An electric mix of thought provoking songs; from love and activism to memory and sport. This is my first album (try one), and this collection of songs have been most popular during my 20+ years of live performances.

10 MP3 Songs in this album (24:56) !
Related styles: Folk: Folk-Rock, Rock: Acoustic, Mood: Intellectual

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Details:
Album Notes

Intro
Cover Art
Thanks musicians

Shoot DANG!
Tony Klarich featuring Pharaoh Barn-A & Tom Liston

âShoot DANG!â was born in 1981 as part of a concept album featuring songs from different genres. Pharaoh Barn-A and I had a rock song, a Spanish flamenco song, and several others. When it came time for a Country song we included all the typical stuff you would find: a pick up truck, woman problems, and being out of work.
Fast-forward 30 years. Pharaoh Barn-A performed an a cappella version of Shoot DANG! over cocktails one night. It was a hit, so we decided to brush off the dust, make a recording, and shoot a âdown-homeâ video.
We updated the lyrics a bit to reflect the unfortunate climate of todayâs economy. Shoot DANG! is meant to be a lighthearted and fun presentation of the tough times we all live in.

50 of the proceeds from this song will be donated to an organization helping those out of work, most likely the United Way. Check out the video description on YouTube to get the latest information.

Now on YouTube: search âshoot dangâ.

Lyrics and vocals: Pharaoh Barn-A and T. Klar
Music, guitar, bass, harmonica, Jewâs harp, and bottle: T Klar
Banjo and mandolin: Tom Liston
www.SteelTropics.com


Sky Ski Junky
Tony Klarich featuring K2

Getting ready to ride? Then kick up the volume off this blues based song to get in the mood for big air, flips, and fun!

This song originally started out as âAir Chair Junkyâ, but when my uncle Mike Murphy flew the coop and started Sky Ski, it was only natural for me to change those two little words. My best live performance of this song was at Flight Worlds in 1998. Everyone was sitting around the Jacuzzi at the Bluewater Casino, and we sang this one loud and proud. It echoed through the whole pool area, and spectators at the railing from the casino looked down on our fun.

Music & lyrics: Tony Klarich & Mark Moseley
Vocals, rhythm guitar: Tony Klarich
Lead guitar: K2 (11 years old)
Drums & bass (Apple Loops in Garage Band); Tony Klarich
Additional percussion: hitting a foil with a hammer


Brother Bill

This song and video is a memorial for Bill von Zabern, a true iron man of hydrofoiling. His world record of 3,058 consecutive flips on a Sky Ski in one ride without stopping or falling is one of the all-time great endurance rides in water skiing. Bill was truly one of the good guys: husband, friend, and incredible athlete.

100 of the proceeds will be donated to the American Water Ski Educational Foundation to raise enough money to honor Bill with the permanent âLegacyâ honor at the Water Ski Hall of Fame.

If you knew Bill, or heard of his triumph and tragedy, please help the cause by purchasing the song.

Now on YouTube: âBrother Billâ von Zabern - Triumph and Tragedy

Words, lyrics, guitar, bass, vocals: Tony Klarich


Sonnet 18
Tony Klarich featuring Sierra Stack

Enjoy this easy to learn musical rendition of Shakespeareâs most famous love sonnet. Dedicate this sweet sonnet to someone special.

Hereâs a musical way to share one of the most endearing love poems of all time. Itâs perfect for a wedding or as a gift to someone you love. I wrote a song for this sonnet so that I would have an easy way to memorize it. Iâm sure it will work for you too! Unlike other musical versions of Sonnet 18, this one is broken down into 3 easy to learn verses and a heartfelt finale.

Now on YouTube: search âsonnet 18 song lyricsâ

Words: William Shakespeare
Vocals: Sierra Stack
Arrangement, guitar, bass, flute & percussion: Tony Klarich


Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee

Sing along with this catchy tune to memorize the monarchs of England in order from 1066 to 2010. The song is adapted from the traditional poem âWillie, Willie, Harry, Steeâ used for years.

I have been studying to be on trivia game shows for a couple of years, and I kept running across this traditional poem to memorize all of the kings and queens of England. I tried to learn the poem, but found it was easier for me to remember them all when I put a melody to it. At first I just sang it a cappella while at work. When I got home I figured out the chords to using my Taylor 414-CE acoustic guitar. When it came time to record, I changed a few of the nicknames to the actual names (Henry for Harry, etc.). The bass riff injected some funky fun flavor to the tune (ideas inspired from looking up chords on my iPhone using the GuitarToolkit app), and I used just a little lead guitar for embellishment. The last thing I did was to add a bit of âGod Save the Queenâ to the end of the song, which added a fugue feel. I had fun recording this one and I hope it helps you to memorize the English Kings and Queens too!

Lyrics, music, guitar, bass, percussion: Tony Klarich
Inspired from the traditional poem, âWillie, Willie, Harry, Steeâ


Stormflowers

Stormflowers is an award winning song from the 2010 Reflections program by my 5th grade son K2. Iâll let him explain how he wrote and recorded the song.

