Not All It Seems by Mike & Greg

TWO songs made the finals (top 10%) ofthe international Unisong 2003 songwriting event, and critics said the following: very "James Taylor"; beautiful, poetic lyrics; fresh structure; mmm, mmm, Good!!; gorgeous folk melodies; structured perfectly; very cool song!; clever cute song; music is lovely; lyric is fantastic; like a movie - I see it, I feel it, I'm there; one of my favourites I've been listening to; this lyric is FANTASTIC; strange fascinating song; fresh and unusual musical moves; intriguing and unusual chord changes; rich chord inventions; lovely lyric peppered with very colorful lines and phrases; very intriguing song; exquisite for the style; beautifully structured; hard to top the lyric; a curiously wonderful song; I really liked it; such good lines; I thought it was wonderful; I've enjoyed listening to your songs; beautiful melodies."

C. COMPANION MUSIC BOOK AVAILABLE

A 154-page sheet music book has double-stave piano notation and also contains a separate section specifically for guitar players. The book is prefaced with our musical biographies, and a detailed story behind the development of the songs and the recording process. Sample music pages for the guitar and piano sections can be downloaded from our website (use the link on the left of this story) for you to view or print, along with pricing & shipping details. Lyrics for every song are also provided at the same site.

D. SONG DESCRIPTIONS

While you browse the songs, here are some additional notes on each. Unless mentioned otherwise, these are vocal and guitar duets:

1.Fields & Sunny Skies (3:38). Folk/country ballad. Our first song which was the response to the untimely death of a friend.

2.Ferry to the Island (4:13). Folk/country. Rolling bass beat sustains a literal boat journey "getting away from it all". Our first use of atmospheric sound effects.

3.Mad About It (5:17). Blues. Solo laconic & resigned view of a life of continuing bad luck. Two different instrumental breaks.

4.Cappuccino Crowd (4:11). Ragtime. Sarcastic & humorous view of western lifestyle.

5.Seasons (4:52). Folk. Poignant solo reflections of a younger life in the "old country".

6.Clay Shapes (4:45). Folk. Results in life don't necessarily match the effort we invest. Guitars dovetail with a Mozart piece.

7.Home is where the Heart is (3:57). Contemporary solo Ballad. Happiness and love is sometimes so close, you don't see it. Keyboard and strings.

8.Pleasant Land (2:51). "Olde English" solo folk in an Elizabethan waltz style. Ethnic upheaval and prejudice is the baggage carried by all migrants to their new countries. Clavichord, bandeon and guitar.

9.Listen (4:36). Blues. Men generally can't express their emotions and so are/feel cut-off from their loved-ones. Contains a number of guitar styles including slide and overdrive.

10.Gonna Get You (4:24). Ragtime/rockabilly. Humorous look at the fact that you'll die, no matter what the changing health & lifestyle fads in society. Rare use of percussion.

11.Worlds Apart (4:20). Pop solo. The usual problem of man-woman polarities and trying to find a simpatico partner. Rare use of overdub/multitrack on last chorus.

12.In Two Minds (3:45). Instrumental. Two parts with quite disparate feels, although each uses exactly the same chord structure. Part I - mellow solo guitar only. Part II - uptempo guitar, keyboards & bass.

E. STYLES

The commonest recurring elements are finger-picked guitar (Mike on a Martin D-6 and me on a Takamine 12-string), melody, and strong lyrics that reflect our life experiences and attitudes. While following general song conventions, we work hard to avoid simple repetitive verse-chorus groupings and the songs are scattered with interesting musical changes.

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