Lyrics

Paul writes this about the tune. “This song was conceived as a way to help demonstrate my versatility with electric rock guitar styles. In the composition I have tried to incorporate similar ideas from many of the players I have admired and have strived to play like over the years. Eddie Van Halen, Steve Via, Joe Satriani, and Eric Johnson are some of the players that inspire me to continue to srive for new and innovated ways to play rock lead guitar. I have also tried to incorporate some of my own style of playing into the song.”
Paul goes on to write about the title and way the song was recorded. He says “The title of the song comes from a tool used by many guitarists called a variac. The variac, in very simple terms, is an electronic tool that guitarists use to help tame the voltage that comes from the wall socket into the guitar amplifier. By doing this it helps the amplifier achieve a very specific and desirable type of tone while still keeps the amp to a reasonable listening level. To hear a great example of a variac in use listen to any classic Van Halen recording. Sometimes the tone produced by the variac in conjunction with the amplifier is called the brown sound. Given this name for the dark, rich sound produced.”
Paul concludes. “This song was recorded without a variac, thus the given name. The song was recorded live in a studio with on two tracks with no overdubbing. The first track was used for the recording of the backing chords and the second track for the lead guitar played on top of the chords. The only exception is the last phrase of the song which was recorded using multiple tracks to achieve the harmonized guitar sound. To be exact, there are seven individual tracks each layered on top of each other to give the guitar a full chorale texture.”