VioLion was written and recorded between September and November of 2016 in Ann Arbor, MI. It is a solo debut intended as an embodiment of my musical tastes and an exploration of the violin's capabilities. Each track is an original composition which features a combination of three violins (violin by William E Hill and Sons 1914, Realist 5 string acoustic electric, Yamaha 5 string electric) and vocals. 1. Call-In This song is about a girl who doesn't like going to work. I think most of us can relate. 2. Bday! I jokingly wrote this song based on the idea that someone born on February 29 would have to wait until they were 84 to enter a bar. Luckily this is not how the world works. 3. Pandalion I Instrumental. This is an interlude that I wrote as a fun reharmonizing exercise for a melody. 4. News Feed Every time I see social media, people are fighting for this cause, or arguing against that policy. Of course most of it is warranted and understandable, but if you squint your eyes just long enough, it all starts to look like satire... 5. Pandalion II Instrumental. The name comes from two animals who were never meant to be friends, but through the power of puns based on plants, they are now one. 6. Three Days Lyrics to this song were written together by my friend Pierce Rosen and myself. Find the notebook kids, then look in the telescope at the observatory. Its sparkling beauty radiates rather strangely. 7. Pandalion III Instrumental. This is the culmination of a three-part musical experiment which starts off an acoustic ballad (Pandalion I, II) and ends a pseudo electronic minimalist groove. 8. Haku (拍) In Japanese, the character 拍 means the most consistent subdivision within a musical timeframe -- in other words, a beat. It can also be used within a less common phrase, 出会い拍子 (deai byoshi) which literally translates to "meeting beat," or the first moment you meet somebody. This song is about the first moment two people's eyes meet who share a special connection. One of them speaks English, the other speaks Japanese. Or it's a bilingual monologue. Huge shoutouts to: Jack Butler for all his help with recording, mixing, and mastering; Susan Sanford for providing beautiful album artwork; Peter Lynch for lending me an amazing bow to record with; Pierce Rosen for helping write Three Days and being a horntzy guy; professors Stephen Shipps, David Halen, Ellen Rowe, and Robert Hurst from the University of Michigan School of Music, and the faculty of Christian Howes' Creative Strings Workshop for all their musical wisdom; my girlfriend Charlotte Crosmer for being an amazing influence and impetus on my life; and my family for their ongoing encouragement. Thanks to everyone for making this project possible!!