Biography section
About me currently...
I'm a computer technician who lives in Southern California. I do music
as a spare time hobby. I am also working on a website that showcases my
animation and game-making talents using Macromedia's Director software.
This site (when it goes "live") will also feature some of my Photoshop digital
art and photo restoration projects.
as a spare time hobby. I am also working on a website that showcases my
animation and game-making talents using Macromedia's Director software.
This site (when it goes "live") will also feature some of my Photoshop digital
art and photo restoration projects.
My Childhood...
I was raised on a 600 acre ranch in Imperial Valley, California in the
early 70s. Imperial Valley is basically below sea-level desert country. It
was really nice having all the wide-open space around me so I could play
Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars in the middle of a field (as pictured
below). I felt a sense of adventure every time I heard the packs of
coyotes howling at night or experienced a heat wave when the
temperatures were 100-120 degrees fahrenheit. Horses, chicken coops,
sheep, it was all great fun for a kid. My parents suddenly decided to
leave Imperial Valley in 1976 after the last storm at full tropical strength
hit southern California. The full story is available in my "Imperial Valley
Flood of 1976" section of this website..
early 70s. Imperial Valley is basically below sea-level desert country. It
was really nice having all the wide-open space around me so I could play
Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars in the middle of a field (as pictured
below). I felt a sense of adventure every time I heard the packs of
coyotes howling at night or experienced a heat wave when the
temperatures were 100-120 degrees fahrenheit. Horses, chicken coops,
sheep, it was all great fun for a kid. My parents suddenly decided to
leave Imperial Valley in 1976 after the last storm at full tropical strength
hit southern California. The full story is available in my "Imperial Valley
Flood of 1976" section of this website..
My Education...
I have a bachelor's degree in English from UC Riverside. I liked it so
much there that I stayed another 2 years and obtained a second bachelor's
degree in Creative Writing. I was attending San Diego State University
in 1994 and 1995 working on my Master's Degree in English but left to pursue
a career. I am a SBE Certified Television Operator and a state of California
credentialed Multi-Media Instructor. I also have IT-related job training
experience running a network, repairing computers and other (various)
technical troubleshooting.
much there that I stayed another 2 years and obtained a second bachelor's
degree in Creative Writing. I was attending San Diego State University
in 1994 and 1995 working on my Master's Degree in English but left to pursue
a career. I am a SBE Certified Television Operator and a state of California
credentialed Multi-Media Instructor. I also have IT-related job training
experience running a network, repairing computers and other (various)
technical troubleshooting.
A hint about contacting me...
Please use a specific e-mail
subject line referencing this
website so I can differentiate
your e-mails from all the
"spam" I normally get. Some
examples might me "your
web site" or
"RE: musicbyalan.com."
subject line referencing this
website so I can differentiate
your e-mails from all the
"spam" I normally get. Some
examples might me "your
web site" or
"RE: musicbyalan.com."
Above: My Halloween 1991 costume, I was 22.
Above: Halloween 2007 costume is ready!
Below: rare photo of Alan from 1989
when he was approximately 19. Rockin'
out!!!
when he was approximately 19. Rockin'
out!!!
1989...So long ago,
the years of my
guitar infancy....
pictures of me to the
left and right...
the years of my
guitar infancy....
pictures of me to the
left and right...
Photo below: Alan in 1992 at age 22:
# of visitors to peek at my bio...
History of this website...
I originally put this website together in 1999 and it was originally located at the following URL:
www.geocities.com/paris/cathedral/4311
My website was selected as "website of the month" by Geocities in 1999
Yahoo eventually took over Geocities and eventually required that Geocities websites were no longer "free"
as they originally promised and they started charging for them. Because I didn't receive an e-mail warning of
this policy, Yahoo deleted my Geocities website and all my work was lost. Man, that sucked! In 2005, this
domain name (musicbyalan.com) was available so I bought it and I reconstructed the website from the best
of my recollection. All I can say from this experience is Yahoo was wrong to take away websites from people
that were under agreement as "free." Damages for lost data should be paid to all Geocities users who
lost their websites due to Yahoo's corporate greed.
www.geocities.com/paris/cathedral/4311
My website was selected as "website of the month" by Geocities in 1999
Yahoo eventually took over Geocities and eventually required that Geocities websites were no longer "free"
as they originally promised and they started charging for them. Because I didn't receive an e-mail warning of
this policy, Yahoo deleted my Geocities website and all my work was lost. Man, that sucked! In 2005, this
domain name (musicbyalan.com) was available so I bought it and I reconstructed the website from the best
of my recollection. All I can say from this experience is Yahoo was wrong to take away websites from people
that were under agreement as "free." Damages for lost data should be paid to all Geocities users who
lost their websites due to Yahoo's corporate greed.
Why I wrote some of the songs I wrote...some explanations...
