VOL 17 ISSUE 11		November 2022

Ascend Again - A Song Dedicated To The Invasion Of Ukraine   
by Mark Greenawalt

I don't tend to write songs with political agendas or subject matter, but the Russian invasion of the Ukraine just seemed so atrocious and unjustified. It inspired the lyrics of this song from the vantage point of someone fighting for their country against an 'univited' agressor. I wrote this on my piano and I included the real piano tracks on the song when I recorded it in my home studio. I wanted the song to have a marching cadence that I played on a snare drum and then built up the song, layer by layer, with guitar and symphonic sounds for Spitfire BBC Symphony plug-in. I was really happy with fullness of all of the vocal harmonies and I decided to have this song mastered by Mike Bollenbock with Full Well Recording Studio and I think he made it sound fantastic. See for yourself on your preferred streaming platform or click the image above for the lyric video on YouTube. Here are the lyrics if you feel like singing along!

Who knew the winds of war
Would shatter through, through locked doors
Take up arms, make a stand
United as one defend this land

Fear from a distant bomb
Breaking the silence of the dawn
Slowly turns to resolve
The hope of peace we watched dissolve

Ooo, stand your ground, don't back down (We are stronghold)
Ooo, hold the line, hold the line
This is our home - we defend Fighting for home - to the end
You're uninvited and we intend to see our flag ascend again

Fighting against all odds
No sign of allies or hand of God's
But these invaders can't stay
There'll be no white flag today

Ooo, stand your ground, don't back down (We are stronghold)
Ooo, hold the line, yeah, hold the line
This is our home - we defend
Fighting for home - to the end
You're uninvited and we intend to see our flag ascend again

Celebrating 30 Years      
by Mark Greenawalt

Lori and I were married in a midieval castle in November of 1992. You may have heard of the castle...it's called Excalibur and it's in Las Vegas, Nevada. We've had some wonderful times over these past 30 years along with our two sons, Sage and Zane, and our daughter-in-law Savannah who brought us the three grandsons, Gavin, Wesley, and Miles. We bought our first home in Mesa, Arizona then moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1995 where we bought our second home. Missing the sunshine, we moved back and have now been in our third house since about 2001 in the Ahwatukee village of Phoenix, Arizona. Lots of great family vacations over the years including Hawaii, Cabo San Lucas, a couple of cruises and a special trip the two of us took to Paris a couple of years ago. We had a dog named Scooter and then another one named Copper that we loved dearly till he went to doggy heaven. Here's hoping for another 30 years with my soul mate!

So Many Things To Be Thankful For      
by Mark Greenawalt

As Thanksgiving rolls around, I try to take moment to write down some of the things I'm currently thankful for. Here are a couple that came to mind:

• Added another instrument to my arsenal of music. This time it is a trombone. It's the blue one made from PVC plastic by PBone. I think it sounds great, but I've got a ways to go to be able to play it.
• Started an internship with Renaissance Records to assist with editing in their marketing department. Although this is an unpaid position, I do earn credits for Scottsdale Community College toward my stretched-out film degree I've been chipping away at.
• Lori and I went to see Stevie Nicks perform at Ak-Chin Pavillion. Our friend Al Ortiz is her bass player and it was great to finally see him on stage with her.
• Judas Priest got into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this month. Breaking the Law was one of the first songs that I learned on guitar, then I devoured the whole British Steel album.
• I joined a band called AM/FM Experience to play at the Taste of the NFL Superbowl Party. We rehearsed quite a few times and it was sounding great, but the gig fell through...still on my thankful list though since I'll still be getting paid for it!
• Oh, and one last item, I'm on Tik Tok now as @markgreenawaltsongs . Not sure if that is something to be thankful for though.

E-ya later,
Mark Greenawalt
Mark@MarkGreenawalt.com

My gift to you is my music. Please kindly accept by going to these fine streaming services to download and stream! I hope you like some and consider them for your favorite playlists!

copyright Mark Greenawalt, Future-Class X Publishing - Phoenix, AZ 85044

Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions
To Read the Archived Green Pages, Click Here