This Is Steeler Country

My Goodness am I tired.

This last week has been unlike any week in recent memory for me and my body is REALLY feeling it. I can't remember the last night that I had more than 5 hours of sleep. I work at a place that deals with Sleep Disorders. Five hours of sleep a night is REALLY bad for you. I have to get back on track soon.

We were in the studio last night until 1:30. I had no idea it was that late. Walter was a trooper -- refusing to go out to Eat 'N' Park with Nate and I so that he could finish editing the song. We brought him back a Buffalo Chicken sandwich and fries. Nice dinner at 1am. He was getting up at 8am to go to a gig out in Beaver, playing the drums. I barely stayed awake on the way home and crashed, but then woke up around 6:30, as usual. Need.... Sleep...

The good news is that "This Is Steeler Country" sound fantastic. If there are any additional tweeks needed, they are extremely minor. Kevin Morgan put in a great vocal last night, making the song even better than last week when we already liked it a lot to begin with. Addmitedly, I am a *tad* concerned about doing it live. Thankfully, that's not a concern right now. I have two websites www.ThisIsSteelerCountry.com and www.SteelerCountrySong.com to create as well as any other stuff, like the Rooney fan page. I have to have at least one of these pages ready to go by next Sunday when we go down to the Steelers game and pass out cards with the website address on it, so that people can check out the song. I'd like to be able to jump right on shooting the video, but that's not going to happen for a little while longer. We have enough to keep us busy right now.

Nate's planning on putting the song on YouTube in some format right now, just to get it up there.

Hmm.. anything else? Brain hurts. Need meds.



GET THE SONG HERE:
www.SteelerCountrySong.com

Here In The Studio

I'm here in Secret Asian Studios redoing the vocals and finishing the song off with Walter Ino, the Producer and Kevin Morgan, the singer. We had Kevin redo the vocal with a little more gusto and it really paid off. I'm excited for the final mix-down and for people to check it out with the new energy. I'm assuming at this point that I'm going to be here late into the evening, which is fine, even though I only slept 4 1/2 hours last night and have been up since 3:30 this morning.

Today, I started working on another idea to bring people into the website. It's not a finished idea yet, but it's started and some people have told me that's it's pretty funny. If you want to check it out, go to the main web site page here. The idea started this weekend when friends from NY were visiting and we took the pictures of the dressed up football. We decided we liked him as a character a lot. So I decided he deserved his own site. The whole thing is going to be a tongue-in-cheek look at the life of this character, who we decided is known as the "Official Spokes-ball of Steeler Country." Video ideas for him are in the works, as well as possible collaboration with Steeler Baby.

Here's a couple shots from the studio:

D.M. Lovic and Kevin Morgan:



D.M. Lovic and Walter Ino:


Kevin Morgan at work:



GET THE SONG HERE:
www.SteelerCountrySong.com

New Developments: "This Is Steeler Country" the DVD

So over the weekend, I was surprised with some new developments. While researching the phrase "This is Steeler Country" on the web, I found the website for a production team out of NYC who are doing a documentary on the Steeler Bars throughout the U.S. Since this is the same crowd for which I wrote my song called "This is Steeler Country" I was really interested in checking them out. I wrote to one of the Producers and sent him a link to the song clip I posted on Friday. He wrote back and suggested I visit with him while he shot footage during the Steeler's game on Sunday afternoon out in Ambridge. They were shooting at Fred's Divot.

I talked with Ken and mostly Stacey, the Co-Producers of the DVD. She explained that they are looking for funding to finish the season and are hopeful that they'll get a tv production deal out of the finished result. The best part of it all is that they LOVED the song and felt it was perfect for what they're doing. Stacey said there are only a few things they're sure about with the show and one of those things is that they're going to use my song. Their website is here if you want to check it out. They have a 3-minute video posted that gives a good idea of what the show will be like.

Another development is the CD cover art. Friends from Upstate NY were here over the weekend and we went to a local football field and shot a little football character we designed for the CD cover. We decided to call him "Rooney" in honor of the longtime owners of the Pittsburgh Steeler franchise. We think the pictures turned out pretty darn well. The end result will look a little different, as my designer friend Dave is going to erase the old houses and put in a more suitable background for the cover. I'll use similar art for the website when I design it.

