Hi all! Thanks for visiting my site. I hope you enjoy the new look to my website! I think it was long overdue for a makeover... Now let me explain the REAL purpose of this site. The one and only reason this exists is because of the fact that I can't get my music into the right hands. It's very frustrating. There was a time where I could send my demos to all of the major labels (Atlantic, BMG, Epic, etc...). Now none of them are willing to listen to unsolicited material. Their loss I guess. I'm hoping this site can help get my music into the right hands. "The right hands" refers not only to producers, established artists & record companies. It also refers to music fans like YOU! I want to be heard. I've been writing music since I was a kid in middle school, and I take it seriously! It's the one thing I can honestly say I love to do, and I work very hard at it... Now I have to mention my biggest musical inspirations. First on the list would have to be the Beatles! Their music has been a part of me for so long. Sometimes I think just hearing their music pushes me to do mine. My favorite Beatle is John Lennon. He was a musical genius! My other major inspiration musically is Deborah (Debbie) Gibson. Her music has also inspired me through the years. She continues to write and record great music to this day. A lot of people don't realize she's still out there, and her music has matured right along with her. She's got a lot of talent! I love all types of music: rock, soul, r&b, motown, dance, disco, easy listening, adult contemporary, hip hop, some rap, pop-country, alternative--- Pretty much all top 40 from the mid 1950's to current. Free Counter Gloria (She Never Knew) genre: pop ballad recorded: Bill's house producer: Bill Graper lyrics Bill Graper: guitars, keyboards, drum machine programming, vocals This was the first of two songs written for a co-worker of mine, Gloria. She was born & lived in Mexico for the first 10 years of her life. That's all I will say about her on this website. Since she's Mexican, I thought I'd write one line in Spanish: "Ella es mi princesa Mexicana hermosa" which means "She is my beautiful Mexican princess." I think the lyrics to the two songs are pretty much self-explanitory to how I felt about her... I also had another inspiration for this song. For those who know their 70's music, the song "Goodbye Girl" by David Gates was the musical inspiration for this song. As it turns out, my story came true earlier than expected. The song is from a futuristic point of view, in a time when we don't see each other anymore. It's about thinking back on what could've been, and wondering if she remembers me. Right now, it looks like it already came true... In EVERY song that I record, I always do a quick vocal after the music is recorded. Then I go through the hard work of re-recording everything line by line, or even word by word! In this song, I loved the way I sounded in the two lines leading into the chorus, starting with "With the wave from her fingertips." Those two lines are the actual "scratch" vocal. It's unusual for me to keep any of the original vocal, but I didn't think I could duplicate those two lines. It's one of those things that I thought I delivered just as I wanted it to be delivered! Gloria loved the songs I wrote for her. I hope she keeps them with her for the rest of her life. I don't think it's possible for anyone to care about her like I did, and I wonder if anyone will ever write songs for her like I did. At least I was able to let her know how I felt through my music. I'll never regret that. I Miss You genre: ballad recorded: Bill's house producer: Bill Graper lyrics Bill Graper: guitars, keyboards, vocals This was the second song that I wrote for Gloria. I was inspired after she went to 3rd shift. We had worked 2nd shift together for a while. One day early in my shift, some of the chorus lyrics just came to me while I was working on a job that we worked on together a lot. I wrote down all of the lyrics I was hearing in my mind. The problem? I also had the melody & chord progression for the chorus in my mind. I was VERY lucky not to lose it by the time I got home that day!!! This song pretty much wrote itself. I knew what I wanted to say. I just had to put the lyrics in some kind of order. The only part that was tough to write was the bridge. I kinda knew what I wanted to say, but couldn't get it out on paper. I went a few weeks with the chords & melody written, but the lyrics were still not there. Actually, the music for the song was complete, and I STILL didn't have the lyrics written for the bridge! Then one night they came to me after I went to bed. Needless to say, I jumped out of bed & ran to my recording equipment - wrote down what I was hearing in my mind, and played it. It was like magic! Not rushing (forcing) a lyric paid off! I truly believe in letting a lyric run its course. If it's not quite there, don't just force the words - ESPECIALLY in a song like this, where it has so much meaning! Musically, I did some experimenting on this song. Not only did I use some 'different' type chords, I also wrote the chorus & verses in different keys! I've always wanted to do that. No matter what she does with her life, and no matter what her reason is for not wanting to have contact with me - I still wish her the best. I'll always wish her a lifetime of happiness. I think I came out of this even stronger. I couldn't stand the thought of not seeing her or hearing her voice. Now that I somehow made it past that, I think I can finally move on. Strong-Willed Man (I Know) genre: rock recorded: Bill's house