To follow this post, you should view Part 1 HERE. Then come back to this post.
In this post I continue using a trial version of Toontrack‘s EZKeys 2 to create a song. This is Part 2. I build up the song further by adding Toontrack‘s EZDrummer and EZBass. Continue to watch the series as I work my way through building a song. This is not a paid Toontrack endorsement.
If you follow me regularly you know that I make music. I’m currently working on 4-5 songs for my next release. Recently, I ran across a video on YouTube where the person was using an application called EZKeys 2. Now I’ve known about Toontrack’s EZKeys 2 for a while because I use their EZBass, EZDrummer 3 and EZMix 3 applications, but I’m a guitarist and never really saw the need until I watched the video. It got me interested. So I downloaded a free 10 day trial of EZKeys 2 and, what do you know, I created a rough song.
I captured myself using and building the song and posted a video on my YouTube channel. In this video I use Toontrack’s EZKeys 2 to begin creating a song. This is Part 1. Continue to watch the series as I work my way through building a song.
A YouTube video listing many things I don’t miss about work. Retirement Ain’t Easy but it Beats Working.
Want a Retirement Ain’t Easy T-shirt? Coffee Mug? Hit up my store by clicking the mug below.
Growing up I was exposed to music very early in my life as my mom and most of her sisters and brothers played an instrument. My Mom and Aunts played piano, my Uncles played guitar. So when we visited my Grandmother in Louisiana, it was a hootenanny and my love of music was encouraged by my parents.
So, as a pre-teen, my music taste gravitated to what was on the radio in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Songs like American Pie by Don McClean, I Think I Love You by the Partridge Family (still in my top 5 faves) and Knock Three Times by Tony Orlando and Dawn, to name a few. I STILL have the 45 rpm for these songs and many others.
So what’s with the history lesson? Well, once I found hard rock I shunned anything pop oriented and anything that really had a piano or keyboard dominating the sound. So I loved (and still do) Grand Funk Railroad, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and KISS (my favorite). That is until I heard Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. I was taken aback. I’d heard of Elton John but dismissed him as a piano player with piano music. But this album was good and is still a favorite. I then looked into other bands with keyboards in them. Bands like Yes and Uriah Heep were added to my listening pleasure. Going even further, there was Genesis (my second favorite band) and Pink Floyd.
So thank you Elton John and Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. You were a gateway album that expanded my mind and my ears. For that reason Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, is the Album of the Month.
Today’s post highlights a video I posted on my YouTube channel – Retirement Ain’t Easy. In this video I highlight 5 guitar riffs, or licks, that had an impact on my initial guitar journey. I start with the first riff I ever tried to play. I include stories behind each riff and where I was in my guitar journey.
Check it out.
I’ve completed another model. In January I completed my recent scale model build, the Monogram Patton Tank. This particular model is one I built as a 13 years old, so here I am 50 years later building the same model. Not much has changed except the box art. I went on to build a diorama to display my model. Here are some photos of the build and if you want to see detailed explanations go watch the YouTube video I have posted.
First the model build, painting and weathering.
Now for the diorama build.
I’m not a drummer. I’m a guitarist by day. However, over the years I’ve dabbled. Growing up, I wanted to be a Drummer. I wanted to be Micky Dolenz of the Monkees or Bingo from the Banana Splits. Then I found guitar. I got my first guitar, an acoustic with nylon strings, and took lessons during summer school and my focus changed.
Over the years, I have found that I can keep a beat on the drums and would get on friends’ drum sets whenever I could. Fast forward to adulthood and I can afford my own set of drums. I have an acoustic set that takes up too much room so it sits in a closet. I have an Alesis DM10 MK II Studio Drum Kit with DW7000 drum pedals that I play around with whenever I get the urge. It’s set up in my recording studio. This year, 2025, I plan to use it to record drums on my songs instead of drum loops.
Meanwhile, here is a YouTube video of me monkeying around on a Saturday afternoon.
If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time you know that I do this Album/Vinyl of the Month Series. Once a month I choose an album from my collection and talk about when I bought it, where I bought it and usually a side story that may be tied to the album. Fun entertainment.
This month I am repeating myself. This month’s album was featured last year so forgive me for repeating myself but I am trying to line things up with my companion YouTube Channel.
You don’t know about my YouTube Channel? It’s a twin to this site. It’s called Retirement Ain’t Easy and it features many of the same posts that are here on this blog but with some additional stuff you may not find here. Plus you get to see what I look like in real life and hear what I sound like. Go check it out – RETIREMENT AIN’T EASY.
So here is the latest video for February 2025 Album of the Month Series.
Once again it’s time to put forth my resolutions or goals for 2025. I’m a bit late this year but better late than never. As a former Project Manager, I find that setting goals is essential for my self worth and need for accomplishment. I have to have something to strive for. Now that I’m. retired, I find myself treating retirement like a project.
You plan the project (retirement budget, retirement start dates, etc.) and then you have a kickoff for the project (date of retirement date) and you check status weekly or monthly. This gives me and idea to I to create the Project Management for Retirement Process and post it here and create a YouTube video.
