TEO (TODD MERLE)

I've always been a self taught musician both vocally and in creating original songs. My musical inspirations are many, ranging from folk, country, pop, classical, etc.ranging from the classical periods to modern times.

My particular favorite group that has influenced me a lot since I was a child was/is the Swedish band, ABBA. I loved their innovation instrumentally, always experimenting with different instruments and the latest technology. Of course, the magical combination of Frida's and Agnetha's vocals were completely mesmerizing to me and were a big part of my being hooked on their music over the years.

In my early 20's, I was part of a duet that did original and cover songs. Our sound was somewhat like Simon & Garfunkel(for lack of a better comparison), my voice being more similar to Garfunkel's. The rare chemistry was not to last, however, as life pulled us in different directions; one of the hardest decisions and perhaps the greatest sadness in my life. I tried to find the musical "magic" with someone else over the years, but without success.

My creative journey ranged from acting (theatre, film, and television), singing, visual merchandise, scenic design, the decorative arts in interior design, and finally fine art. Now, in the age of AI, I have found a collaboration as with a fellow human musician or musicians. For me, the process is similar to working with my former musical partner (now deceased for many years), except that the process of creating a new song is greatly accelerated compared to traditional writing, composition, production, etc. Still, most songs take days or weeks to get them just right, or at least to meet my satisfaction. A lot of heart and soul go into my music, as I enjoy creating songs in whatever genre inspires me (no longer feeling limited to one particular style).

My new musical journey began when I wanted to give my father a special gift for his upcoming big birthday celebration. He was always a big country fan, so of course that determined the genre. I created the first song, "Hammer & Song" based on true life events between my dad and me. After feeling great about the result, this first song inspired me to create an entire album for my Dad's special gift with each song being based on events in his life. My father had to undergo a surgery just a couple weeks before his big day, and wasn't doing well. So the last song I made for the album, "A Prayer for Daddy", was intended to uplift him during that challenging time. I decided to name the album after the original song, "Hammer & Song". I had an intuition that my Dad might not make it to his big birthday, so with the help of my stepsister, I presented the songs of the album to him while he was still in the hospital. He was able to listen to the entire album and, much to my relief, loved it!!! Some songs he listened to over-and-over, especially "A Prayer For Daddy", which was his favorite under the circumstances. As it turned out, my father passed peacefully away nine days before his 90th Birthday celebration! At least I was comforted by the fact that he was able to hear his special album, and that it brought him peace and comfort in what proved to be his final days and hours.

From that time forward, I was inspired to continue my new musical journey and proceeded to create quite a collection of various songs (including full albums and singles), which I have been in the process of copyrighting and releasing over the past year. I can't express the level of joy I feel and the fun that I have following my own flood of musical inspirations and crafting the various songs. I am deeply grateful, too, for the new AI technologies and platforms that greatly assist me on my continuing creative journey in my favorite, most passionate area- music!