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Dear friends, Meet Beyond!
But first, I want to announce to our local friends and fans, that "Rockstalgia"
IS re-uniting, though I had stated it was nearly impossible. Ha! I played a trick on you. No seriously I temporalily changed screen name only because Eddy and I founders of BeYond as it just so happens are in Rockstalgia, and Ed is the musical director.
After five years we started rehearsals two weeks ago on the exact date of the bands tenth year, so for those who live in or will be in south Florida, stay in touch for details. There is no timeline, or deadline. When we are ready, we will announce it. They are going to make a documentary about us, and we will appear on local TV performing and doing interviews as well. Hopefully I won't have to talk and leave it to the others, LOL!! The founders of BeYond, Eddy and I are in this group.
Now, about BeYond.
I would like first to thank to Paquito D' Rivera for his contribution and to Eddy for his Skills composing arranging, and producing. In short his incredible musianship.
And also, a special thanks to Willy Chirino, who took me from being a blues-pop-rock musician, to being a proffesional musician. He taught me so much, and Beyond came about, as we all met in his band, except for the drummer fofi which is my cousin.
We recorded this album, thats right, album there were no CD's at the time, in our early 20's. I was 22 when we started, and 23 when we splintered off.
As you may know, I am 50 now. Everything you will hear was played in the studio by us real musicians on 16 track analog (analogue for my friends in the UK.) tape. There were no samples, not even truly polyphonic synths, you could only play 5 or 6 notes at a time, I don't remember exactly so no big chords on any one track, imagine!
Obviously we made the big chords by layering keyboards, guitars, and vocals just like every one with the know how and skills.
There were no samplers (except the Mellotron off course which used analogue tape anyway, had a delay, though that had a cool effect at times. It was used on the "Stairway to Heaven" flutes by Led Zeppelin, and at the intro on "Strawberry Fields Forever" by the Beatles, and extensvely by King Crimson, by Yes on Handel's Messiah's "Halleluja" choir, and other progressive rock bands of the era. Mellotrons were big heavy, (It looked a bit like a clothe's dryer, LOL) expensive, and we didn't have access to one)
There were no Protools, computers, hard drives, not even digital tape. THERE WAS NO MTV!!! It was in it's infancy toward the end of our project so we made one video but who know where it is? Oh well, that may be a good thing!
We all met in 1980 as we were the back-up band for well known Latin artist Willy Chirino. You'll see him in pictures, you may or may not know him.
Paquito D'Rivera,contributed to one song here, and is the best sax player, and clarinet player in the world and was kind enough to contribute, because we were lucky he is Eddy's friend, and then became our friend. You could not neet a more humble and nice guy as all the greats are, though he is the best even to this day in multiple styles especially Jazz and classical.
Since we were a rock band, The first solo take he played he was trying to play a kind of bluesy rock solo and it didnt work. And then on the second take we just told him, "forget rock" and be yourself, and lo and behold he blew us all away, Two takes is all it took. The re-ucurring hook phrase we wrote out for him.
Fofi our drummer and I have played with the great Bobby Keys (lifelong saxplayer for The Stones, and perhaps on The Beatles Lady Madonna, i'm not sure. Check out his page, he has played with all of the Beatles on their solo projects after they split, exept with Paul perhaps) He is a more bluesy rock kind of player. Mr. D' Rivera, can play anything, plus add his own flavor which is very distinct, as is Bobby Keys. Anyway this is about Beyond.
At the time, the artist we played with was very middle of the road. There was nothing he didn't play including Jimmy Webb (Macarthur Park) Paul Williams, Barry Manilow, The Stones, everything. We played Pop Rock, Nile Rogers with Chic, Celia Cruz, Ruben Blades, BS&T, Chicago (We had a horn section) The Beatles, Brazilian and Cuban music, even some Jazz standards.
Every once in a while upon request, or for fun we would play some Cream, And Jimi Hendrix, but that was rare, because the following in Miami was not into phsychedelic, LOL but we had a blast with it. The artist loved all that too.
And last but not least, the artists own originals, and he had and still makes hit records in Latin america, and though the songs were in Spanish, the music was very much American pop with some Latin percussuion added, but not as edgy as Santana. Some of his songs have translated into many dififferent languages and have been hits throughout Europe as well.
He is to this day a well known singer/songwriter. In fact almost exclusively, he records and plays few covers now.
In 1980, While on the road Eddy and I, which for the most part had just met, began to get to know one another as all we had done before that was rehearse. Poor Eddy was assigned as my roommate,(thats another bio) We discovered our mutual love of classic 60's and 70's Rock. So we began to write, he had already written arranged and produced, and was very serious, and expirienced for such a young man so we were self contained. Eddy taught us a lot, especially me. Hey I barely played! Much less knew what the hell I was doing, but at least I looked good doing it, hahahaha!! LOL indeed!!!