For now, here are my 2025 Goals for the year:
Once again I hope to write, record and release songs. Last year I only released four songs to the public. This year, 2025, I want to release at least six. I need to get started on this ASAP. Look for my music on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, YouTube Music.
This is an ongoing resolution/goal. Although I’ve lost quite a bit of weight in 2023, I did not lose any in 2024, in fact I gained 15lbs back after losing 65lbs.. So I need to lose about 30lbs to get to a healthy weight of 200lbs.
I want to continue to document my Retirement Journey through blogging and video. I want to break down the YouTube Goal into at least one retirement related video and one Vinyl related video and one music related video. The fourth video could be retirement related or vinyl related. I think this is possible.
This resolution goes hand in hand with the YouTube goal because it is very easy to record a YouTube video and then just post it on the blog, or vice versus. So this should be easy enough to accomplish. Probably post more Toy Photography related stuff on the blog though.
I really need to get into this resolution. I had this last year as a “side hustle”. I’ve got way too many toys and comics and need to downsize. This would also make me some spending money. Our future goal is to sell this big house we live in and move to a smaller, one floor house on some land, or on a lake. To do that I need to purge a lot of stuff that I’ve collected over the years. This goal is easy if I am willing to sell my stuff t pennies on the dollar. But I’m not willing to do that. Many of these items can be sold on an Ebay but Facebook marketplace would be ideal for local sales.
I don’t see a problem meeting this resolution. I usually finish two books a month. This goal does not include reading comic books and magazines. On any given day I am usually reading an e-book on my iPad and a hard book. At this posting, I’ve already completed three books. Although one of those books I started in 2024.
I have the writing bug again. It comes and goes. The easiest thing to do is to draft a 45K-60K word Memoir. Pick a quest from my life and document it with a meaningful, interesting story. I’ve read another helper book about writing a memoir so the idea I there and knowledge, just need to get my butt in front of the laptop and type.
Any time I find myself stressed or feeling anxious, I stop and analyze what the feeling is. I then tell myself, “you’re retired, you’ve got money, you’ve got a solid plan, there is nothing that has to be done unless you want it done.” It’s my retirement life. Everyday is a Saturday. There should be no stress in retirement, only relaxing.
Below is the video posted on my companion YouTube site for this post.
A month or so ago I saw a YouTube post from a Mike at Hubtunes who posted a few videos with the theme called Rock & Roll High School – 5 Records From My High School Years. I liked the theme but decided to limit myself to 10 records from the year I graduated from high school. I graduated from high school in June 1979. So here are just 10 albums (sticking to vinyl only) that were released during 1979. And maybe a little story with each of them. You can watch my YouTube video following this list.
AC/DC – Highway to Hell – I don’t recall where or when I bought this but it was released on July 27, 1979.
The B-52s – B-52s – the album was released on July 6, 1979 and we partied quite a lot to this album. We would park out by a secluded pond or on some farmland in the middle of nowhere and put this cassette on and jump around. Rock Lobster, Planet Claire and more to pogo to.
Billy Thorpe – Children of the Sun – Released in 1979, I remember buying this album on a day trip to San Antonio from the church resort, Mo Ranch, I was working at the summer of 1979. I had heard the song Children of the Sun on the radio.
The Knack – Get the Knack – Released June 11, 1979. I don’t have any story about this one. I might’ve bought it from a store or I might’ve got it from Columbia House Record Club. It’s a good album with My Sharona and Good Girls Don’t.
Mother’s Finest – Mother’s Finest Live – released in 1979, I bought this album for my best friend’s birthday and he was not happy. He had bought me Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland for my birthday, or maybe Christmas, and he felt that Mother’s Finest was not in the same league as what he bought me. His loss. I think MF is pretty damn good mister of funk and rock.
The Offenders – We Must Rebel – The Offenders were a local band from Killeen Texas formed in 1978. We, my band at the time, hung out with the bass player Mikey and the drummer Pat and sometimes the guitar player Tony. They were cool dudes and we were in awe the they had released an album. This album came out in 1979, I don’t care what Discogs says, and I bought it at a local record store, Renaissance Records. Drummer Pat Doyle went on to play in metal band Ignitor and open for big name acts. Ignitor is still a band releasing albums.
Pink Floyd – The Wall – Released on November 20, 1979, I don’t recall when or where I got this album but I do remember seeing this movie stoned. I lived on Fort Hood and it cost $1.25 I believe to see this. A late night showing if I recall.
Rickie Lee Jones – Rickie Lee Jones – released February 28, 1979, I love this album. I bought it because of Chuck E.’s In Love but I love the whole album. I recently read her biography and it explains the meaning of a lot of the lyrics and songs on this album.
Sammy Hagar – Street Machine – released in September 1979, I listened to this album a lot. I mean a lot. I know the lyrics of every song on this album and can play many on the guitar. Songs like Growing Pains, Trans Am, Feels Like Love and Wounded in Love are just as good today as they were back in 1979.
Scorpions – Lovedrive – released in February of 1979, another great album that I listened to constantly. What a great cover and a great album. The Scorpions were notorious for having risqué album covers – see Virgin Killer.
If you want to see me actually talk a bit more about these albums, watch the video below or head over to my YouTube channel for more content – @retirementainteasy
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