# London calling!



## ChrisAxia

Well hi there everyone. Scott Cairns pointed me this way and I now see why! Looks like a mass migration of NS members including some `old faces`. I look forward to participating as and when possible.

Some of you are aware that I have not been in the greatest of health for a while now (29 months), finally diagnosed as Fibromyalgia. The worst symptoms are a permanent headache and `brain fog`, making concentration/composition etc very difficult for more than about 20 minutes at a time, so please bear with me if I do not respond `quickly` to posts/emails.

I`m just about to start a revolutionary new treatment which could see me back to good health before the end of the year! Fingers crossed!!

Chris


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## Sid_Barnhoorn

Hi Chris,

Welcome to V.I., this illness sounds terrible and of course we'll bear with you! I hope this new treatment will work out great for you. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you and send positive energy.

Take care,
-Sid.


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## Scott Cairns

Hi Chris, glad you made it here mate. 

As always, my very best thoughts and wishes are with you for a full and speedy recovery to good health again.


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## Frederick Russ

Chris! We're so glad you made it here. Keeping our fingers crossed for a speedy cure and a complete healing. You are so very welcome here at this humble composer hangout and hopefully, things will improve so you can start composing and posting your music again real soon! Miracles can happen so keep the chin up and believe - we've got your back.

Peace,


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## ChrisAxia

*Thanks!*

Thank you for the warm welcome and your good wishes guys. I'm slightly better overall after a switch to a 'low carb' diet, and have slowly started creating music again. Interestingly, that demo I managed to do for the 'Old Lady' and 'Emperor' Post pianos might get used on a very nice film which is being scored by a friend of mine at the moment. That would be a nice 'present'!

I look forward to sharing knowledge and experiences with you guys.

Best wishes,

Chris

P.S I am now 42 years old and know many of you are much younger than me. My situation and recent research has made me very aware of how 'badly' I've been eating for many years, which I'm sure was a factor in getting this illness. Please don't do what I did. Eat well. I'm sure good nutrition plays a very large part in maintaining good health. When we are young, we forget to eat well when we're busy, and I know composers are very guilty of this!


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## Frederick Russ

Chris - I got you by 6 years! :? :shock: And yes the pic to the left was recent - a young 48. I've been on the macrobiotic diet for years and cut out heavy meat consumption. I figured that I'm in this for the long haul so hang in there! Diet is a great way to start the healing man.

Which demos did you do Chris? I'm looking for them now.


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## ChrisAxia

Wow! You are a very young looking 48! I`m almost completely grey!! Must be the women...

Frederick, I think you actually made a very nice comment about my demo on the NS forum after Michiel started a thread about an Old Lady user demo? Unless there is another Frederick of course! It`s called `Out of the Blue`.

Yes, I`ve reduced my meat consumption drastically as well. I used to live on burgers, pizzas, pasta, chocolates etc. No more...but MAN, do I miss chocolate!!!

Chris


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## Frederick Russ

Chris! Was that you?? Excellent work man. :shock: 

Yeah I'm the same guy who commented there. Us composers kind of move around in packs (a little like wolves but far more interesting.)


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## ChrisAxia

Hi Frederick,

Thanks again! I have to return the compliment. I`ve just been listening to some of your demos. So far, Over the Clouds and Emperors Tale are my favourites. Really nice compositions/orchestration. I`ll listen to the rest shortly!

Chris (fellow wolf!)


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## Frederick Russ

Of course some of us are dogs like scoredog lord sharmy (cha-ching! - Chris, everytime we give credence to Craig Sharmat he has to shell out $2.49 - its the new rule here lol)

Thanks for the compliment man. Your stuff rocks.


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## CJ

Nice seeing you here Chris - great demo of the Old Lady! 

Allow me to post the url to Chris' work with the fine Old Lady!

*Out of the Blue*

:D


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## Craig Sharmat

I think it's time for a new title, I could go broke soon. 

Chris welcome, and I hope you feel better soon.

BTW I stopped eating red meat a good 12 years ago. Missed it for a while. Now every time I see someone eating prime rib, or filet mignon, I see part of a dead animal. Any desire to eat it quickly goes away.


Lord....ahem...sputter...cough....Sharmy

edit...i just listened to the demo....sounds great, very Marc Shaiman sounding (hope you are not insulted), one of my favorite composers.


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## ChrisAxia

Thanks guys,

CJ, thanks for the nice words. Anywhere I can hear some of your work? Frederick, you`ve got a really nice selection of demo tracks. Keep up the good work. I`m sure a director will be calling on your services very soon!