I wish I knew then what I do now, but I think I did OK.
And so we managed to get studio time on weekends in exchange for producing and playing in sessions for the studio owner's projects thus it took about a year, record, mix, master, in short, to produce! Often we would go in at 2, 3, or 4 AM, and begin sessions after grueling six night a week gigs. At times we would go home get some sleep, and go during the day, since the owner didin't book the studio on weekends, it was ours basicically.
Our engineer literally resided at the studio, and was the artist's sound man so we had the green light, plus the door keys! We consisted of a few newly arrived musicians from Cuba, A new Yorker, a Swede, and and the rest of us are Cuban-Americans from Miami. The engineer is from Puerto Rico.
We almost al lived together for a year, it was a herculean effort!
Our line-up consisted of Guitar, keyboards, (Yes there was a real Steinway Grand Piano, not a digital piano) bass and drums.
We used a cello on one song and Horns on several, but they were hired hands. Eddy's father played trumpet!
Then we later added another keyboardist Mercedes (Mercy), Eddy's sister which is a master pianist and conductor, and was highly regarded in the world of classical music. Eddy was into clasissical, Jazz, pop and rock, so was everyone else. I came from the school of Clapton, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and Santana, however, I started playing in R&B, and soul bands at a very young, and played Disco in my late teens so lets just say I went to the university of Osmossis!. A very ecclectic mix for sure, and probably the reason I was able to cut it.
My favorites were The Beatles and Led Zep, however I would have killed to play for Tower of Power, they and Earth wind and Fire are groups which are just as important to me, as The Lads, Cream and Zep, however, it's much more fun to play with a big band filled with horns and syncopated rhythms, lots of accents, and just a Truck full of soul!!
Mercy also sang beautifully though she insisted on singing Bkg, and played the very fast organ solo on the song "Beyond" right after the guitar solo which ends with the guitar harmonies. One track for each guitar voice. The organ solo in a scorching tempo were 16th notes folks!
Beyond was also the bands name and album title. Her Brother Eddy and I were the founders, and composers. We changed bass-guitarists, a couple of times, and Fofi Lancha played drums on every track. (You can see him on the Sabado Gigante TV show, the highest rated prime time TV show Saturday nights in the US, and on you tube sticks 51) He just now opened up a MySpace, so I have to check, into that. He and I have continued to play in classic Rock bands to this day.
Whenever Eddy has time, (He is a busy producer with a resume too long to list, but has worked with James Judd, Chick Correa, Yngwei Malmsteen, Grant Geisman, Steve Gadd, and Arturo Sandoval among others) He put together
It's really fun to sound great and be loved. We have a great following, which makes us proud because we work hard for it.
There is not too much jamming or not too much ad libbing in Beyond we were a disciplined and approach our songs as it were classical music down to evey last little detail.
On Beyond, lead vocal was Eddy, and a few in which he and I shared dual lead vocals. Everyone except the bassists sang background, and we loved and were heavy on vocals. We liked lots of vocal harmony as much as playing.
I will periodically change the songs so don't get confused , it's the same band.
Beyond Songs are copyrighted BMI. We were a studio band, not by choice. We recorded before we played, and so as we tried to market the record, othe gigs came calling and gigs for Beyond never materialized. We had to eat!! And so my friends, though the guys are still friends we no longer exist as a band. It consists of mEaNgUiTaR, and R.Eddy Martinez, co authors. All songs are original, yet we were adamant against the advice of labels about showing our versatility, as we were into every Genre, including Classical, Pop, Rock, blues (though that was hidden in the heavier Rock material we never played pure straight ahead Blues) and little splash of Latin, and Jazz. The jazzier ones are not included here. We were not afraid to show our influences. In fact we highlighted them instead of hiding them, just because we could! LOL. We were not shy.
Note on my friends list there is another Beyond MySpace music account, so you can hear the whole album. Yes there is more where these came from, and they are quite different than what you are hearing here. Yes we were diversified, and you will hear that we did not shy away, from honoring our beloved influences as I stated. Aue contraire, we highlighted them, whenever we felt it was in context.
At the same tome we had our own sound and voices.
Beyond songs were not ever performed live.
I started writing songs when I was 13, and these when I was 20, I was not the lyricist, by the grace of God, except for perhaps a few lines here and there.
Beyond's Songs are copyrighted BMI to Eddy and I.
Thanks again,
All the best, Beyond
