concert

     

 

Whipple City Days, Greenwich

  

Flash Samples

Over the years, as my web designing became a little more than a hobby I started learning Flash in an effort to bring something a little different and special to each website.

Below are some of the one's I'm most proud of... some are still in use while others will only appear here for various reasons... don't be afraid to ask why...

Danny Lombardo

Roadrageous Magazine

Lois & the Kryptonites

Queensbury Central Volunteer Fire Co.

Greenwich Central Schools

Railway

Silvermine North

The Groooove Doctor

MIDI-Evil Knights
Digital Drum & Bugle Corps

 

As you probably have figured out by now (if you've been reading other pages on my site), I have been experimenting with MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) since it was born. While teaching one of the local corps I started plopping notes into a computer at home, curious to see if I could hear what the finished product was supposed to sound like.

Then I realized what a tremendous asset this would be for players who couldn't read music well or at all and for the color guard who normally had to wait until music was taught, then try to practice to a lousy recording.

It also proved to be an indispensable tool for the musical staff in that they could hear the whole show before it was ever taught, make changes and hear them as well!! This cut down on the amount of in season rewrites and the frustration level of members!!

Here are some samples:

1991 Capital Brass

Brass book by Paul M. Sanges, drum book by Jim Crawford and I wrote 'the pit'

El Tigre (full corps)

Fernando's Fantasy

Summertime
(with drum solo)

Summer of '42

 

1991 Capital Brass

The Squid (Walkbeat)
by Jim Crawford

 

1993 Capital Brass - DCA Finalists!!!
(this is a drumline practice version with only minimal brass recorded)

Brass book by Paul M. Sanges, drum book by Jim Crawford and I wrote 'the pit'

Everybody Loves the Blues

Nuttville

Something

Mira, Mira
(with drum solo)

 

1994 Capital Brass

Brass book by Paul M. Sanges and I wrote the percussion book

This is the show that never was!!! After making DCA finals in 1993 we must have thought we had reached a pinnacle and assumed that the world would beat a path to our door but between the loss of members and lack of successful recruiting the corps folded in winter rehearsals and never performed any part of this show:

A Tribute to the horn bands of the 60's and 70's -
Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chase and Chicago

When Two Minds Meet / Boys and Girls Together

You've Made Me So Very Happy / Symphony For the Devil
(with drum solo)

If You Leave Me Now

 

1994 Capital Brass - battery and pit ONLY

When Two Minds Meet / Boys and Girls Together

You've Made Me So Very Happy / Symphony For the Devil
(with drum solo)

If You Leave Me Now

Video Samples
 

 Rich Kelly & Friendship

While I never played with these guys I did have the great pleasure of playing with their former bassist / vocalist Tom Sullivan. I was absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to attend some performances and meet these great and extremely talented people and had the great good fortune to share the stage with them for a two band New Year's Eve party.

This was there demo from 1990... it's a copy of a copy of a copy I'm sad to say so the audio and video quality isn't the greatest but the unbelievable talent and tightness of the performances easily comes through!!

I met George Schacher from 'Aged In the Hills' while playing with 'Red River Randy & His Saddle Sores'... they had just lost their drummer to a prolonged illness and invited me to fill in (which I did steadily for a few years and still do occasionally) - including a couple Northeast Country Music Association award shows...

Here's some video...

 "Jambalaya" from the 2003 NECMA Awards Show

While wandering around backstage at Proctor's Theatre in Schenectady, NY waiting to perform with 'Aged In the Hills' someone came up to me and asked if I would play behind the year's Pioneer Award winner - Mr. Chuck Morehouse. I said sure, met him right before we went on and we played this:

Chuck Morehouse


In 1991 I was flattered to be asked to assume the roll of drum major for the steadily improving Capital Brass Ensemble Sr. Drum & Bugle Corps out of the Capital District of New York.

We put in thousands of hours of rehearsals - none more grueling than those 100 degree days pounding the parking lot that we called our home 'field'...

 'Summertime' in a parking lot...

This is what it's all for... gearing up for our prelims performance with the hopes of finishing in the top 12
and getting the opportunity to perform in the finals under the lights!!

Drum line warming up

 Drum line working the show...

 Drum line working the end of the show...

 Full corps running the opener...

Click here to watch the prelims video!!
 NOTE: this clip is about 12 minutes long (over 200MB)
and may take a full couple of minutes before it starts playing back automatically!!







Here's the track list and some sound clips from TomiJo's debut / demo CD...

1. A Real Fine Place To Start - originally recorded by Sara Evans
2. I Wanna Fall In Love - originally recorded by Lila McCann
3. More Like Her - originally recorded by Miranda Lambert
4. Commitment - originally recorded by LeAnn Rimes
5. Probably Wouldn't Be This Way - originally recorded by LeAnn Rimes
6. Suds In the Bucket - originally recorded by Sara Evans
7. Leave the Pieces - originally recorded by The Wreckers
8. Wake Up Older - originally recorded by Julie Roberts
9. Kerosene - originally recorded by Miranda Lambert
10. What Do You Say - originally recorded by Reba McEntire
11. Let Me Let Go - originally recorded by Faith Hill
12. Like We Never Loved At All - originally recorded by Faith Hill
13. Independence Day - originally recorded by Martina McBride
14. Not Ready To Make Nice - originally recorded by the Dixie Chicks
15. What Hurts the Most - originally recorded by Rascal Flatts
16. Our Song - originally recorded by Taylor Swift
17. Georgia Rain - originally recorded by Trisha Yearwood
18. Bye Bye - originally recorded by Jo De Messina
19. You Were Mine - originally recorded by the Dixie Chicks
20.There You'll Be - originally recorded by Faith Hill
21. Anyway - originally recorded by Martina McBride