"The Banshee" is one of several selections from Henry Cowell’s book of solo piano pieces for which I have worked on creating guitar and banjo arrangements.

ROB MAGILL and DANIEL MASIEL played "The Banshee" with me in an electric guitar trio during December of 2018. One night in we recorded two versions in Rob's garage on the outskirts of Ojai, California.

I recalled a horror film entitled "The Cry of the Banshee", starring Vincent Price, which came out when I was 15 years old. There was much suspense over whether it would play in Boulder or not, otherwise it would just play in Denver and then how would I see it?

I know I ended up taking the Denver-Boulder bus to see it, all on my own, for the very first time. This represented a new level of independence. Also, it must have meant my friends at the time were either not allowed to go to Denver or they didn't want to see the film; the latter if true represents a low point in my ability to convince people to check out Vincent Price, which this nostalgic witch hunt will circle back around to later.

I didn't care that I had to go see Cry of the Banshee alone; I liked being alone. I remembered more about these feelings then about the film; I did remember it ended with a coach, out of control, Price screaming for his life.

A half a century later, re-seeing the film and pilfering madly from the soundtrack did not require a bus trip anywhere; now we press buttons and have the choice of the version I saw in Denver or the director's cut in which an entirely different musical score was used.

The file only would download to 98%, creating a series of short gaps that were like the instructions "don't play for 10 seconds" on a score for student improvisers--useful!

I have a personal defense of my use of Vincent Price material, as through my entire life I have promoted his work with a fervor and ingenuity few PR maestros could come anywhere near.

This campaign has distinct periods. There is the "Cathechism class" era of the Roger Corman/Edgar Allan Poe films, as a growing number of drop-outs from the Sacred Heart Saturday morning Cathechism class would join me at the Boulder Theatre for our "Holy Trinity" of Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and Vincent Price.

Shortly thereafter a fad broke out which involved yelling "Price! Price! Watch out! Price!" whenever danger was perceived or more likely faked, this came from his role in The Last Man on Earth.

When I was 17, my family moved to Calgary. A few months after settling in I wandered on bus (and then back on foot) to a movie theatre on entirely the otherside of town, (NW to SW) to see Vincent Price in the Abominable Dr. Phibes. It was still playing a month later and so I did the same thing again.

Many of these fascinating exploits are chronicled in my book Dreamory.

As a young father I shamelessly promoted Vincent Price with my children; now they are all fans. This circle will be unbroken so watch it, Price!

THE CRY OF THE BANSHEE was directed by Gordon Hessler. Some of the dialogue heard was written by Tim Kelly and Christopher Wicking.

Price gets star billing over a large cast, all of whose voices I hopefully captured. Interestingly enough in the crowds of pissed off villagers are budding talents such as Stephan Rea and Guy Pierce. Essy Persson is Lady Whitman and Elizabeth Bergner is OONA.

The music of Wilfred Josephs is on the soundtrack I ripped off but the version I saw as a teenybopper has a Les Baxter score.

So here it is, for the bus ride, for the witch hunt and for one dark night on a ranch outside Ojai.