"The Chosen Path" - I originally wrote this song in 1987. It was the first full-length song I ever wrote. Back then I
titled it "The Naughty Path" but have since revised it and changed the title to "The Chosen Path." The notion of
being naughty leading to a positive outcome has since become a laughable concept to me as I've matured more in
years. "The Chosen Path" sounds so much better now. The path you chose leads you to your destiny, I guess you
could say the song is philosophical in nature. I have copyrighted both versions ("Chosen Path"/"Naughty Path").
"Jimmy" - I wrote this song in 1991. It's an anti-drug song. It was about a guy I knew named "Jim" who played
guitar. Hence the lyrics "Jimmy used to play guitar." However, I heard from a mutual friend that Jim hurt his hand in
a construction accident due to his drug usage and couldn't play the guitar anymore. This song is about the pitfalls of
drug use.
"Sea Lover" - I wrote this song in 1992. I was watching a classic movie on TV late at night in my apartment near
UC Riverside. The movie was black and white and part of the movie dealt with a lover who lost his love at sea and
every night he would stroll down to the waters edge searching for his lost love. I put myself in that movie character's
shoes and wrote the song. The song is not based on my own personal experience.
"Ephemeron" - This is one of my more recent songs, I wrote it in 2008. Ephemeron is about the ephemeral nature
of some relationships we have in our younger years. Some relationships endure, others are ephemeral. A thing that
is ephemeral is an ephemeron, such as flies, gnats, some amoeba (I guess). In choosing ephemeron for my song
title, I acknowledge the perspective that human life has many fleeting aspects that are wonderful and glorious and
made all the more so by their ephemeral nature. This song acknowledges life and all its treasures, even if gone.
The lyrics acknowledge little memories from the past, some examples, a former drummer friend of mine playing
drums in the back of my pickup bed on the 8 freeway in San Diego on his Ludwig drum set as we were driving 60mph,
being drunk at Soil (a goth club in San Diego) at 2 in the morning, Club Emerald City in Pacific Beach and the ocean's
night air filling the lungs. All these little memories are in the lyrics and "for whatever brief moment in time they touched
my heart." An audio sample of "Ephemeron" is available on my main page www.musicbyalan.com and a video is available
on YouTube if you want to search for it there.
"Tell the World" - I wrote this song in 1990. The chord progression for this song was pretty catchy but it took me
10 years to come up with some lyrics for the song. In 2000 it all came into focus and the words started coming out
after 10 years of playing the song. The song is about expressing yourself in the face of danger and challenges and
through expression, you can overcome the obstacles presented.
"Beautiful Love" - I wrote this song in 1996. This song was about the most perfect love one could ever hope to find
and what it would be like. When the narrator of this song describes the "beautiful star shining bright in the sky," the
narrator is comparing the beauty of the object of his/her affections to the heavens. When we look at stars in the night
sky, we're really looking at the past, thus the lyrics "a million years for that light to reach my eye." Light from those
stars traveling at the speed of light takes a long time to reach the Earth, in most cases. The untouchable beauty from
so far is analogous to finding the perfect love, it's difficult.
"Interlude of Solitude" - (1994) This song is intended to be just a pretty acoustic piece without lyrics. As I wrote it,
I thought of trees, mountains, creeks, etc. Nature in general was the inspiration.
"During a Year" - (1993) This song is about the changes that can happen over the course of a year and about the
other things that don't change. This song is about time.
"Building this Love" - (1997) This song is about a relationship that is breaking up. The narrator in this song is
talking about how much effort was put into building the relationship and then suddenly it was torn down. I used the
analogy of the city of Pompeii's destruction in the lyrics.
"Power of My Love" - (1994) This song is describing an absolute peak or apex that love could ever achieve in
human form.
"Turn Around Love" (1992) This song is about rejecting a lover. Hence the lyrics, "turn around love, I don't want
you no more." I wrote this song many years ago and from someone else's perspective, it is not something that I
wrote regarding my life. This is just about a relationship that went badly.
"Find a Way" (2004) This song is about the hurtfulness that occurs when someone cheats on you. I had a girlfriend
do that to me once. The lyrics, "this time I'm gonna find a way, gonna find out everything" basically state that the
narrator of the song suspects that he/she is being cheated and is resolute to take the steps to find the proof so that
he/she can end the relationship and move on with their life. Sounds like a rational move to me, after all, who would
want to remain involved with someone who is seeking pleasure from others behind their back, not me! If someone
in a relationship is hurting you, move on! Life is too short to subject yourself to painful emotions. More philosophy
from me, eh?
"All Hallows Eve" (1989) This was a song about Halloween that I wrote in my younger testosterone-laden days.
The song was aggressive with a Metallica-type feel. The song pretty much chronicled the history of the Halloween
holiday. Some day when I feel some youthful nostalgia, I'll put a sample of it up here on this site.
Additional descriptions of songs I wrote are forthcoming...I've written more than 25 songs...keep checking back!
