Photo By Sgt. Judith Dacosta | Sgt. Lee E. Gore, 21st Cargo Transfer Company, sits in his room/recording studio at...... read more read more
By Sgt. Judith DaCosta
3rd Combat Support Command Public Affairs Office
Service members at Logistical Support Area Anaconda participate in extra-curricular music activities to pass the time, however, there are a few performing artists that devote large portions of their free time to creating a sound that is beyond the level of extracurricular in an attempt to reach a worldwide audience.
"We're just about to wrap up the making of our album," said Sgt. Lee Gore, a 21st Cargo Transfer Company Soldier, and one of at least three service members at LSA Anaconda who are actively attempting to push their musical vision out to a larger audience through completed albums on CD.
Gore used his self-taught audio engineering knowledge to create a compilation CD entitled "Soldiers in Iraq Compilation Album."
Gore said he wants the world to know the Soldier's story from a Soldier's perspective, and he is not alone.
Airman Edward Grant, 322nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, is another aspiring artist who plans to release his first independent album at the end of his deployment.
The second song on his album describes life overseas and is aptly entitled "The Sandbox."
Lastly, Sgt. 1st Class Reginale Thomas, Company A, 32nd Signal Battalion, 22nd Signal Brigade, is also working on a CD, entitled "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde," due for release in 2007.
These service members have made significant progress in their efforts to share their experiences through the music medium, but they didn't accomplish their goals overnight. It took a significant amount of dedication and determination to get there.
Many recording musicians on the LSA agreed that noise from incoming mortars, generators and next door neighbors pose additional challenges during recording sessions.
The recording challenge was especially great for Gore, whose completed product was produced in Iraq.
The album took five months to complete, Gore said, who currently works 10-12 hour night shifts during the week. He said he brought professional equipment and ordered some online. He also purchased foam to rest against the wood paneled walls of his trailer to enhance the recording quality for his album and block ambient noise.
He held auditions for the CD to ensure that the vocalists were more than musicians but also Soldiers who had experienced life outside of the "wire." Several Soldiers worked on the CD and are very proud of the finished product, he said.
"I am amazed that we can get equipment out here," said Thomas. "It took three weeks to get my music equipment downrange."
He said you can accomplish goals as a musician in theater, but it can be difficult to acquire all the right tools.
"It's just a matter of money and time," said Thomas.
Grant said production was a challenge as well.
"I have to fight complacency," said Grant. "As Americans we are used to having what we need when we need it. With mission requirements always looming, you have to make plans far in advance to accomplish simple tasks."
Still, Grant overcame the urge to remain unproductive and has established links to his music online as well.
These service members work past challenges to deliver a product they have committed themselves to.
Thomas has been in the service for 10 years and has reached the end of his contract. Once he redeploys to Germany he plans to share his story through music full time.
"Music is my passion," said Thomas. "I enjoy the Army but there comes a time when we must move on."
In each of these albums, service members combine their passion for music with their experiences on the job.
Each song may provide a unique, historical account that may be compared to the pages of a deployed service member's diary.
Though these songs have yet to receive recognition from major recording labels, there is definitely an audience that, if nothing more, is curious to know what service members experienced in Iraq.
| Date Taken: | 07.17.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 07.17.2006 12:50 |
| Story ID: | 7191 |
| Location: | IQ |
| Web Views: | 90 |
| Downloads: | 46 |
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