producer: Bill Graper lyrics Bill Graper: guitars, keyboards, drum machine programming, vocals Matt Vandervort: guitar solo This was the first of my rock songs, written and recorded in late 2002. I wanted my vocals on the first rock song to stand out. That explains the harder edged vocal style. I couldn't get "soft" on my first rock song, could I? The song actually had no direction at first. I programmed the bass line & played a few chords on guitar. Then I taped myself singing whatever came to my head. The first verse up to "fly, fly, fly, fly, fly by me" were the actual "nonsense" lyrics. I liked it so much, I decided to keep it and build the song around those lyrics. Your Love genre: rock recorded: Bill's house producer: Bill Graper lyrics Bill Graper: guitars, drum machine programming, vocals My second rock song came to me out of the blue one day. This is very common for me. In early 2003, I was laying on my bed in the middle of the day just thinking. The chorus just came to me. I almost didn't get up. I'm glad I did! After thinking about it for a little while, I finally decided I couldn't let this one go. I immediately went over to my multi-track digital recorder and laid down some quick tracks. This song reminds me so much of early Beatles music (like "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"). You can definitely hear my Beatles influence in this one. Heaven genre: pop ballad recorded: Bill's house producer: Bill Graper lyrics Bill Graper: drum machine programming, keyboards, vocals I can't explain the reason, but I've always been fascinated with sad songs. Many of my own show that! On Sunday, August 25, 2002, I was playing my latest drum machine that I bought from the recording studio guy at "Beach Club". I heard the instrument titled "chorus" and it sounded sad to me. I started messing with chords & something just inspired me. It was a magical day. The song was written pretty quickly. I wanted to give the girl in the song a name. That's when I remembered my niece's friend Sara at her birthday party just the day before. I thought that was the perfect name for the girl in my song. The story is about a guy who's dying in a hospital with a 4-year-old daughter. It's her birthday, but he can't be there with her. He may not see her again. She has no other family to take care of her. She'll have to be raised by someone else. The last line- "Will you take care of my little girl?" is pretty vague. It could be the father talking to anyone... even God. I wanted that mystery. When Will You Come Around? genre: dance-rock recorded: Beach Club Studio: Geneva-On-The-Lake, Ohio producer: Jerry Busch lyrics Bill Graper: keyboards, drum machine programming, vocals Jerry Busch: Rhythm Guitar a member of "The Jerry Busch Group": Guitar solo & other guitars This is the song that almost never happened, because I lost the lyrics! Most of the verses were written in the late summer of 2000. In September, they were misplaced. I knew I'd never be able to duplicate one of the verses. I was going to put off the song indefinitely, or until I found the lyrics. About 4 months later, they finally turned up! I didn't have a chorus until one night I went to bed late. Shortly after I went to bed, it just came to me. I had to get out of bed & lay down a few tracks. I was tired the next day because of it. I'm glad I did though, because I forgot how the chorus went. All day at work, I was trying to remember. When I got home, I listened to my short demo & said "OH YEAH!". Ask any songwriter about not writing or recording ideas. If you forget, you almost always lose the song idea forever! My Two Favorite Girls (In The World) genre: piano ballad recorded: Bill's house producer: Bill Graper lyrics Bill Graper: keyboards, guitars, drum machine (programmed & live), vocals The next in a series of "sad" songs involves another breakthrough for me. For years, I've been wondering how the professionals made their strings sound so nice. The trick is to lower & raise them, so they're not a constant volume. After I recorded the strings, I "bounced" them to another take, raising & lowering them as the song progressed. This was my first attempt to do this, and I'd say it was a success! For the strings, I used the drum machine that I bought from Jerry Busch (recording studio in Geneva-On-The-Lake, Ohio). I hooked up my keyboard to the drum machine with a midi cord, so I could use my keyboard to play the drum machine sounds (which I do quite often). I also used the piano sound from the drum machine. The violin sound is actually one of my keyboards, since I didn't like the violin from the drum machine. That's one instrument that sounds better from my keyboard. The song is about a woman who actually kidnaps her own kids after she decides she doesn't love her husband anymore. She leaves the country & just leaves a note behind. The song is from the husband's point of view. His girls are his life, and he'll do anything to get them back. Since there's a chance he may never see his daughters again, he's asking the "authorities" for help. I don't actually mention the police, but that's the general idea in the chorus. This song has become one of my favorites! Confession time! Some people have asked me if this song was about Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen when they saw the title. The answer? I wrote the CHORUS for them back in the late 90's. It was supposed to be a song that I didn't take seriously. It was going to be a song for us fans, especially the older fans, to enjoy. I had the chorus all of those years, until I finally decided to use it in a song. In