GET THE SONG HERE:
www.SteelerCountrySong.com

Sneak peek of the "This Is Steeler Country" song

Okay, folks. Although absolutely no one is clambering yet to hear the country song I wrote for the Steelers called "This Is Steeler Country," you will be soon. With that in mind, I am posting a very rough mix of the chorus. This is a behind-the- scenes look at the song before it's even complete, so it's pretty gosh-darn exclusive.

Click HERE to listen and see if you can imagine this being played at Heinz Field for thousands of screaming fans!

GET THE SONG HERE:
www.SteelerCountrySong.com

Waiting For Next Week to Finish the Steeler's Country Song

The song is on hold for a couple days while the Producer is out of town, playing with his cover band. For the last 3 weeks, we've only had Tuesdays to dedicate to the recordings. This has made it difficult in some ways, since creativity and initiative is hard to hold back when it wants to go do something productive, but since the recording is free, I don't think I'll complain.

I have now listened to the song about 20 times and my friend Nathan (marketing) has passed it around his office at Wall to Wall studios, a design company here in Pittsburgh. It has gotten some great feedback. The general concensus is that we have a potential hit on our hands, although some people have cited a lack of enthusiasm noticed in the initial vocal. As a result, we're going to re-record some of the vocal parts next Tuesday to try to give it a little more umph. I wrote the singer about this yesterday, a little concerned what his response might be to the criticism. Thankfully, he took it all in stride, so we're on for next Tuesday.

In the meantime, we're thinking of more ways to get the song out there. One of the ideas is to get it posted on the SteelerBaby.com site -- a site owned and operated by Wall to Wall studios. Another is to get cracking on the video. I have to talk to Nate about that today. Maybe I can get the whole video idea on paper by next Tuesday so we can jump right on it as soon as the song is finished.

So, the takeover of the Steeler Fight Song is still underway, but as you can see, it's not a quick thing to do. Ones attention must be focused for quite some time. That's not usually my style, but I think this might all really pay off in the end. Nate told me the other day that it's his goal to have us singing the "This Is Steeler Country" song from the 50 yd line at the Ravens game at Heinz Field in December. That's a pretty high goal, but it's good to have something to chase after like that!

GET THE SONG HERE:
www.SteelerCountrySong.com

Vocals are Complete

Last night we went into the studio to record the main vocal for "This Is Steeler Country." The singer I found is a local country who has a following in the area, having performed country music locally for many years. His name is Kevin Morgan. You can see some of his music and his video at http://www.myspace.com/kevinmorgancountry. The recording took a couple hours and then a group of us there in the studio added the background "gang" vocal.

When the recording was complete and we all listened back to the rough mix, we were all really happy with it. I think we have a great Steelers song that could really go somewhere with the right marketing.

Nate Smith, creative consultant and marketing guru, has some new ideas for getting the song out there that are very inventive. We also discussed the music video. Thankfully, Nate has access to an HD camera or two through his workplace www.walltowall.com. I have made numerous music videos throughout the years, so I plan on directing the music video for "This Is Steeler Country." We have the basic idea for it already. Finding the time to shoot and edit is going to be a real chore, though. I have a wife and kids at home!

By the way, the song was produced by Walter Ino, a Pittsburgh Musician and now Producer for over 20 years.

Within a couple weeks, we should have the finished song uploaded and ready to market. This is getting very exciting!

GET THE SONG HERE:
www.SteelerCountrySong.com

I Have My Singer for the Fight Song!!

Well I have found the singer for my Pittsburgh Steelers Fight Song -- in case you forget, the song is called "This Is Steeler Country." I won't say his name yet, because the deal is not finalized. I put an ad on CraigsList.com last week and I got a response from a friend of his saying I should call him. He is a local singer that used to live in Nashville and was actually signed to a recording contract at one point. His voice is obviously very good and he has a lot of connections that can help us get the song out there and successful. In turn, I think we can help his career as well. If this thing takes off, he will gain instant notoriety and make some good money, too.

So Tuesday night is the night that we're going into the studio to finishing editing some of the lead guitar that was laid down and, hopefully, to put down the main vocal for the song, too. This is getting exciting. The song is sitting well with me still. Often times after you've written a song, it takes a while before you know if it's really good or not. This song is still sitting very well with me after a few weeks which is a great sign that it will last and will hook people in.

Another exciting development: over the weekend I spoke with my marketing friend Nate from wall to wall about an idea I have to get the song out to the fans. Not only was he totally on board with my idea, but he actually made the idea better. We would be aiming to put this idea into action for the next Pittsburgh Steelers home game at Heinz Field on October the 5th -- a Monday night. It's an idea that is almost sure to work. I'm really excited about getting the fight song out this way.

