Behind the Song

Questions received from listeners by e-mail and directly:

What prompted you to write “I See Stars Falling?”

How did you come up with the lyrics for this song?

How did you accomplish the recording?

What are your goals for “Stars”?

What has the feedback been about your song?

What equipment did you use in this recording?

Did you do all of the graphics work as well? How did you come up with the design and what does it signify?

Who else was involved in the creation of the song?

What prompted you to write “I See Stars Falling?”
It started with a simple request from a friend. After the tragic Columbia Shuttle accident on Feb 1 st last year, my friend Danielle Balmer who worked at NASA in Houston at the time suggested I write a song in tribute to the fallen astronauts. At the time, a lot of big-name songwriters like Alan Jackson and Toby Keith were recording songs based on current events. I didn't take Dani seriously at first…certainly sounded like a worthy project, but I didn't think of myself as one to write such songs.

Around the same time I'd just gotten laid off at my job of five years. It's always tough being thrown into this situation, but I have to say, I wouldn't have had time to immerse myself in music otherwise. Having a few months severance and savings in the bank, I decided to take a much needed sabbatical and complete my recording studio at home.

The very next day, I sat down at the piano, and from somewhere came the opening passage. Then the music behind the first verse and then each day it seemed another section of the song was revealed to me.

How did you come up with the lyrics for this song?
The lyrics would come to me a day or two after each musical section of the song. Like the rest of the country, I was deeply saddened by the Columbia tragedy and certainly more so living in Houston and having many good friends at NASA, but you see so many things on TV and in the newspapers, it's sometimes hard to truly understand the impact. So when I started writing the lyrics I thought I better do a little research for such an important task. So I read as much as I could about the astronauts and their families in order to get a better feel for their motivations, hopes and dreams and that's when the project became very personal …and I truly became involved and inspired to write this song for them.

I tried to write the lyrics from the perspective of the loved ones that are left behind. This song is about their feelings as they support the people who choose to serve such a noble and pure cause as space exploration for the betterment of mankind.

How did you accomplish the recording?
The basic song was written in three weeks by February 21 st , 2003 . I had the lyrics, melody and the piano part finished. But what I heard in my head was much bigger than that. This was a tribute song…not only did the words and tune have to inspire but the instrumentation and arrangement also need to reflect the grandeur of space and the bravery of the people that risked their lives to explore it. So I took on the task of putting an orchestra behind the song — something I hadn't done before. That part of it took through November of last year.

I took each section of the song and layered instrument upon instrument using different keyboards and synthesizers to emulate an orchestra. It was meticulous work and exhausting at times. I would do a section in a week or two, and then leave it alone for about the same time in order get my mind rested and creative again. This was all done using specialized recording software in my Macintosh computer-based music studio.

What are your goals for “Stars”?
I have several. I've been deeply rewarded to hear from listeners that say they have been touched and inspired by the song. Hundreds of people have downloaded the song from the site and it's been passed to hundreds more in the NASA community and throughout Houston. Above all, I hoped this song could reach the astronaut's families and friends— those most directly connected to the tragedy so that it might comfort them and honor their loved ones. The song was delivered through proper channels to the seven families and just today I received a very nice thank you card. All of this has made me determined to get this song out to as many people as possible that might be comforted by the song.

To do that more effectively, I would like to get this song to a local arts organization that might perform it, like the Houston Symphony. Or to someone in the music industry that can take it to the next level in terms of production as well as distribution. When I wrote the song, I envisioned the voice of Josh Groban singing it, so I will be making an effort to get it to him or his producer David Foster in the coming weeks. I'm new to the music biz so I have no idea how hard this will be…my naiveté could be a bad thing or a good thing...hopefully the latter.

I am also contacting organizations that are doing memorial events or planning to erect memorials paying tribute to the crew. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is undertaking such an effort and I have sent the song to her staff to see if it can provide any service.These are all just possibilities, some perhaps out of reach. But based on feedback and encouragement I've gotten from listeners to get this song out to the public, I believe it's worth the effort.