early 2006, I built a storyline around that chorus. No matter what, I think I owe the Olsens a lot for inspiring me to write such a beautiful chorus. I don't think I could ever repay them for that... and the funny thing is, they don't even know! Of It All genre: pop ballad recorded: Bill's house producer: Bill Graper lyrics Bill Graper: keyboards, guitars, vocals Ideas for songs sometimes come out of nowhere at any time. This one came to me while I was in the shower. I just started singing "Of it all... Of it all." I hurried my shower & ran to my keyboard. I had to make sure I wrote down the exact notes & chords that I was hearing in my mind. I later decided to turn it into one of my RARE happy love songs. I built the rest of the song around those three simple words. On the night of Saturday, March 18, 2006, I spent 6 hours recording the music. The next day, I spent 2 hours recording the vocal. Later that night, I put the final mix onto CD. This is the shortest song that I have recorded to date. It's only 1:45 long. I plan to use it as a prelude to my next rock song, "Thirsty". I think it'll be a nice transition. That Girl genre: rock recorded: Bill's house producer: Bill Graper lyrics Bill Graper: guitars, drum machine programming, vocals Having a beauty like Amanda Bynes as your "Celebrity Dream Date" does have its advantages... like inspiring a cool rock song!!! There were two other factors that prompted me to write this song: 1. My real-life encounter with TWO young women who resembled Amanda. 2. The RnB song "That Girl" by Frankie J. I kept hearing "That Girl" on the radio, and every time I heard it, I would be reminded of my own version: "That girl, she looks so fine. She reminds me of Amanda Bynes". One day, I decided I couldn't let it go any longer. I just had to record it. When I started the drum machine programming process, I didn't have a guitar riff written yet. The only thing I knew for sure was I wanted to make it a "power riff"- one that doesn't use the middle note in the chord. This is the norm in rock music, and my band mate, Matt, was the one who informed me of this on several occasions. I took his advice, and discovered he was right! It sounds more 'rockin' doing power chords. Out of nowhere, the riff came to me. I wasn't sure if I liked it at first, but I made sure I noted it down on paper. At first, I thought it didn't fit with the rest of the song. I was definitely planning to go in a different "direction" originally with the riff, but I quickly got used to it. After I recorded the riff, I couldn't believe how great it sounded! That's when I knew I had the correct riff for the song. When I listened to it & got as excited about one simple riff as I did, I knew the song would become one of my favorites!!! This song wasn't supposed to be a "cheating in your mind" song. When I was writing the second verse, I didn't want to keep saying "That Girl...... That Girl" because I already did that in the first verse, and I planned to say that in the 3rd verse. That's when I decided to say "My Girl" in the second verse, which changed the song from an innocent "Amanda Bynes lookalike" song, into a sleazy "I have a girl, but I like that girl" song! Thirsty genre: rock recorded: Bill's house producer: Bill Graper lyrics Bill Graper: guitars, drum machine programming, vocals ***The bridge samples "I'm Not In Love" by 10cc and "Gravity Of Love" by Enigma*** I actually started recording this song before "Of It All" but put it on the back burner when "Of It All" came to me out of the blue. Matt showed up one day, expecting me to have "Thirsty" finished, and I said "Nope, but I have another ballad- Of It All" :? "Thirsty" started when I was just messing around with the guitar one day in February '06. I had just finished recording "My Two Favorite Girls (In The World)" and decided I wanted to go back to my rock style. After all, it had been nearly 3 years since I recorded a FAST rock song. I played one note over & over on the guitar, which became the opening notes of the actual recording. I didn't have anything planned. It just sounded so good to me, I thought I had to use it for my next song. Once again, I wanted to surprise everyone with some 'edgy' lyrics- at least for me. I've always been known as a 'softie' when it comes to lyric writing. This was yet another attempt to change that. I think I did a pretty good job with suggestive lyrics in this one, considering my early songs were always so innocent. I got the "Matt seal of approval" on this one. I could tell he was surprised with some of the things I said in this one. The a capella ending was DEFINITELY not planned! When I finally had the song pretty much finished, I was editing the vocals to make them uniform throughout the song, so I didn't have to mess with the volume too much when I put the final mix onto CD. While I was doing that, Matt decided to show up at just the right time... He heard me playing the vocals with no music, and said "Hey! That would sound great at the end of the song!" At first, I didn't want to do it- but I eventually took his advice & I copied/pasted the last chorus to the end of the song. Once again, he was right! It adds a certain "flare" to the ending. If he hadn't showed up at a time when I was editing the vocals, the song wouldn't have the cool a capella ending. I guess it was meant to be!!! We Will Survive! genre: rock recorded: Bill's house producer: Bill Graper lyrics Bill Graper: drum machine programming, keyboards, guitars, vocals This song was originally supposed to be an alternative song. My inspiration was "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. First