School Bus Music

My new single DIANE is an uptempo rock song with good old-fashioned power chords. You can find it in your favorite online music store. The song is about a troubled young woman on her way to making bad choices and a friend who tries to help her. Special guest singer is my daughter Samantha Klym, who contributed several tracks of background vocals. Be sure to catch her work in the DFW band Good Latimer. Also playing drums on this track is Milos Delic. I asked Milos to bring on the intensity in the last section of the song, and he pulled it off wonderfully. Give it a listen. You can contact Milos for drum work at TopDrumTracks.com. 

If you like both kinds of music, Country and Western, you might like REST STOP, the new single from Rick Sal.  Stop for relief and give it a listen. Special guest musician is my son Aaron Salinas, who contributed some acoustic guitar work. Catch him online and on stage with the DFW band Good Latimer. 

REST STOP is available in your favorite online music store.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK8rMWJb5sg

I like lyric videos. So I made one for my song Off With His Head. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPyUF1MBOiQ

New Rick Sal Single - Off With His Head - Coming April 24, 2020. Available for purchase and streaming on all major online music outlets. Visit schoolbusmusic.com and join the email list for updates. Spotify Users, visit this link to follow Rick Sal and be notified of all upcoming music releases: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/ricksal/off-with-his-head

The first single off the upcoming Rick Sal album has been released.  Just Like a Fine Wine is available in all major online music outlets.  Visit this link to find it online: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/ricksal/just-like-a-fine-wine

Available for purchase and streaming on all major online music outlets. Visit schoolbusmusic.com and join the email list for updates. Spotify Users, visit this link to follow Rick Sal and be notified of all upcoming music releases: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/ricksal/just-like-a-fine-wine

My new single “School Bus Pals” (under my pseudonym Rick Sal) is a wacky instrumental track influenced by the sound of early video game music from the late 70s and early 80s. Variations of this song will be used as theme music for videos on my upcoming YouTube channel. Click on the "Music" menu above and download the single for free (for a limited time). It is also available for purchase or streaming online at Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, Amazon, and more.  Thanks and Always Stop for School Buses!

Just an update on my album release...  I am still on schedule to release my CD sometime in January 2020.  I've got 2 more songs to record plus mixing and mastering.  I also have to get into shape (like Rocky Balboa, only rounder) before I take my promotional photos.  Otherwise, photoshop will have to be put into action.  In the meantime, I will be releasing a single in the next week or so which is not on the album.  It's a wacky instrumental that will serve as the theme music for my YouTube channel and misc upcoming videos.  Please be sure to join my email list so you will be notified of upcoming releases and events.  Anyone on my email list will also receive monetary discounts and perhaps be registered in a drawing to win a stick of gum (flavor to be determined soon).  Thanks and Always Stop for School Buses.  Regards... RS 

Spent a snowless sunny hot day in DFW last week with Good Latimer shooting video for the song "Go Where It Snows."  After some creative fun, sunburn and dehydration, I made it back to Austin to start the editing process.  No snow here either… but ice cubes with homemade iced tea will suffice.

The Good Latimer song “Let It Go” off the album Go Where It Snows is NOT the Disney song from Frozen.  In fact, the song was written by Aaron Salinas, Michael Klym and Michael Zaring way before Olaf ever uttered a word on the movie screen (listen here: LET IT GO).  It was one of the first two demos I heard from the band that got me interested in the project.  It is a clever unusual song written in reverse.  Typical songwriting starts with a verse (subdued), then branches occasionally into a rise or pre chorus (building excitement), and then hits the chorus for the payoff (generally the most powerful and memorable section).  This song begins with a full blown rockestra (aka rock orchestra), then moves to a punchy melodic uptempo verse, then abruptly slows down into a dreamy soft pre chorus, and then hits the chorus in a relaxing slow movement reflecting the title of “Let It Go.”  And if that’s not enough, there is another musical switch when the acoustic bridge comes in, which is actually an acoustic version of the rockestra intro.  Here is the amazing part… there are about 7 different tempo changes throughout the song!  The way I just described it… you would think the song is a mess and hard to listen too.  But it’s actually one of the most beautiful songs on the album, packed with musical hooks and vocal harmonies (every band member sings on this one).  My recommendation is to listen to the song on headphones, so you can hear every detail in the stereo mix. 

On a side note, the huge rockestra intro was not originally in the demo.  Instead, it was an acoustic guitar part strumming the chords similar to the bridge.  However, after hearing the lyrics, I suggested the music would better serve the song if it began in a loud and chaotic thunder; reflecting the opposite of the soothing chorus advising the listener to “Let It Go.”  This idea (among others) was tossed around for months and months, and we left the intro section empty and undone until the end of the recording.  Once we realized that “Let It Go” would be the last song on the album; and that “See You In Hell” would lead into it, the need for a huge musical intro became more logical.  So, we began to build up the section with lots of tracks and instruments.  However, despite plenty of musical tracks to mix, I was still having trouble getting it to sound bombastic.  Luckily, Michael “I Love Reverb” Klym stepped in and began experimenting with reverb and delay on every track… and he made it work.  Feeling energized by this breakthrough, I proceeded to finish the mix and worked to make the transition from intro to verse seamless.   

One of the most ethereal musical sections of the album is the ending to “Let It Go.”  It is a wonderful combination of piano fills, melodic bass, multiple guitars, and the smooth drum work of Hubert Payne (of Little Big Town fame).  Here is a fun video clip of Michael Zaring and Aaron Salinas trying to work out the final guitar parts (studio work is tedious, so laughter is essential to keep things flowing):

Special thanks to guest drummer Hubert Payne, who always does fantastic work.  If you are interested in his services, contact Hubert at: https://www.airgigs.com/user/Hubertpayne.