I'm waiting to hear back from the singer. I sent him an mp3 of the song with my scratch vocal and the lyric sheet this morning. I know he's at work now, so I'm expecting to hear back from him this evening. Things are progressing very well now. I have some work to do on the online marketing side today during my lunch break. My brother gave me some great ideas that I now have to execute.




GET THE SONG HERE:
www.SteelerCountrySong.com

Another Day Creating a Pittsburgh Steelers Fight Song (Country Song)

Another day, another step in the process of creating a great country song about the Pittsburgh Steelers. I reserved the website domains "www.SteelerCountrySong.com" and "www.ThisIsSteelerCountry.com." I think these are two great domain names for getting my song out there. My goal right now in terms of marketing the song is to get this blog active enough that it gets ranked in the search engines and to get the song up on YouTube, linking back to my ordering page. The other thing we're doing is something very unique and I don't want to talk about it here for fear that I might give someone else a really good idea! Sometimes you have to be pretty slick when you're marketing a Pittsburgh Steelers Fight Song!! I will say that it's an idea that will make the fight song I'm writing great for the national stage and not just for the local radio stations here in Pittsburgh, PA.

I am currently searching for someone to sing my Pittsburgh Steelers Fight Song. (I have been wondering if I should really call it a "fight song" at all, because that's really NOT what it is. It's actually just a good country song that happens to be about The Pittsburgh Steelers football team and the great fans here in Steelers Country.) Anyway, I'm looking for a Country Singer (since it is a country song). I have an ad on CraigsList here in Pittsburgh and I hope I find a total PRO to do it. Please let me know if you know someone who is a total PRO. I want someone who sounds like Toby Keith, Montgomery Gentry, Big and Rich, or some other artists that sing upbeat country songs (just like Hank Williams Jr. sang the NFL theme song for Monday Night Football a while back).

I hope I get a singer soon. It's one of the last pieces of the puzzle before "This Is Steeler Country" is finished and ready to put on YouTube and other sites (sites like www.SteelerCountrySong.com and www.ThisIsSteelersCountry.com).


GET THE SONG HERE:
www.SteelerCountrySong.com

What's Different About This Pittsburgh Steelers Fight Song?

Today I want to tackle the question, "What's Different About This Pittsburgh Steelers Fight Song?" first off, let me say that nothing I say is meant to demean the writers of other Pittsburgh Steeler Fight Songs. We all write, ultimately, because we are Pittsburgh Steeler fanatics and that's what's most important. I do have some differences of opinion on the execution of fight songs and in particular with a Steeler Fight Song.

I have been writing songs for over 20 years now and have done my best to study what works and what doesn't. My Pittsburgh Steeler's Fight song is all original, meaning I hadn't heard anybody else's before I wrote it. After I wrote it and began recording, I looked out on the web here in Pittsburgh and elsewhere to find out what other Steeler Fight Songs might sound like. I was amazed at some of the similarities with words used -- particularly one song out there which is called "You're In Steeler Country." And I also found that there have been a lot of talented producers and musicians that have put together songs.

What I didn't find was many songs, if any, that I thought did a really good job of being singable, smart and radio-friendly. There was a lot of loud rocker songs, songs with bad lyrics, songs with poor production, singers and execution and some listenable songs that just would never work as a Pittsburgh Steelers Fight Song for one reason or other. I hope I have avoided all these traps. My song was written with the fans in mind, with the audio that's used at Heinz Field in mind and can be played for years and years with no modification.

Wish me luck. I have some more work to do on the song -- finishing up the production end of the main vocal and the lead guitar, then it's marketing plans and making the cd covers/website.

GET THE SONG HERE:
www.SteelerCountrySong.com

Writing the Steeler Country Song

In the last post, I described the origins of the song called "This is Steeler Country." Now, I'd like to talk about how the rest of the song was written.