of all, the guitar riff was the first thing that came to mind before writing this song. That's not very alternative sounding. Then I couldn't get an "alternative" chord progression. I was trying so hard to make a bass line similar to the Nirvana song. It eventually turned into the lowering bass that it is now. I decided to turn it into an "anti-terrorism" song. It was February '03, and the tension was mounting against Saddam Hussein. I thought it was appropriate at the time. The last part of the last verse "The cries for help are in the air, but we are deaf to their despair" is not the American way. It is, however, what I think of those who terrorize other countries (not just the USA, but in the world). There's no place for groups like that. My Own Mind genre: dance/pop recorded: Bill's house producer: Bill Graper lyrics Bill Graper: keyboards, drum programming, elec guitar, vocals This was an experimental song that turned out as good as I expected. My goal was to combine a dance beat with some rap, a catchy rhythm guitar, a smooth electric guitar, and a running bass line. People have been mixing music styles for a long time. That's actually how "Rock 'n Roll" was created. This song is about being yourself, no matter what others think or say about you. Don't worry about being judged, because no matter what you do in life, there will always be people who "object". That's just how it is. My only regret in this song is the rap. I'm no rapper (obviously). I wish I had done something else with the bridge. There are a number of things I could've done to experiment. No use complaining, though, because overall I think the song is a success! The Lonely One genre: power ballad recorded: Bill's house producer: Bill Graper lyrics Bill Graper: guitars, keyboards, drum programming, vocals Finally!!! I now have a ROCK BALLAD! This is one of my favorite styles. I've been meaning to record a power ballad for quite some time. This one didn't come easy. It was actually the most time consuming song I've ever recorded. The recording process took a span of 8 months & several days worth of work (if you add up all of the hours). I think it was well worth the effort. If this were the late 80's, it would be a definite hit. I'm sure many rock fans from my generation would love to hear this one on the radio. My main inspirations for this song were: "Angel" by Aerosmith "I Wish It Would Rain Down" by Phil Collins "Always" by Bon Jovi "When I'm With You" by Sheriff. The power ballad lives on!!! A Matter Of Time genre: pop ballad recorded: Beach Club Studio: Geneva-On-The-Lake, Ohio producer: Jerry Busch lyrics Bill Graper: keyboards, drum machine programming, vocals Jerry Busch: guitar in intro Back in 1993, I wrote the 1st verse and chorus to this song as a prelude to another song. It was titled "No One At All" - and it was very short! I was told by several people that it was good enough to be its own song. It took a while, but in 2002 I decided to make it reality. That's when I sat down & wrote the rest of the song & recorded it. I agree, it's a nice little ballad. Wherever You Are genre: country-pop recorded: Beach Club Studio: Geneva-On-The-Lake, Ohio producer: Jerry Busch lyrics Bill Graper: drum machine programming, keyboards, (faked) slide guitar, vocals Jerry Busch: Acoustic Guitar Of all the styles I had either recorded or planned to record, the word "country" never came up. This was one attempt to hit yet another music market. I even had a record company in mind before I recorded this song. They deal with the best in Nashville. The song was rejected right away... ANYWAY- I searched for someone to play slide guitar. I was even lead to a major automobile dealer! One guy who worked in sales played slide. He loved my music, but I never did get him out to the recording studio. That's when I finally decided to do it myself. I practiced over and over using a weird bass sound in a higher octave. I used the pitch bend on one of my three keyboards. By the time I went into the studio to record the song, I was ready! It only took a few takes. When You Go Away genre: pop ballad recorded: Suma Recording Studio: Painesville, Ohio producer: Paul Hamann lyrics Bill Graper: keyboards, keyboard drum programming, vocals Matt Vandervort: guitar solo, acoustic guitar This was the first song I ever recorded as a soloist. My only other studio experience was with my rock band in 1991. This one was written in October, 1992. The chorus came to me around halftime of my former high school's homecoming game. I had to keep playing the chorus over & over in my head the rest of the night, or I would've lost it. The night before Matt & I were going to the studio (November '92), I stayed up practically all night finishing the bridge & programming my keyboard. You can hear my nervousness in my vocal. I think it's terrible! The song really wasn't full enough. That's why I took the reel back to the studio in early '96 to add more production. I added lots of keyboard. I took out my keyboard solo & Matt did an electric guitar solo in its place. I even changed some of the lyrics in the bridge & re-recorded just those new lyrics. It was a minor lyric change, but necessary. Now it's a better song. I used to think this was my best, but now I think it's far from it! What is my favorite song of all of the songs I've ever written? The two songs that I wrote for Gloria are currently my faves: "Gloria (She Never Knew)" and "I Miss You". If you would like to write & say "hey!"- you can e-mail me here. Thanks again for visiting my website! Rock on!!! *Here I am with my electric*