"Hurry Up News" Battle drums, whooshes and just enough piano to make you wonder if you're color blind or not.

Hulk Hogan doesn't know his sex tape partner? This is the perfect track for this HUGE story and expresses the world's dismay!




News music to shock common sense out of you!
Headline/Tabloid news music

"Frenetic Fury" Headline news music for the celebrity aficionado. Big drums, big strings, and some attitude for good luck.

Mixed feelings that Elton John's hubby plans to NOT watch Madonna's Super Bowl halftime performance? I'm so confused.

Headline/Tabloid news music

"Urgent Bombast" Groovin' hard rock with thunderous drums and sprinkled with some orchestral strings because I believe in chivalry!

Stoked that Tom Cruise's & Nicole Kidman's son DJ's a Hollywood Party? Hell yea! Urgent news! I've got the right track!


Headline/Tabloid news music

"Headline Thunder" Big strings meet big drums and some electric guitar thrown in for justice!

Breaking News! Your 2 fav fem celebs wore the same dress @ the Golden Globes? Soak in the drama w/"Headline Thunder"!

Headline/Tabloid news music

"Midtown Ruckus" Quirky-jazzy-big-band'y music for TV

Not sure if God loves or hates your NFL team? Change your focus w/"Midtown Ruckus" comin' to a tabloid show near you!

"Mellow Mack" new TV track (quirky space age pop to cure all dissatisfaction)

Turned off by celebs Tweetin' smack? Cure your stress with some "Mellow Mack". Comin' to a tabloid show near you!

"Bring It Home" new track for TV (funk rock)

Getting your occupation raided bringin' you down? Wipe away the tear gas, pack it up, crank this up and bring it home!

Organ-ic

I've been doing some blues jam sessions with some friends lately and having a blast. The one thing about playing a real instrument as opposed to a sample (organ, piano, Fender Rhoads, Wurlitzer, Clav, etc) is that you play differently - at least I do. There's still nothing like the real thing.

Demo Recording from 1985

The is the first complete demo tape (yea, cassette tape baby!) I recorded with a pop band. This was done in 1985 and we called the band MYX. Richard and Lorenzo Shaw were original band members of Rick James' Stone City Band, and their cousin Donald "Bones" Harris was the other keyboardist and singer. We recorded this on a Teac 3340s 4-track, my Juno 60, Bones' Poly 61, a E-mu Drumulator, Simmons Drums and lots of kids running around the house! Amazing times!

MYX by armenchakmakian

When Creativity Strikes

Just wrote an entire piece of music while in the shower! Now just gotta figure out how to dry off all the instruments before wife gets home!

View from the stage tonight.

Voodoo Lounge. Riverside, CA

Cell Phones and the Recording Studio

Here's some advice I read about in the Hot Tips section of the Harmony Central newsletter:

Turn Off Your Cell Phone

You probably know to turn off your cell phone ringer during a session—the last thing you want is some weird ringtone intruding on a killer acoustic recording. But you may need to go even further and actually take out the battery. When cell phones update, and sometimes when they receive a call, they may generate "hash" that can get into signal processors, amps, pickups, and other electronics found in the typical studio. What's worse is that this may be recorded without your actually hearing it, until you play back the recording. So, if you're involved in a crucial session—particularly if it's a live recording—you can probably do without your cell phone for a bit if removing the battery ensures you won't get any nasty interference.

—Craig Anderton

Blood, Sweat, but no Tears

Trail of blood I left on my keyboard after my organ solo in Voodoo Chile. The band was ROCKIN' today!

Neda's Calling - Video Tribute

A video tribute to Neda Soltan. I created this video to go along with the music I composed for her. If you'd like a copy of the music, you can download it for free from the previous post.

Download video:

Small (iPhone) | Medium (iPod, TV) | Large (TV, broadcast)

Eric's Guitar Shop

Being a pianist/keyboardist, what do I know about guitars? Not much. But I do know a bit more today than I did a couple days ago. I always wanted to learn to play the guitar, so I bought a brand new black Gibson Melody maker guitar last summer. Why this guitar? Well, it looked cool, it's not real common, it was black, and the price was right. All systems go!

Sittin' like a proud papa

When you bring home a brand new piano, you need to have someone "tweak it out" and make adjustments because it's made of wood, strings and things that stretch and settle over time. I had no idea the same goes for a guitar, even though it's obviously made of wood and strings and things that stretch and settle over time. Ok, I just had my "duh!" moment.

So my my buddy Dean Cortez, who's also a kick-ass bassist, told me "Call Eric, he's a mo-fo and he'll hook you up. He does all my basses now."

I just picked up my guitar from Eric's Guitar Shop. Brent and Eric did their magic to my axe and man this thing feels good! I really liked this guitar before, but now I love it! Thanks guys!

Testing it out in the shop

Brent and me


Me & Eric - Hey, this Gretsch matches my shirt.
Can I take it home?


Eric and Brent...


...are busy dudes!

Photos - Doheny Blues Festival 2008

Yesterday was a beautiful day to be at the beach in Dana Point, California. Even better than that was to be playing at the Doheny Blues Festival with my friends. We performed with Shawn Jones Band on the main stage opening up for Joe Bonamassa, Little Feat and the headliner, Bonnie Raitt. The crowd was awesome; the band was tight, all in all a great gig and a great day!

Band members:
Shawn Jones - Guitar/Vocals
Jaymes Felix - Bass Guitar
Larry Mitchell - Drums
Armen Chakmakian - Hammond Organ

Doheny Blues Festival
May 18, 2008

Dana Point, California