Byron Scott of Harmony Dreamers joins Bill for this episode of 3 Questions and a song. About the band, Harmony Dreamers Genre: Synthpop, Psychedelic Rock Band Location: Currently Las Vegas, Worldwide From Byron Lee Scott – I’ve always loved writing and recording songs, I have hundreds. This is my first album, a studio project. I like to focus on the contributions from others around the world, who changed my songs and the album. There are articles on our website which contain deeper, more elaborate reviews. Here is a description from our website. The First Harmony Dreamers album is an extraordinary group of musicians and singers from around the world. The humorous title track, “I Come from Earth,” features more than 20 backup singers, representing every continent except Antarctica, which is under international treaty. The album is a collection of upbeat, family-friendly original songs from producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist Byron Lee Scott. The music is heavily guitar and synthesizer based, with lots of drums, percussion, and amazing bass guitar players. On various songs, there are orchestrations, a vibraphone, a clarinet, and sound effects. Scott sings all the male vocals, with silky smooth tones and a low, wide vocal range. The album features seven female vocalists, chosen to fit each song, and as you might expect, the vocal harmonies are most interesting. About the song, “I Come from Earth” The artists on this song… ~Byron Lee Scott– Lead and Harmony Vocals, Rhythm and Lead Guitars, Guitar Synth, Synthesizers, Electronic Drums and Percussion ~Cece Castro – Harmony Vocals ~Anna V – Harmony Vocals ~The Earth Choir – more than 20 backup vocalists from every continent except Antarctica, which is under international treaty and has no permanent residents. ~Larry Dragland – Drums ~Lola Visentini – Analog Synthesizers and Synth Effects ~Nikita Astrakhantsev – Bass Guitar Written and produced by Byron Lee Scott Mastering by Luis “The LP” Pacheco at The Hideout Studios, Las Vegas About the song, from Byron: “This song came from personal experience. I used to tell people when they asked where I’m from… Earth. I noticed it made people laugh and comment. This wasn’t one of those songs written really fast from some inspiration. It took a few years and pages of ideas, then in the summer of 2021 in Larry’s studio, it started coming together. I was always inspired by pop music that sings about people getting along. It became obvious after a while this album was going to be lyrically “Good Vibes,” and a statement of love, peace and connection. So I started seeking more than 20 other artists from around the world to sing backup on this tune. It’s because of that search I met Filipina Shiruu, who later collaborated on Paro Paro Butterfly in two languages. Coincidentally, we have Nick from Ukraine on amazing bass guitar, and Anna from Russia, our singer on five songs, singing harmony. We all get along with each other fine! On a lighter note, I always admired artists who could be serious and other times add humor to their lyrics, for example Joe Walsh or Jerry Reed. Two people told me this song, and “The First Song,” reminds them of Frank Zappa. I guess the low voice, subtle humor and guitars, it makes sense in a way. And yet, Frank is musically amazing, I would never presume to compare. I Come From Earth was one of the first album songs that Larry and I recorded last summer as we were establishing part of our sound, which is two or more drummers or percussionists playing at once. Also, I met Lola with her love of synthesizers as we were finishing this song. Cece did some of those cute harmonies on Earth, like she does on Sophie and Pearl. Sometimes in the recording studio, artists will do their part many times until they feel it is right. On I Come From Earth, I recorded the vocal and lead guitar tracks one take, first recording, straight through, a thing sometimes done to try and capture the mood. There are two solo sections. The first is guitar synthesizer. The second lead is unedited in the Earth Reprise, while in I Come From Earth, I inserted a guitar synth lead in the middle. On that second lead, there were two people I thought might send a lead track, but the timing didn’t happen, and I was going in to master the song at 10 AM. So, at 9 AM, I decided to play the lead myself. I still had to take a shower, pack up a few things, and drive 15 minutes to the studio. So, I hooked up the guitar and hit record. The first few bars I didn’t like, so I started over. The next take was it, one shot. I guess people call that improvising, jamming. When I listen to that lead in Earth Reprise that was just off the top of my head, it’s funny that I can clearly hear it was inspired by three of my influences… first one little thing is Jan Hammer, then it goes into definite Tommy Bolin favorite riffs, then ends with a Pat Thrall inspiration. And when again at the last minute I decided to break up that lead with a guitar synth in the Earth Version, I started that first note thinking of my favorite musician of all time, Jan Hammer, then just started jamming.” To wrap this up, since this is the title track, I want to mention that Larry, besides being a fantastic drummer, was there with arrangement and technical input all through this album project, and this song is no different. Larry and I have been best friends since we were band mates in Seattle starting in 1999. Larry has a great ear for music and also sings and plays guitar and bass. It was an amazing experience during these album recordings meeting artists from around the world who are very passionate about music and are out on the internet with some…
Read More
