David Stanfill has been singing in bands such as AXIS Five and Area 581 for over 30 years -in all kinds of crazy places in the United States “It’s all about the fun for me when I’m in front of the crowd. My wife and daughter give me full throttle support in my musical endeavors… they are the biggest and brightest lights in my life. I want them to have the ride of their lives as we travel around the world together to new places and experience new people and their culture.”
He touts that “…young years of piano lessons and composition along with an overdose of trumpet and music theory back in middle and high school taught me to breath and honed my ears with near perfect pitch. My Mother used to ask me what I wanted to be when I was young. There was only one answer… ‘A ROCK STAR!’ I spent my childhood and teenage years locked away writing rock songs and balads for hours with my synthesizers.
“I have just released a new album called “Precious Things.” It’s a collection of 12 original songs I’ve written over the years for family and friends. Even though I usually write and sing lead for a couple of rock bands, these songs never quite fit the style we typically play. They’re more intimate—personal rock ballads that come straight from the heart. That’s why the album is called “Precious Things.”
One of my biggest motivations for making this album now is simple: I don’t want these songs to disappear someday. Y’all may know that I’ve spent years digging into my family’s ancestry, often uncovering surprising stories about people who lived generations before me. Discovering those traces of the past made me want to leave something behind too—something a great‑great‑great‑grandkid might stumble across one day and think, “So that’s what my Grandpappy was creating back in 2026 with the tools he had.”
I’m definitely not some wild musical virtuoso, but I’ve been writing songs with the piano for more than 40 years and have recorded albums with my bands. My process for building these songs was mostly a blend of old‑school and high‑tech: pen and paper for lyrics, a synth and microphone to sketch out chord structures and melodies. I use Cubase (with far too many plugins) to record the tracks. I built each arrangement using instruments from IK Media, Virtual Guitarist, and Superior Drummer. I added A WHOLE LOT of vocal processing including EQ, formant shaping (which changes the vocal tone higher or lower). Software also added that lovely vibrato I always wish I naturally had. I then used AI to help with most of the guitar solos, as well as the mixing and mastering, to get everything as balanced and polished as I could. I wanted to make each song what I feel will leave the best impression to the listeners… to get as close to commercial quality as possible. AI tools truly helped bring the songs to life while still letting me stay in control creatively. The message of the lyrics was the most important thing for me to convey.
Every song was built piece by piece, with intention, care, and a whole lot of love. So here it is—my small gift to the family, “Precious Things,” a little musical time capsule. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed creating it for the people I love (even the ones who haven’t been born yet).”