As long as I can remember I've been enthralled with the sky. I've been fortunate to live in places which afford breathtaking views of the heavens, including North Carolina and Colorado. CloudRider is the name I've given to my pet project, as it affords a visual point of reference to the passion and grandeur of the music (and the God who created it) that I continually reach for.
Todd Gilmore is my given name, and I've written, arranged and produced the music and lyrics you hear at this page. The one exception is "Imagine Greater Things"; the lyric was written by a friend, Linda Brumley.
Influences
From strictly an instrumental standpoint, Phil Keaggy and Steve Morse primarily. But there are sooo many more - waaay too numerous to mention - nearly everyone swinging an axe and/or writing songs in pop music from the 60s on.
Like most folks my age, I was raised on radio, so my initial exposure to many artists was through their "hit" songs (I say this with deliberate irony). But as FM radio opened a world of wonder through playing entire album sides, and as and my LP collection grew, I began to appreciate the lesser-known gems that often show truer colors in the artist's soul.
Sounds Like
Outta the Park : I took my daughter to a Baseball game and was inspired by all the classic rock they were playing during downtime (despite the fact the Rockies were being spanked - but we ultimately won).
Trouble (I'll Try) : In January 2004 I had a close brush with death that compelled me to go after my dreams with renewed vigor. This was probably written, to a degree, as a reflection of my experience - and CloudRider dedicates it to two friends who have recently lost their spouses.
Colorado : Written while praying intensely over relocating to Colorado, having learned that my sister had "rescued" our mother from a lonely trailer in Palm Desert, CA and moved her to her place in Denver. We also knew that Mom was quickly declining in every way, and time was short.
Imagine Greater Things : I was asked to take a crack at writing music for a friend's poem; the entire melody and chord progression came to me in one evening.
Dreamtime : This began somewhere back in the haze of time as sort of a meditative chord progression that I'd play at night to lull myself to sleep. The irony is, it worked so well on my wife, but I'd sit noodling into the quiet darkness, often well past midnight, dreaming awake.
Flamingo Rose : This song is for Lorraine. In my late 20s I was preparing to move from Philly to New York, where I'd begin to undergo a series of cataclysmic life changes. We were desperately "in like" with each other, but we both knew in our guts we weren't in it for the long haul.
Riffology : Five short "movements" - sort of a guitar demo - composed around some of my favorite riffs that I've written from the 80s until the present day: movement I: "MuscleBrain" / movement II: "Ex-Kings" / movement III: "Turkey Jam" / movement IV: "Fatback" / movement V: "Aluminum Hair"
Guess I'll never get that classic rock out of my veins...
As one can readily see from the variety of virtual friends I'm blessed with, my musical tastes are broad, but they revolve primarily around guitar-driven songs and instrumentals. I've always been a fool for a great lyric - but I'll settle for a predictable lyric with a great hook!
Virtuoso guitar has fascinated me since its earliest incarnation, and though I've never practiced hard enough to be a bona fide shredder (how do some of those guys do that, anyway?!?), as a self-taught "music geek" I'm able to find my way around the neck with a reasonable amount of skill.
Scales, anyone?
About a decade ago I began to nurture an obsession with exotic scale patterns, related chords, and how these can be applied to composition and live performance. Outside of a few excellent books, I was disappointed with the lack of information readily available on the topic.
I wanted a resource - an encyclopedia, if you will - of easily searchable scales, chords and ideas for their use; I was challenged by a musical friend of mine to compile one myself. Still under construction, the results of my labor of love can be seen here:
Millennium Scale Concordance
in 2012 our world will change positively for the human mankind!
drink clear water. breath deep and slowly. go outside and enjoy the nature. don't trust your ego - trust your fellings. follow your dreams. beware of illusions. if you do this i promise you: your life will change the best way!
kind regards! wolfgang
DREAMSCAPE (progressive metal from germany) new cd february 2010!
Hey Todd! I really like Your Sound and where U R comin' from! Glad You Found Me! Thanks for the Friendship!! Peace & Blessings, Sharon :) http://www.souldogs.com
I read your comment and I really appreciate your support and taking the time to listen to the music. Please stay tuned for the new EP coming out next month. I look forward to sharing it with you.
Glad you found our music intriguing...enjoyed your page, too. Welcome to Theory of Tides. We hope you continue to check out our tunes, tell us your favs, playlist us, feedback. Happy to have you here/hear in our Tidal Pool...m/ToT
Hi again Now we have a new and rather crazy blog about "How to dance like Roger Moore in Santiago". We also have a link to a brand new interview. If you find the time don't forget to read it:) Wish you a brilliant weekend. Tomas/ Eggs & Dogs
Hi CloudRider! Eddie's CD, "Wanna Go Back" is available now on Amazon, and itunes! Eddie hand picked and performs new versions of 12 classic hits that were all songs that he loved playing as a kid when he was growing up!!! Also, check out Red Hot Chili Pepper Chad Smith's new band, Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats and their iTunes Top 10 Funk/Jazz debut release, "Meet the Meatbats"! Thanks for supporting Eddie Money!
Thanks so much for the visit and your support glad you enjoyed it :-) Check back with me for new music coming your way! I'm pleased we are friends! I like your tracks, I like your page great job, have a wonderful week-end.
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