âI jam with my dad at least a couple times a week, and I knew I wanted to write this song for school. My dad was on his Taylor acoustic and I was using my Fender Squire mini electric guitar. I knew I wanted to start out with a 3-chord progression that I came up with, so we messed around with that for a while. Next I asked my dad to play this Em progression that uses the whole neck of the guitar. It was one of the first cool sounding chord progressions I learned to play. We practiced those two parts for about a half an hour and called it a day.

When I read the paper describing the project I found out that the theme was âBeauty isâ¦â The next day we sat down to finish the song. I knew it had to have three parts because my dad always told me thatâs how most popular songs are written. We played through the first two parts a couple of times, and he asked me what it sounded like. âA storm,â I answered, âand it would be really cool if we could add some thunder and lightning.â He said, âno problem.â
Now it was time to add the third movement, and work in the theme, âBeauty isâ¦â So my dad asked me what happy things came out of a storm. I think he already knew where we were going, but it didnât take me long to figure out that flowers were the best answer. âWhat do we do musically to make a song happy?â he asked next. I knew it was to use a major chord, and also knew that G was the cord to use with our start in Em. I messed around for a while until I came up with the third chord progression in G, and then had my dad play it while I played lead. I decided to call my song âStormflowersâ.

The next day we recorded the song. We played together, my dad on rhythm guitar while I played lead. We played the whole song through. He nailed his part, but I had to go back to a couple of sections to clean them up. Finally I added the drums by using three separate tracks. One track for the bass drum, one for the runs, and one for the snare and hi-hat.

My song won first place at my school and district. I was one of the top finishers in the region, but I think that the judges didnât like how we added sound effects for the wind, thunder, and rain. They asked him a lot of questions about that. They also wanted to make sure that I really wrote the whole thing, which I did. It was a fun experience to write and record this song with my dad. We hope you like it!

Music, lead guitar, percussion: K2
Rhythm guitar: Tony Klarich

Stormflowers on YouTube: search âstormflowersâ and âKlarichâ



Grandma
Tony Klarich featuring Tommy Phillips

I love my grandma. Hereâs her amazing story.

Mary Murphy made her own mark in the water skiing world at the age of 79. Her son Mike taught her how to ride the sit down hydrofoil at age 76, and together they cooked up a plan to promote the new product he co-invented: the Air Chair. In 1997 Mary rode her foil from Long Beach, CA to Catalina Island, a distance of 26 miles across the open ocean. The amazing feat took about an hour and a half, and garnered a fair amount of local press and coverage in the Water Skiing publications. Mikeâs thinking was if an âold ladyâ can ride the foil, just about anyone could.

The next year Mary outdid herself for her 80th birthday. This time she dodged sharks and dolphins all the way to Catalina Island and back; a four and a half hour, 52+ mile round trip. This time the press was out in full force, and a media whirlwind blew in. For each of the next eight years Mary was to celebrate her birthday by repeating the Catalina crossing. Her exploits landed coverage in Ripleyâs Believe it or Not, The National Enquirer, Whatâ Age Got to Do with It? (book), numerous overseas publications, and a slew of TV and radio coverage. She even picked up a sponsorship with Body Glove. She âturned proâ, receiving cash to promote the Long Beach Boat Show with another one of her crossings and a friendly competition with fellow octogenarian Banana George Blair.
The thousands of West Coast water skiers who made a stop to visit and ski with the Murphy family in Carlsbad or at the Long Beach Marine Stadium reminisce about the bright red âmilk truckâ, grandmaâs homemade cookies, and the traditional barbeque with hamburgers and hot dogs.

Music, lyrics, vocals, rhythm guitar, bass: Tony Klarich
Lead Guitar: Tommy Phillips http://www.gettommys.com/
Drums: John Canaday


Much Too Late

What do you do when your âexâ just wonât accept itâs really over? Write a song.

Lyrics: Tony Klarich & Mark Moseley
Music, vocals, guitar, bass: Tony Klarich



MADE IN CHINA

Most everything today is MADE IN CHINA. But is that good or bad? The line âwe demand more of what we deploreâ sums it up. This song explores how imported goods have become a hot button issue.

When I wrote this song I was pitching a TV documentary called âMADE IN CHINA, Delivered to Youâ. My 7-year-old son said that I needed a theme song to go with the TV show, and this tune was the result.

I work as a longshoreman in the port of Los Angeles, making a living in large part from unloading Chinese goods. I never really thought about how the avalanche of overseas imports affects us here in the United States. We scramble for cheap imported goods, usually without thinking of the long-term ramifications. When I play this song live, it is always a crowd favorite. It will give you something to think aboutâ¦

Music, lyrics, vocals, guitar, bass: Tony Klarich



Goodbye Cool World

Looking for a song with some international flair to end your video? This is your tune. Japanese, English, Spanish, French, German, and Russian are all covered.

Iâm not in a band, but if I ever am, this will be the song to end the night. I was thinking about The Cars song âHelloâ, and was inspired to write this song. Iâm a big fan of international travel, so it made sense to build it around saying goodbye in different languages. It was a tough choice for me to use dovidenja (my ethnic goodbye) or das vidania (Russian). I eventually went with the Russian because more people speak it, and I have had many great adventures in Moscow.

Feel free to use this song for any non-commercial videos including on YouTube. Just give me a name mention! If you use this song in a video I would love to see the final result.

Lyrics, music, vocals, guitar, bass, percussion: Tony Klarich