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About Us

Intellectual Property What?

• Flying Cube, LLC is an intellectual holding company.
• It owns recordings, videos, and sheet music created by Rafe Lyford.
• It also administers and manages their usage in the form of licensing agreements.
• To use any of Rafe's music or videos, you will work with Rafe and Flying Cube, LLC.

Flying Cube Productions

• Flying Cube Productions is a sole proprietership or DBA (doing-business-as) that serves as a production company for Rafe Lyford's recordings and videos
• It represents Rafe in the recording industry.
• You will see this name associated with Rafe's self-produced CD's, mp3's, and videos.
• Click here for more history
• You can listen to any of Rafe's music streaming at CubeTunes.
• Find CD's available for purchase at Services & Stuff.

Flying Cube Music

• Flying Cube Music is a sole proprietership that servers as a music publishing company for Rafe Lyford's unrecorded music such as sheet music.
• It represents Rafe in the music publishing industry.
• You will see this name on Rafe's sheet music and other situations where publisher representation is applicable.
• You can listen to any of Rafe's music streaming at CubeTunes.
• Find CD's available for purchase at Services and Stuff.

About Rafe

Rafe Lyford has been involved with the arts from a young age. Raised in Des Moines, Iowa, he always had music and images going through his head with a desire to convey and express them. Whether it be recordings or the radio, music of various styles was played frequently in his household growing up. After receiving his first "ghetto blaster", he was an avid listener to the radio, which planted his twisted fascination with pop music and it's culture.

His first instrument was the piano, however, lessons didn't last long. He quickly became frustrated because they focused on learning etudes and reading music rather than playing the music that was playing in his mind. He began playing trombone at the age of 10 and played in various jazz bands throughout high school where he was finally able to play his own music through improvisation.

It was during this time that he discovered the Miles Davis tune "So What" and became forever hooked on jazz. He also became enchanted with the sound of the blues, namely the Chicago electric style that stemmed from the Mississippi Delta and musicians such as Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, and Howlin' Wolf, a personal favorite.

He received his Bachelor of Music degree from Lawrence University majoring in performance with a jazz emphasis. It was at Lawrence that Rafe fully realized his interest in composing and arranging. This led him to the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music where he completed graduate work towards a master's degree in jazz studies and contemporary media with an emphasis in composing and arranging. Both institutions allowed him opportunities to perform and study with many fine musicians.

Rafe has studied with Ken Schaphorst, Fred Sturm, Nick Keelan, and Mark Kellogg. He has performed with Marlena Shaw, John Medeski, New York Voices, the Dave Brubeck Quartet, Moore by Four, Charlie Haden, Sam Palafian, Benny Golson, and Kenny Werner.

He performed regularly with a group comprised of musicians found on the CD's Kind of Intrinsic and Misplaced Appliances called the Things Quartet. Although this group has since disbanded, he has continued to maintain his interest in composing and arranging by exploring genres outside of the jazz realm, such as electronica, soundtracks, and film scores.

Since the advent of multi-media in the early '90's, Rafe has been interested in the relationship between music, visual arts, and technology. He originally moved to the Twin Cities, Minnesota in 1997 to pursue studies in graphics and soon landed a job as a web designer. Since then, Rafe has been working with the web in various capacities from web designer to web developer to webmaster for several large financial companies.

Rafe currently resides in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota with his two children, Adi and Katy, and wife, Julie. He is currently Vice President of Cloud Application Operations for a bank.

Who are Rafe and the Ripliners?

It's a band with one member! In 2023, Rafe added bass and drum parts to a series of tunes he recorded during the COVID pandemic. As one does when you are a music geek, Rafe keeps a list of song titles and band names to use when needed. "Ripliners" was on the list and when combined with his name, it had a nice ring to it. Thus, the name of the imaginary band "Rafe and the Ripliners" was born with its first release Confessions of a Deadbeat! Check it out at CubeTunes.com

History

In the beginning...

The first recording project for Flying Cube, Rafe Lyford's Kind of Intrinsic, was released at the end of 2001. It is comprised of all original instrumental jazz tunes that are also published through Flying Cube Productions. The musicians on the recording were Rafe Lyford, trombone; Max Wendt, saxophones; Scott Van Domelen, saxophones; Matt Netter, upright bass; Jim Guckenberg, drums & percussion; and Bret Lobben, percussion.

The music on the CD is available as sheet music. The recording is available for purchase online. It may also be listened to at CubeTunes.com.