All the songs noted above have been copyrighted during the years indicated.
titled it "The Naughty Path" but have since revised it and changed the title to "The Chosen Path." The notion of
being naughty leading to a positive outcome has since become a laughable concept to me as I've matured more in
years. "The Chosen Path" sounds so much better now. The path you chose leads you to your destiny, I guess you
could say the song is philosophical in nature. I have copyrighted both versions ("Chosen Path"/"Naughty Path").
"Jimmy" - I wrote this song in 1991. It's an anti-drug song. It was about a guy I knew named "Jim" who played
guitar. Hence the lyrics "Jimmy used to play guitar." However, I heard from a mutual friend that Jim hurt his hand in
a construction accident due to his drug usage and couldn't play the guitar anymore. This song is about the pitfalls of
drug use.
"Sea Lover" - I wrote this song in 1992. I was watching a classic movie on TV late at night in my apartment near
UC Riverside. The movie was black and white and part of the movie dealt with a lover who lost his love at sea and
every night he would stroll down to the waters edge searching for his lost love. I put myself in that movie character's
shoes and wrote the song. The song is not based on my own personal experience.
"Ephemeron" - This is one of my more recent songs, I wrote it in 2008. Ephemeron is about the ephemeral nature
of some relationships we have in our younger years. Some relationships endure, others are ephemeral. A thing that
is ephemeral is an ephemeron, such as flies, gnats, some amoeba (I guess). In choosing ephemeron for my song
title, I acknowledge the perspective that human life has many fleeting aspects that are wonderful and glorious and
made all the more so by their ephemeral nature. This song acknowledges life and all its treasures, even if gone.
The lyrics acknowledge little memories from the past, some examples, a former drummer friend of mine playing
drums in the back of my pickup bed on the 8 freeway in San Diego on his Ludwig drum set as we were driving 60mph,
being drunk at Soil (a goth club in San Diego) at 2 in the morning, Club Emerald City in Pacific Beach and the ocean's
night air filling the lungs. All these little memories are in the lyrics and "for whatever brief moment in time they touched
my heart." An audio sample of "Ephemeron" is available on my main page www.musicbyalan.com and a video is available
on YouTube if you want to search for it there.
"Tell the World" - I wrote this song in 1990. The chord progression for this song was pretty catchy but it took me
10 years to come up with some lyrics for the song. In 2000 it all came into focus and the words started coming out
after 10 years of playing the song. The song is about expressing yourself in the face of danger and challenges and
through expression, you can overcome the obstacles presented.
"Beautiful Love" - I wrote this song in 1996. This song was about the most perfect love one could ever hope to find
and what it would be like. When the narrator of this song describes the "beautiful star shining bright in the sky," the
narrator is comparing the beauty of the object of his/her affections to the heavens. When we look at stars in the night
sky, we're really looking at the past, thus the lyrics "a million years for that light to reach my eye." Light from those
stars traveling at the speed of light takes a long time to reach the Earth, in most cases. The untouchable beauty from
so far is analogous to finding the perfect love, it's difficult.
"Interlude of Solitude" - (1994) This song is intended to be just a pretty acoustic piece without lyrics. As I wrote it,
I thought of trees, mountains, creeks, etc. Nature in general was the inspiration.
"During a Year" - (1993) This song is about the changes that can happen over the course of a year and about the
other things that don't change. This song is about time.
"Building this Love" - (1997) This song is about a relationship that is breaking up. The narrator in this song is
talking about how much effort was put into building the relationship and then suddenly it was torn down. I used the
analogy of the city of Pompeii's destruction in the lyrics.
"Power of My Love" - (1994) This song is describing an absolute peak or apex that love could ever achieve in
human form.
"Turn Around Love" (1992) This song is about rejecting a lover. Hence the lyrics, "turn around love, I don't want
you no more." I wrote this song many years ago and from someone else's perspective, it is not something that I
wrote regarding my life. This is just about a relationship that went badly.
"Find a Way" (2004) This song is about the hurtfulness that occurs when someone cheats on you. I had a girlfriend
do that to me once. The lyrics, "this time I'm gonna find a way, gonna find out everything" basically state that the
narrator of the song suspects that he/she is being cheated and is resolute to take the steps to find the proof so that
he/she can end the relationship and move on with their life. Sounds like a rational move to me, after all, who would
want to remain involved with someone who is seeking pleasure from others behind their back, not me! If someone
in a relationship is hurting you, move on! Life is too short to subject yourself to painful emotions. More philosophy
from me, eh?
"All Hallows Eve" (1989) This was a song about Halloween that I wrote in my younger testosterone-laden days.
The song was aggressive with a Metallica-type feel. The song pretty much chronicled the history of the Halloween
holiday. Some day when I feel some youthful nostalgia, I'll put a sample of it up here on this site.
Additional descriptions of songs I wrote are forthcoming...I've written more than 25 songs...keep checking back!
All the songs noted above have been copyrighted during the years indicated.
"Aerial" photos from my younger years...
Ahh, ages 17-19, a time when riding off-road motorcycles and skateboards was a cool thing to do...
