WANDERLOST

So generally speaking, when I make music

I want the listener to be the main character of the story being told.

Of course, this leaves things up for a wide range of interpretations,

but that's exactly what I hope for with the music that I make.

I'm a big fan of two people getting wildly different mental cinematography

in the world of the song.

With that being said... for this song... I'm the main character.

I felt like showing off. I was taking a music theory class and was learning

all the "proper scales" and while of course,

there's a reason they're the "proper scales"

(western colonization and centering of european aesthetics to be specific)

I just kinda wanted to stretch out

and do a couple unconventional runs for my own amusement.

musically, i believe there to be two main inspirations

the drum beat from Take 5 by The Dave Brubeck quartet (hence the 5/4 time signature)

and Ray Manzarek's organ solo from Riders on the Storm by The Doors.

The title is a reference to J.R.R. Tolkein's "Riddle of the Strider":

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

I say that to say this, though these solos may seem very wandering...

I made them that way. So it may be wandering, but it's not lost.

I sometimes wonder how I can convey the level of care and intention

I put into crafting more sparse or ambient songs...

but the only way i can figure is

once in a while showing how much I can do,

if the song called for it.

None of these songs are simple because that's all i could do,

they're simple because that's what they needed to be.

Also, I always thought it was funny because even though "not all...are lost"

by omission, it points out...some are.

I also consider this the "closing song" of this audio gallery,

everything after this is the encore.

Thanks for visiting EmperorSteve.com.