Debut, original Rock and Roll songs, by singer/guitarist/songwriter Laurie Vitt. Like many R&R musicians, I grew up playing classical music (violin) and later high school band music (tenor sax). During the late sixties, I played in a series of rock bands in the Pacific Northwest, one of which (“Kathi and the Unusuals”) toured the west coast repeatedly and released a record nationally (Summer is Over) on Time Mainstream Records. Because I was a serious university student (biology), I made the choice in 1967 to focus on my studies and performed in several bar bands to support my education, one of which (“Mantis” in Tempe Arizona) honed my guitar skills, largely because, as a self-appointed worst player in the group (the other members were outstanding musicians), every performance was a challenge, increasing the rate at which I was learning to play. Following graduate school, I changed course for nearly 40 years pursuing a very successful academic career in biology, more specifically, herpetology (search my name on Google!). Of course, I never put down my guitar—for the religious among you—that would have been a Cardinal Sin! Well—I’m back! In the early days of R&R, we did not have the capabilities that we now have for recording. My music is purposely “raw” as I have no tolerance for what I call “corporate” music, which is just plain too perfect. My songs in general are comments about the world we now live in, and in some cases, hardships that people face in this rapidly evolving world. If you like my music, great, pass it on and keep tuned for more! If you don’t like it, that is also OK—but I do hope that my messages spark you neural pathways to think about the world in which you live and more importantly, the choices you make in life. As I instruct in the eighth tune, “if you get it wrong, you’ll be out of luck, so figure it out.”Notes on the songsHeadphone TrudyI wrote this song literally after being stopped at a red light and looking over to see a 40+ year-old woman behind the wheel of the next car with her hair in curlers and a cell phone in front of her face with fingers clicking away at a text message. Although upbeat in tempo, it is a sad story about bad choices and a disconnect with reality that so many single moms face in our rapidly changing world.Country MusicI love good, creative country music, but I don’t like the corporate takeover of the country music industry that dribbles out “hit” after hit of perfectly produced songs about trivia. Who buys these songs? For those who would like to find creative, original country, re-listen to Willie Nelson’s “Crazy,” or Ray Wylie Hubbard’s “Snake Farm,” or, for a realistic and critical comment on the country music industry, Natalie Maines’ (Dixie Chicks) response to being blacklisted by the country music industry because of her political views in “Not Ready to Make Nice.” My song, “Country Music,” is about a country boy who finds the beat in R&R.Brother BillThis tune is NOT about my brother Bill (a very successful drummer). The idea for this song just came to me one night, and I have no other explanation.Dream TrainAlthough cryptic, this is a song about drug or alcohol addiction caused in part by the sense of hopelessness many people face because they have made poor choices early in life. Once on the Dream Train, everything else fades into the distance.Rock and Roll CowboyStarting over is not easy, especially when nearly everything has been lost, including a long-term relationship. Able to clear his mind in a single day, this adventurer heads down the road only to meet an old man with solid advice to help him on his way.Afraid of the DarkThis is a song about the chaos in cities torn by war or massive social unrest. Most of us will never know how frightening it must be to be embedded in a city as everything falls apart. Although this song might appear to be about the future, the future has arrived in many parts of the world (e.g., the Middle East and much of Africa) and is rapidly spreading, so fasten your seatbelts!Air GuitarThis song addresses the huge portion of our society that, rather than putting in the focus and hard work necessary to accomplish something, fakes it. Although the song targets those who “play” the air guitar, the message is much broader in scope. Figure it OutBad relationships most often end because two people are no longer on the same page in life, usually after what began as love, turned toxic. This is one of those. Enough said.Floral City RockersThis is a song about a rock band in the small town of Floral City, Florida consisting of me, Suzette Urs, and Brad Cooper. Although the group (other than me) is not on the recordings, we play many of my songs. Unlike many groups, we got together simply because we liked to play R&R.