MP3 Marc C. Waszkiewicz and Lea Jones - Selector Switch On (Rock and Roll)

Everything you wanted to know about the Vietnam war in classic 60s style roots rock, folk rock, psychedelic rock, metamorphic rock, country rock, and secular inspirational rock feels.

10 MP3 Songs
ROCK: 60's Rock, FOLK: Folk-Rock



Details:
Cover painting by Mike Brostowitz & courtesy of the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum in Chicago. Visit them personally or online (www.nvvam.org).

âWhen I first heard the nine-song compilation of Selector Switch On (Rock and Roll), and as a combat veteran of the Vietnam war, I was absolutely astounded by the profoundness of the lyrics and I was touched by the 60s-ish, familiar-sounding melodies. After playing them all several times, I turned to my wife and said: "If you want to learn something about me, listen to these songs." I think the wives, children and grandchildren of every Vietnam veteran should hear these tunes... particularly the track Changing of the Guard. And I know every Vietnam veteran who hears these songs will say the same thing I did: "There it is, man."â
Charles âDocâ Newcomb, Navy Medic, TV Photojournalist & filmmaker

OUR CD RELEASE CONCERTS will be in Baltimore (August 7) and DC (August 12). We'd love to add a few more dates (Phillie?? NYC??).. Check our website for details.

Synopsis: Marc Waszkiewicz served the greater part of two tours in Vietnam as a Marine Artillery Forward Observer. During his time âin countryâ he made thousands of photographs, with the intention of creating a documentary film on his return âback to the world.â In 1992, enlisting the songwriting services of Lea Jones, Waszkiewicz produced a nine-song musical compilation portraying the everyday experience of the âaverage gruntâ to serve as the foundation for a âmusic videoâ-based documentary film. Veteran Magazine lauded the collection of songs as having âa real in-country feel.â 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. Weâre 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 âNam. âNo One Knowsâ details the sense of comaraderie between brothers in arms and the sense of separation felt upon returning home. âTruckinâ Itâ is a high octane look at time spent truckinâ on the backroads. âThe Golden Hourâ takes listeners on a psychedelic evening tour of a jungle outpost. âWhen I Had Youâ evokes the pain of the âDear Johnâ letter received while in country. âLoaded Gunâ gives a wifes-eye-view of a veteran returning home. The opening song âChanging of the Guardâ details a son hoping to follow in his fatherâs (WWII) footsteps, only to experience misgivings when faced with what to say to his own sons about âwhat I did in the war.â 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 1â 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 âthe Vietnam Experience.â Lea moved to Maryland in 1993. Marc and Lea didnât speak to one another during the first five years of George W. Bushâs presidency. You can read more about this rather amusing tale by visiting our website.

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