Sharmy, I now remember `chatting` to you when I first joined the NS forum (and my brain was functioning normally!). Your list of credits was and still is very impressive and I`m a BIG Bobby Caldwell fan! I also just realised I saw your name on Americas Most Wanted last week!! That`s a good gig you got there! Good work as well. You worked on Jay & Silent Bob!? Man, that movie was so funny!! They were great in Dogma. So, did you compose, arrange or play on that score?

Thanks for the compliment. I love Marc Shaiman`s work, and remember thinking what a `perfect` theme he wrote for City Slickers. If I can `sound` like any of the BIG composers, I`d be very happy! 

Interesting to hear how healthy many of your diets are also!

Thanks again,

Chris


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## Patrick de Caumette

Chris, welcome to VI and best of luck for your recovery, nutrition is one of the key for a better life.
Enjoyed your tune as well!


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## ChrisAxia

Thanks Patrick. Why is it that everyone here is so aware about good nutrition!? Why didn't someone tell me 20 years ago, ha ha ha!!

Later,

Chris


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## Frederick Russ

ChrisAxia said:


> Why is it that everyone here is so aware about good nutrition!? Why didn't someone tell me 20 years ago, ha ha ha!!
> 
> Later,
> 
> Chris



LOL - regarding good nutrition, better late than never. Watch out - I might have to get you my recipe for pressure cooked brown rice sushi rolls! But of course it'll have to go into off-topics (hey - wolves have to eat too!)


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## Craig Sharmat

Look for the pubs which make the vegetarian lists. I went to one outside of Harrogate, and it was fantastic.


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## Peter Emanuel Roos

<--- 45 years


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## Hans Adamson

Welcome Chris!

And Frederick, you really make me want to eat healthier. I thought you were 25!!!


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## Frederick Russ

Sheesh - Peter I thought you were in your early 30s - :shock: 

Thanks Hans - comments like that will get you fed at my house. And no - V.I. doesn't stand for "Vegetarian International" lol


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## ChrisAxia

Hi Peter and Hans,

Thanks for your warm welcome! Frederick, interesting you should mention Sushi...my wife is Japanese!! I love Sushi, so let me have that recipe! 

Chris

P.S I can't believe I'm not the oldest person here. Thanks for making me feel young guys!


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## Peter Emanuel Roos

Frederick said:


> Sheesh - Peter I thought you were in your early 30s - :shock:



Hehe, thanks Frederick. Yeah, I look young for my age, I can often tease people with that. Actually, when people ask me about my kids, I give them their ages, starting with the youngest (6) and watch the reactions change as I go on (11, 16 and 19). :wink: My son's is already in his second year at University and I'm very proud of that, being a "long hair & never grow up kid" myself. Always fun to visit him and his roommates at the campus. "Was that your father?"  

But I have warned my kids not make me a granddad before I feel psychologically old enough for that :(


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## Frederick Russ

Peter Roos said:


> But I have warned my kids not make me a granddad before I feel psychologically old enough for that :(



I tell my friends that I'm probably too immature to have a midlife crisis 

Chris - I'll get that recipe - I'll probably put it on a pdf and get you the link


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## ChrisAxia

Thanks for taking the time to send me that recipe Frederick. I like your comment that you are too immature to have a mid life crisis!

Hey Peter, I just noticed you are in Holland. I 'met' a very good mastering engineer through another forum many years ago, Errol at http://www.cut-n-clear.com/ based in Holland also. Do you know of him? BTW, I just listened to some of your demos. Very impressive work! Riding out at Dawn and Joyeuse I especially enjoyed.

Chris


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## Peter Emanuel Roos

Thanks very much Chris :oops: 

No, I have not heard of this person, but that's probably as I have no connections yet in music/audio land here :lol:


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## Edgen

Chris!! I was just in London all the past week for the Raindance film festival!

Anyway, welcome to the forum and I hope you are feeling better!

/j


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## Herman Witkam

ChrisAxia said:


> Hey Peter, I just noticed you are in Holland. I 'met' a very good mastering engineer through another forum many years ago, Errol at http://www.cut-n-clear.com/ based in Holland also. Do you know of him?
> 
> Chris



Hi!

Welcome to V.I.