What equipment did you use in this recording?
Well I'm a Macintosh guy so that lies at the heart of the recording system. Essentially, the computer's hard drive records sound as digital information, analogous to the way that magnetic audio tape stores sound information. Same result, different medium. I use recording software called Digital Performer that allows me to record vocals and live instruments through a microphone or directly into the computer but also enables me to arrange music by controlling external keyboards through a digital language called MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface). The actual physical actions of playing a keyboard are tracked and stored in such a way that each note and its nuances is fully editable until the final mix when I commit the parts to final recording. This allowed me to experiment with different combinations of instruments without having to start over if something didn't fit. For instance I can come back and fix a violin part that sounded fine by itself at first, but then needed to be adjusted after three or four other instruments were added around it.

The computer is connected to keyboards though an interface for audio signals, called a MOTU (Mark of the Unicorn) 828mkII and an interface for the MIDI signals, also by MOTU called a Midi Express XT. The computer is a G4 1.42 dual processor. These are all the basic components of a computer-based studio. The technology gets pretty complex and I have a long way to go in mastering it, but recording this song brought me along substantially. It's pretty amazing what you can do in a home studio at a fraction of the cost of what it would take even 5 years ago.

My main keyboard is a Yamaha Motif 8 and I supplement that with a rack-mounted version that has no keys but has sound sources that can be controlled from the main keyboard. The Motifs were used for the primary piano track and parts that sound more like a synthesizer while the more realistic strings came from special sounds modules in another synthesizer called a Roland XV-5050. All in all, there were over 30 instrumental tracks combined to create what you hear in the song. Not having any formal training in orchestration, I essentially, did these “by ear”. One day however, I hope the song will be recorded with a real orchestra!

What has the feedback been about your song?
I've gotten many, many touching comments and e-mails from people in Houston and other parts of the country. I've posted some of the comments on the web site. Many people have told me they cried when they heard the song, but also that they were comforted by the song. I hadn't fully comprehended that ahead of time—that music can have that uplifting power.

A good friend of mine that works for Hamilton Sundstrand, a NASA contractor, got permission from his managers to send out a mass e-mail to over a hundred of his co-workers informing them about the web site and song.

On Feb 2 nd , A talk radio show in my home town, Indianapolis , WXNT 1430am played the song on a segment about remembering Columbia.

And this week, an article about the song is scheduled to appear in the “This Week” section of the Houston Chronicle, in the Downtown edition.

I am deeply gratified and very proud that this song is affecting people in a positive way.

Did you do all of the graphics work as well? How did you come up with the design and what does it signify?
On top of being a one-man band, I've also found myself being a one-man graphic design shop…but I'm used to that part of it. I designed the CD art and then expanded on that design for the web site www.starsfalling.com . With the cover art, like the song, I tried to reflect the beauty and majesty of being in space. The shuttle with it nose pointing upward against a starless sky was meant to symbolize a bird being set free to fly. I'm not completely sure why I left the stars out of the sky. Maybe to reflect the sadness that so many felt over the tragedy.

Who else was involved in the creation of the song?
I couldn't have done it without the support and help of so many people. I wouldn't even have attempted the song had it not been for my great friend Danielle Balmer who had more faith in my abilities than I did. She lit the spark. And then, another best friend of my mine at NASA, Ephi Morphew kept the fire burning. She gave me feedback at key points and let me know if I was on the right track with the lyrics and music. Both of you mean the world to me. My friend Mindy Reisinger and her associate Gerry Watson, helped me get the word out about the song through press releases and follow-ups with local media. Their efforts resulted in a Houston Chronicle article that will spread the song further I'm sure. Jessica Timm at Intechtual did an absolutely wonderful job with all the coding and technical development for the site and hung with me through all the late nights putting up the web site. Thanks also to Scott Wood and Myron Chornuk at NASA for their efforts. And of course to my constant companions and confidants Mary Dillon, John Hay and Lisa Barry …more supportive, and patient , friends one could not ask for. I have been blessed to have such a group of people around me.

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