Elevating Music was started back in the mid 1980s by me, Tim Barrus and Mike Gann. We worked together on and off for over 10 years. I took over the publishing name and moved to Nashville in 1994, and began making the rounds. As a lyricist I was limited. At the time “they” were looking for singer/songwriters. “Hats” as they were referred to. Plus, I was about 48 when I moved there, not 20 something, and yes, it makes a difference. Publishing companies and record labels back then, and probably to this day, keep lyricists and songwriters on staff and those are the people they draw from first when looking for hits and album cuts. Unless, of course, their artist is very popular and then they get to use some of their own songs. This was a major reality check for me and, after almost 4 years, my wife and I moved back home and started a commercial photography and video production business. That lasted for 17 years, until I got diagnosed for cancer and had to retire. During that time we did a ton of work for our clients and there was not much time or energy left over at the end of the day to be creative for myself. Every once in a while a song idea would come and then I would work with the multi talented Kevin Wicker, singer, multi-instrumentalist, engineer, and arranger. What you will hear on Songs With A Bite and some of the others came out of that collaboration. Time has gone on and Kevin is now mostly retired too, but has been known to go out and sing one or two occasionally. Elevating Music is a BMI publishing name and once again I am making the rounds. But this time it is online using outlets like Spotify and iTunes to spread the word. You can get the Songs With A Bite on Amazon and other outlets, as a download. The next project, JukeBoxx will be a work in progress until I run out of ideas or breath, whichever comes first. You can get songs from JukeBoxx on the next music page. Thanks for taking your time to visit the site. You may not know it, but you are an important part of this project. Listen, and if you like what you hear, help spread the word that Elevating Music, and the BueSnake Project are back in the saddle and, to mix metaphors, still swinging for the fences. Stephen R Pell

The link below will take you to a music video by Kevin.

The BlueSnake Project: Analogues 

An analogue recording is one that is made by changing  sound waves into electrical signals of the same type.

 These are songs that were recorded the old-fashioned way; in a studio with various musicians and singers contributing to the sound waves. These songs are of the time-tested appeal that need no conversion into the purely digital world. Kind of the same reason some folks prefer vinyl albums to digital downloads. I get it. I’m an old guy. My blessing is being able to see and utilize the best of both worlds. For digital wonders, explore our Project JukeBoxx. To revisit the world of live recordings, you have come to the right place. Analogues. Stephen R Pell

Most of these songs were recorded, sung, played, and engineered by Kevin Wicker, who owned and operated Progress Studios in Nashville, TN when I lived there in the mid-90s. A few were done in our own studio or that of Mike Gann. A recording studio is a magical place when talented musicians come together and find the “groove”, or, as some say, “get in the zone” while performing a song, breathing life into lyrics and melody. If I could have, I would have lived in a recording studio.