Wintertime in Vienna

I design my own album covers on Canva — a website where anyone can design just about anything.

I chose the Keyboard-Playing-Robot photo (thanks to Franck V on Unsplash) to help represent the fast, precision-played computer-generated sounds I created for “Wintertime in Vienna” using Finale Print Music on my MacBook Pro (specifically the four main tracks of marimba and vibraphone used throughout the entire song). 

To help create a little more wintertime/Christmas feel to the cover, I added a bright red front cover corner bow, and front cover/back cover Christmas tree and decorations (thanks to stock photos on Canva and to Markus Spiske and Freestocks on Unsplash.)

So what does “Wintertime in Vienna” sound like?

Souped-up, techno-rock, Christmas music — infused with meticulous baroque precision.

Imagine …

… Jolly Old St. Nick programming your kid’s Casio or Nord

… Bach in a Santa suit, wiping a sugary smirk off his face

… The gingerbread man riding a reindeer, tossing musical presents straight into your eardrums.

Then imagine the twinkling twilight of a crisp, family-friendly stroll through the 21st century Christmas markets in Vienna, Austria.

Father Christmas just might issue you a full-fledged blessing when you listen to my Christmas song, “Wintertime in Vienna.”

Merry Christmas 2020!

Using all 31 original tracks I recorded in 2020 for my instrumental version, I had Nashville for Hire provide the stunningly talented vocalist Anne Lise from Denmark (now living in Nashville, Tennessee). She gave me 7 dazzling vocal tracks, using the melody and lyrics I wrote for this song in October 2020.

I actually penned the melody/lyrics in my head (below) before they ever hit a piece of paper or were entered into my computer files. I did so while driving my car, just after picking up diving equipment for my son’s ocean dive the next day. 

The inspiration for my lyrics? My promotional colleague and musical mentor Ryan Waczek (also from Nashville) and I thought a vocal version of “Wintertime in Vienna” might get even more Spotify streams than an instrumental-only version — however my last-minute attempts to create the vocal version last year bumped up against deadlines I was not able to meet in time for Christmas 2020.

Even so ... much to my surprise and blessing, the instrumental version became my #1-streamed song on Spotify last year!

To complete this year’s new vocal version in time for the November 26, 2021 release, other new musical colleagues/friends from Nashville for Hire tightened up my original mix, created an overall new mix and provided a final master for me.

(thanks again to stock photos on Canva and to Markus Spiske and Freestocks on Unsplash)

Merry Christmas 2021!

In fall 2022, I decided to use the “sawdust” of Wintertime in Vienna in order to make a retro gaming version of that song.

I spent a couple hours here and there with my Thesaurus, trying to chase down the best word or words to title a retro gaming version; Anachronistic Arcade is what I settled on (“anachronistic” means it belongs to a period other than that being portrayed, even seeming old-fashioned). 

Now with a settled-on song title, I registered this version with my Performing Rights Organization (BMI), just like I do all of my songs (the underlying work  already had U.S. Copyright Registration).

Then in late winter/early spring 2023, I grabbed the chiptune programmed 2012 basic MP3 file generated by my Finale software (“sawdust”) for Wintertime in Vienna, having assigned a raw, non-emotive harpsichord voice to each of the two parts.

I placed that file into my digital audio workstation (GarageBand), and spent the next couple of post-production weeks shaping that raw sound and adding effects, in my best effort to make that track sound like legit retro gaming music — but with a modern-day finish to that anachronistic sound.

My instrumental version of “Wintertime in Vienna” was released November 16th, 2020, on MC1 Nashville’s Dark Lonesome Records label distributed by Sony Music/The Orchard/Perry Music Group.

Copious thanks to my euphonious teammates, 16-year old Blake Givargidze (drums), Jody Calderon (co-producer), Chris Atkins (corrective production feedback), Darlene Fowler/Rhonda Thompson (media promotion & radio spins) and Ryan Waczek (Spotify streams) for their indispensable contributions. 

(Front and back cover album photos thanks to Franck V, Markus Spiske and Freestocks on Unsplash.)

My song “Wintertime in Vienna (Vocal Version)” was released November 26, 2021.

Manifold thanks once again to last year’s musical teammates, Blake Givargidze (drums), Jody Calderon (co-producer), Chris Atkins (corrective production feedback), and Ryan Waczek (Spotify streams for both versions) for every item each valuable person provided.

For this year’s 2021 vocal version, special thanks to Anne Lise (vocals/vocal recording), Webster Tileston (mixing), Mike Monseur (mastering) and Nashville for Hire (final co-production & audio editing).

(Front and back cover album photos thanks to Franck V, Markus Spiske and Freestocks on Unsplash.)

One day prior to the May 05, 2023 public release of Anachronistic Arcade (Wintertime in Vienna Retro Gaming Version), I contacted four bloggers/playlist editors, to help me promote my new song. In less than 30 minutes, Ingrown Radio got back to me, saying,

Hello! Cosmic greetings! 

We hope all is well over your way. This is seriously fantastic work, truly incredible stuff! We would absolutely love to play this track on our local experimental / indie public access and internet radio show Ingrown Radio - Found Sounds Submithub in the next couple weeks (after release date of course) with episodes archived on our Mixcloud if that still works for you! Thank you again so very much. Wishing you all the best. Take care! 

–Ryan, Ingrown Records and Ingrown Radio

Needless to say, I gave them permission to do so!