I know the name Cut 'n Clear. A while ago while I was doing a one-year course on audio engineering. There was a lesson about mastering that involved listening to various mastered products. I think cut 'n clear got one of the highest scores, compared with other mastering studios in the Netherlands. One of the teachers might know him personally, his name is Renier Vreugde.


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## TheoKrueger

Hello Chris , enjoy your stay man


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## Peter Emanuel Roos

OT:

Herman, Sid:

If you ever are in the neighborhood of Utrecht, see if you can drop in with me, in my office/studio room in Soest. 

The same invitation applies to everyone else of course, but is prolly a bit less realistic 

Take care,


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## Herman Witkam

OT:
sure. I'll stop by sometime.


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## Peter Emanuel Roos

Lol, I just checked your website and saw you have the same age as my son.

Don't we have a great hobby/job where age is not so terribly important as in other areas of society?

Please say yes, otherwise I'll feel too old to be here


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## Frederick Russ

Peter Roos said:


> Lol, I just checked your website and saw you have the same age as my son.
> 
> Don't we have a great hobby/job where age is not so terribly important as in other areas of society?
> 
> Please say yes, otherwise I'll feel too old to be here



Yes! (Lifts earhorn so Peter can scream his response as both Peter and Frederick are wheeled back to the old folks home by our much younger counterparts, lol)


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## ChrisAxia

*sorry for the delay...*

hi guys,

Sorry, I've had a pretty bad week. The headache and fatigue have been overwhelming and I have achieved very little...so damn frustrating!

Anyway, Edgen, congrats on the film festival. I haven't checked it out yet but I assume you scored a film that was shown there?

Herman, yeah Errol at Cut'nClear really knows what he's doing. When budget allows, I will definitely get him to master my stuff. I've been very disappointed by some mastering places in London, and Errol is definitely the best I've tried. 

Thanks for the nice welcomes from the rest of you guys.

Talk soon,

Chris


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## lukejs

ChrisAxia said:


> Well hi there everyone. Scott Cairns pointed me this way and I now see why! Looks like a mass migration of NS members including some `old faces`. I look forward to participating as and when possible.
> 
> Some of you are aware that I have not been in the greatest of health for a while now (29 months), finally diagnosed as Fibromyalgia. The worst symptoms are a permanent headache and `brain fog`, making concentration/composition etc very difficult for more than about 20 minutes at a time, so please bear with me if I do not respond `quickly` to posts/emails.
> 
> I`m just about to start a revolutionary new treatment which could see me back to good health before the end of the year! Fingers crossed!!
> 
> ************************************************************
> 
> Hello Chris. I hope you are feeling better ! I've been trying to locate your music on the internet after hearing the PMI emporer demo called "Out of the Blue". I think this is really nice, and am interested in finding more of your work. Do you have a CD out featuring the post pianos ?
> It's a coincidence that I too suffer from headaches and concentration problems. After seeing your post, I'm going to look into Fibromyalgia and see if I've got this as well. I sure hope you make a complete recovery, because you are definately a gifted composer. If I could make a suggestion... try New Zealand colostrom . I've heard this helps a variety of illnesses, and maybe fibromyalgia is one of them. Do a search on this and you can investigate it for yourself. It can't hurt to try it,....after all ....it's just a type of milk !!
> Hope you're feeling better !! Luke
> 
> 
> 
> Chris


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## handz

Hi Chris, welcome here. Hope you will get well soon! Im really a bit scared...never heard about Fibromylagia before:( 

hmmmm...I cant imagine not eat meat...and there is not one single vegetarian pub in Olomouc...


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## Tod

Hi Cris,
Just got thru listening to your "Out Blue Old Lady" and I loved it. The "touch" and "sensitivity" not to mention the "Free Form Feel" of it were, for the lack of a better word "wonderful".

Incidently Peter and the rest of you VI'ers who who weren't afraid to mention your age. I've got grandkids who've graduated from college.

Once again Cris, it was beautiful. Hope you get over this illness soon.

Tod


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## ChrisAxia

*Thanks!*

Thank you for the kind words Todd. Seems like a lot of people are liking this little piece. Funny thing is, that the main reason for playing the melody in different registers was to show off the Old Lady piano! FYI, I played the piece with the Old Lady and later 'edited' the midi file to suit the Emperor. I think I prefer this piece with the Old Lady though.

I will definitely do a lush orchestral arrangement of it one day when my brain is functioning properly! I envisage the type of arrangement Horner did for Legends of the Fall. Soon...

So Todd, where can I hear some of your music?

Best wishes,

Chris


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