The second CD

2003 saw the release of the CD Misplaced Appliances by the Things Quartet in conjunction with Favorite Nose Productions. This group was comprised of a subgroup from the musicians that played on Kind of Intrinsic: Rafe Lyford, trombone; Max Wendt, saxophones; Matt Netter, upright bass; Tom Lewis, upright bass; and Jim Guckenberg, drums. Again, all of the music on the CD are original instrumental jazz tunes, but this time by both Rafe and Max.

Rafe's tunes are available as sheet music. The recording is available for purchase online. It may also be listened to at CubeTunes.com.

Explorations in electronica

In 2005, Rafe released a CD called Evil Twin Cometh. Produced entirely in Rafe's home project studio by himself, it is comprised of all original electronica music. The looping, repetitious nature of the music make it well suited for background and soundtrack music.

It may also be listened to at CubeTunes.com.

CubeTunes.com

Also in 2005, Flying Cube Productions launched it's own online radio station called CubeTunes.com. It allows you to stream to your computer and listen to all of the music mentioned here with preset playlists. Channels are available to listen to music from specific styles. You can also listen to a Variety channels that has a little of everything.

Pop music

From 2007-2008, Rafe recorded a series of pop songs that he wrote about various topics from a tribute to S.U.V.'s to a commentary about workplace meetings to bad air day alerts. He even sings a song with his children! Going for a simple and bare-bones approach, the songs are recordings of Rafe's singing and piano playing. Titles include Ode to the S.U.V., Comedy of Meetings, Bad Air Day, Running Around the Wall, Give Me Knucks, Just Because, and many others.

These recordings may be heard at CubeTunes.com.

CubeTunesClub.com

In 2009, Rafe started development of CubeTunesClub.com with the purpose of providing a place where he could quickly and easily put new music online and get it out to the world soon after it's done rather than waiting for a CD release. Upon registering, fans are allowed access to a comprehensive list of Rafe's music including the ability to listen to each tune, download tracks, read lyrics, view personel, instruments, and other information. After several years of working late nights and weekends, was launched in early 2012.

Soundtrack Series

In 2010-2011, Rafe composed music for a weekly online hunting show called Midwest Whitetail. Some of the music was never used, so Rafe packaged it up and created the Soundtrack Series. There are currently five titles: Life In Dusty Springs, Vol. 1, Streets of Briteway Beach, Vol. 1, Hot Nights In Cold Iron, Vol. 1, Sounds of Efar, Vol. 1, and Autumn Countryside, Vol. 1.

These recordings may be listened to at CubeTunes.com.

Website makeovers

In 2021, Rafe decided that it was time to redo his websites at FlyingCube.com and CubeTunes.com. As part of the redesign, they became mobile friendly with a fluid or responsive layout. They also were converted from multi-page websites to single, scrollable pages.

Rock music

In 2022, Rafe released a series of tunes in the rock genre that he had written over the years. During the pandemic, he finally had time to record them. He released a new song in 2022 every 2-3 weeks. He also made several videos for them. These tunes may be heard at CubeTunes.com.

In 2023, Rafe added bass and drum parts to some of his rock tunes, remixed, remastered, and released them as Rafe and the Ripliners on the album Confessions of a Deadbeat. Listen to these tunes at CubeTunes.com.

• Again, self-indulgent music that Rafe makes for his enjoyment.
• Jazz is one of Rafe's deep passions and he was incredibly fortunate to play regularly in a quartet/quintet with a group of friends.
• All of this can be heard on two records: Kind of Intrinsic and Misplaced Appliances.
• Just like any of Rafe's soundtrack music, Rafe's jazz music is available for hire as well.
• Please contact Rafe using the Contact Us form.
• LISTEN to any of Rafe's music streaming at CubeTunes online radio.

• Rafe's jazz and some pop music is available as sheet music.
• Purchase online today via the catalog below.
• PayPal and Credit Cards accepted.
• Click here for shopping help.

• Some of Rafe's music is available on CD.
• Purchase online today via the catalog below.
• PayPal and Credit Cards accepted.
• Click here for shopping help.

Shopping Cart	Price	Item
	$13.50	Rafe Lyford's Kind of Intrinsic, FCP5737, Compact disc Listen to the entire CD at www.cubetunes.com!
	$13.50	Things Quartet Misplaced Appliances, FNFC0104, Compact disc Listen to the entire CD at www.cubetunes.com!