The song was built around that one line that I mentioned in my last post, "Hold your head up high, you're in Steeler Country now." That line came to me all on its own, as is often the case when you're writing a song. There's no explaining where these things come from to people who are not song writers -- for people who are songwriters, you know exactly what I'm talking about. So, once I knew that I want ed to build a song around the idea of Steeler Country (makes sense, since this is going to be a country song...) I had to figure out what I wanted to say with the verses. The typical Pittsburgh Steelers fight song will mention a bunch of the players on the team and then the song writer will have to update that song every year for it to still make sense. This happened with the last Pittsburgh Steelers Fight Song that I wrote and I didn't want to deal with it this time. So, for the first verses, I took the approach of mentioning only some of the old names -- the guys that really made Pittsburgh "Steeler Country" back in the 1970's. Of course, because of the melody I had chosen, I had to find names that fit the syllables I was looking for... the names "Franco, Bradshaw, Swann and Mean Joe Greene" just kind of fell off my lips, so I sued those guys. Three players from the Offense and one from the Defense. I really wanted to use Jack Lambert in there, but didn't want to leave out terry Bradshaw who was the only 2-syllable name I could replace if I used Jack Lambert. So I kept it as is.

Then I decided a couple things... One, I should talk about how those players (and our current players) are all in our Hall of Fame as far as Pittsburgh Steeler fans are concerned. That's the reason for the next line "There's a building up in Canton that they call the Hall of Fame -- but we got our own, Steeler Country is its name."

Then some good-natured ribbing of all the Superbowls we've won was in order. hence the line... "This is Steeler Country and if you ain't aware what it's like to hold a trophy, we've a few to spare." What really makes the Pittsburgh Steelers special in my book, is its fan base. So the next line "If you want to know our secret, well we bring it to every game -- it's called 'The 12th Man' -- Steeler Country is its name!"

Back to the chorus "It's a football nation and we're the heart and soul/That's why we fill more seats than you, even on the road" which is almost true, but not quite. Pittsburgh Steeler fans are known for buying A LOT of the tickets even at the stadiums of opposing teams. It's amazing how many Terrible Towels you see all over the U.S. The the chorus says, "So if you're coming to Pittsburgh/go buy a terrible towel/ And hold your head up high, You're in Steeler Country now!"

Coming out of this chorus is a bridge and it's a shout-out to all the wonderful Steeler Bars throughout the nation that support the Pittsburgh Steelers. It says, "If you can't be at the game -- OK/ Find a little place in your town/ Where beer is sold and Black 'n' Gold hang from roof to ground/ And buy them friends a round!"

Back to the chorus with a little red meat for the fans, "The only town in the whole damn world with six (6) Superbowls!"

The fade out gives the fans a chance to sing along. I imagine the crowd of 60,000 people at Heinz Field all singing my Pittsburgh Steelers Fight Song some day... I'll be in my usual seats as I listen to everyone chanting, "Hey, Hey, Hey! This is Steeler Country!" When I hear that someday, it's going to be VERY fulfilling. I hope this comes to pass. It would be a nice validation for all the time, effort, hard work, late nights and tears I've put into becoming a better song writer!!!

Go Steelers! This is Steeler Country!


GET THE SONG HERE:
www.SteelerCountrySong.com

The Making of a new Pittsburgh Steelers Fight Song

How does one go about conceiving, writing, producing and making popular a new Steelers fight song? This is the story of how I am attempting to do just that.

This is the first year I have had Steelers season tickets. I've been on the waiting list for some time, but this year, a relative of mine who got sick last year decided she can't go to the games and she offered me her season tickets. It took me about one half of one second to say "YES!" So I invited an old friend of mine to the Buffalo Bills game. We parked in a secure, underground garage where he works and went up and had a couple beers in his office before walking over to Heinz Field for the Steelers game.

During the pre-game coversation, we started talking about the current Steelers fight song which has been around a long time. My friend is in Marketing (he works at wall to wall in Pittsburgh) and he knows a couple stats about the Pittsburgh demographics in general and Pittsburgh Steeler fans in particular. As I have been writing songs for years, he said to me, "You know, you should really write a new fight song." I told him that I already have one -- something I wrote years ago called "Go 'n' at, Pittsburgh Stellers." It's filled with Pittsburgheese and is sung by a character I call The Weasel, who is sort of a tribute to Myron Cope. We talked a little about updating this song and re-recording it and then my friend said, "If you really want a song to get popular, you should write a country song. %60 of Pittsburgh Steeler fans like Country Music." I thought, "Wow -- what a great idea!" I listen to country music and am very familiar with writing country music songs. That night on the way home from his house, I started singing a little phrase to myself that said, "Hold your head up high, you're in Steeler Country now." That was the beginning of the song.


GET THE SONG HERE:
www.SteelerCountrySong.com