Selector Switch On (Rock and Roll) by Marc C. Waszkiewicz and Lea Jones

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Synopsis: Marc Waszkiewicz served the greater part of two tours in Vietnam as a Marine Artillery Forward Observer. During his time ‘in country’ he made thousands of photographs, with the intention of creating a documentary film on his return ‘back to the world.’ In 1992, enlisting the songwriting services of Lea Jones, Waszkiewicz produced a nine-song musical compilation portraying the everyday experience of the ‘average grunt’ to serve as the foundation for a “music video”-based documentary film. Veteran Magazine lauded the collection of songs as having ‘a real in-country feel.’ The finished recordings sat in the can waiting for completion of the project.

With the advent of the Iraq War and the considerable challenges being faced by veterans returning from the conflict, Waszkiewicz and Jones are releasing the music independently. The CD will be available to radio stations, at the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum in Chicago, and here on the world's best and friendliest independent CD marketing website, www.CDBaby.com, while individual songs will be available for download on iTunes and a number of other mp3 internet sites.

Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) has agreed to help us promote this music. We’re channeling more than half the proceeds from sales on this CD through the Vietnam Veterans Assistance Fund to help provide support and services to veterans of the Iraq war. (See www.modernveterans.com)

About the music: The songs reflect upon the common experiences of those who served on the ground in ‘Nam. ‘No One Knows’ details the sense of comaraderie between brothers in arms and the sense of separation felt upon returning home. ‘Truckin’ It’ is a high octane look at time spent truckin’ on the backroads. ‘The Golden Hour’ takes listeners on a psychedelic evening tour of a jungle outpost. ‘When I Had You’ evokes the pain of the ‘Dear John’ letter received while in country. ‘Loaded Gun’ gives a wifes-eye-view of a veteran returning home. The opening song ‘Changing of the Guard’ details a son hoping to follow in his father’s (WWII) footsteps, only to experience misgivings when faced with what to say to his own sons about ‘what I did in the war.’ With lead and backing vocals and acoustic guitars by Lea, bass guitar, percussion, guitars, keyboards, and engineering by Marc, and with a number of cameos by local (Kitsap County, WA) musicians recorded on 1” eight track tape, SELECTOR SWITCH ON (ROCK AND ROLL) brings the Vietnam War as close to home as most people will care to experience it.

About the artists: Marc and Lea met in 1991 near Seattle, Washington. An odd couple if there ever was one, Marc was a devout, right-leaning former Marine while Lea was a left-leaning tree-huggin' singer-songwriter. Marc found Lea at a songwriters showcase Lea was running on the Kitsap Peninsula. Putting aside their considerable philosophical differences for the sake of telling a univeral tale, the two musicians spent a year and a half conceptualizing and creating this moving and detailed portrait of ‘the Vietnam Experience.’ Lea moved to Maryland in 1993. Marc and Lea didn’t speak to one another during the first five years of George W. Bush’s presidency. You can read more about this rather amusing tale by visiting our website.

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