Music, Art & Engineering
The single by Drop Dead Sunset
“If we studied any other creature in nature and found the record of intra-species violence that human beings have, we would be repulsed by it. We’d view it as a great perversion of natural law – but we wouldn’t deny it.”
— Gavin De Becker
A post apocalyptic psychedelic blues ballad from the point of view of a mother trying to explain to her child why it happened.
Music producers who work exclusively in the digital domain seem to be obsessed with “analog vibe and character.”
As computers become more powerful, the quest for convincing “analog emulation” is more intense than ever, but there are still misconceptions about the underlying technologies and their inherent applications. Discover why it has taken so long to convincingly bridge the divide.
Five tracks written, performed & produced in September of 2021. R1NG$ is an ongoing music project that combines elements of modern rock and pop.
A “B-Side” recorded during the 2018-2019 sessions for the Vacations In Color II album. Imagine Genesis-era Peter Gabriel produced by Trevor Horn in 1990. The cat in the cover photo is my good pal Peachy.
Music commissioned by Blue Moves Modern Dance company in 2019. Written, performed and produced by Ernie Gray.
A collection of folk-rock odds and ends I wrote and recorded in April-May 2020 during the early lockdown phase of Covid-19. Electronic music seemed obscene at the time, so I found myself turning back to acoustic guitars with minimal production. It’s unlikely that I’ll release this officially, so sharing here for posterity. Enjoy.
This six song album was recorded in 2020 between Atlanta, GA and Northeast, TN by my brothers, Adam and Vincent Gray.
Several years in the making, Drop Dead Sunset is a five piece hard rock group based in Nashville, TN. The material emerged primarily from demos Ernie Gray wrote from 2017-2020 that the band then collaborated and expanded on. We made several attempts to record the material, finally opting to work with producer Geoff Piller at Electric Thunder … Continue reading Drop Dead Sunset EP
Produced by Ernie Gray November 29-30, 2019 Timecode Reference: 00:00 – i. V.H.Essen Theme00:07 – ii. The Constant Drone Of Success04:13 – iii. Losing Your Shadow In The Rain08:28 – iv. Taking A Soft Target By Force12:14 – v. All You Ever Think AboutTotal run time: 16:04 Download Written, recorded mixed and mastered over Thanksgiving … Continue reading R1NG$ EP
Supermoon is a new live set in the ongoing series featuring longtime collaborator, experimental guitarist, Joey Campbell and jazz percussionist John Westberry. John Westberry met Joey and I for the first time during this session, booked in the evening of the historic Supermoon on November 14th, 2016. An exceptional musician, John brings a dynamic linear style that challenges and … Continue reading New Live Set: Campbell Gray Westberry – Supermoon
This track was written and recorded in 2011 using mostly minimalist soft synths and drum machines in an early version of Reason. Vacations In Color is an ongoing solo project combining rock, R&B and synthpop.
Vacations In Color is an ongoing solo project I’ve been working on since 2012. Automatic Ecstasy was recorded during the summer of 2012 as an ode to electronic instruments and the Electropop/Synthpop singles that I loved during the early 2000s. True to the tradition, it was composed using simple soft synths and drum machines in … Continue reading New Track: Automatic Ecstasy
Brian Shulman is a business colleague and friend who’s been a profound influence in my life both professionally, as a software innovator and businessman, and personally, as a mentor of tremendous character. Brian is not involved in the music industry himself, but I was fascinated to learn about his late father, Stan Shulman, who was … Continue reading Interview: Brian Shulman on music pioneer and businessman, Stan Shulman
A colleague recently told me about an interesting interview he read with Ed Catmull, who just published a book on Pixar. One of the key insights was that he observed how poor management allows organization to smother the creative genius of important company talent. I’ve been fortunate, and intentional enough to avoid traditional organizational structures … Continue reading Zen Business & Creativity (Or six ways to die as a creative)