Doug Furia's musical interest emerged early as he found himself surrounded by toy pianos, wooden guitars, tin drums, and plastic trumpets most every Christmas morning.  As a teenager, Doug took piano lessons for a few years but soon discovered that he preferred the freedom of playing by ear rather than the constraints of reading traditional sheet music. His parents rewarded his aptitude by investing in a used, blonde Baldwin Spinet piano conveniently located in the laundry room with the inspirational scent of Snuggle clothes softener in the air.  Later, the living room would be adorned with a Lowrey Organ with its array of illuminated toggle presets ready to impress visitors with polkas.

In high school, Doug joined the marching band, playing drums and xylophone. Only bandmates and close friends know the funny story of Doug falling in the street while marching in Pueblo, Colorado for the State Fair Parade, strapped to a xylophone on a hard rubber wheel that got stuck in a pothole.  Doug's dad, a carpenter and master of frugal Italian engineering, could of course only a HARD rubber tire in the garage for this custom contraption. The xylophone was a total loss, but Doug was salvaged.  Thankfully, social media wasn't around yet to make the incident go viral, but there were witnesses - unfortunately many.

After starting his career in electronics in the late 80s, Doug continued to embrace music as more electric keyboards and MIDI sequencers using floppy discs became available.  After graduating  from college and getting married, Doug bought a house coincidentally from a retired music director at local Denver University.  Doug wanted a piano to make the home complete.  He found a 1908 Stark upright at an estate sale, which had been nicely refinished but had a cracked soundboard.  It scratched the itch for a while, but he yearned for a better piano.  He frequented piano stores like Rockley Music, Onofrio, and Schmitt on weekends intoxicated by the familiar smell of piano showrooms.  Doug's dream of owning a grand piano was put on hold while building his career and managing married life.  As music faded into the background, the career thrived, but sadly his marriage didn’t.  Adjusting to this solitary life was difficult, but it allowed time to reassess life choices, priorities, happiness, and purpose.  It was in that period that Doug returned to music, and music returned to Doug.

In the early 2000s, he joined a band and played contemporary Christian music at local mega churches.  It was not gratifying.  He stayed long enough to persuade select band members to start a new project focused on original music.  Weekly meetings at Doug’s house transformed the living room into a lively space filled with instruments, recording equipment, speakers, and a drum set. It was just like the Christmas mornings of his past.  The visiting musicians began calling the space “Studio D.”  Depending on late night volume, neighbors reacted with either irritation or enthusiasm to the growing collection of original songs.  Doug soon found himself down the rabbit hole in the acquisition of more and more pro audio gear.  With new gear came the endless warranty card mailing - resulting in lots of junk mail marketing.  Then one day a CD sampler of some Elton John hits came in the mail.  That was odd.  The packaged CD said this is not just a CD but an SACD.  Doug had no idea what SACD was and it played like any other CD in his Harman Kardon deck.  Doug read the full brochure noting it was a high definition format in 5.1 surround sound.  Doug brought the disc to an electronics retail store with the setup and then heard Elton John like never before, but it didn't justify a new deck purchase.  The disc was abandoned to a closet in Studio D.

Meanwhile, the newly-formed band forged on with more song creation.  They called the band “10PM”, the seeming witching hour for music creativity and late-night rehearsals.  Doug recorded original music on a Boss 8-Track that used  IOmega media. He digitally documented this journey in Studio D, which had now expanded beyond the living room. The music studio design was born.  As the number of original songs reached nearly 20, Doug, Michael Worthington, and Leo Ferras considered sharing their music at local coffee shops and small venues in the Denver area.  Gigs also included corporate events, private parties, and art festivals.  It was a busy time for 10PM Band.  After Leo’s departure, Mike and Doug continued as the main songwriting team of 10PM, publishing and performing original music around Denver while promoting it on social media - then, MySpace.

While performing at the Golden Fine Arts Festival, Doug and Mike were approached by a gentleman who invited the duo to play at Stout Street Foundation for a small gig of 3 to 5 songs for residents and staff. At that time, any gig was a good gig, and this one was memorable.  They received a standing ovation, which led to more performances for Stout Street, an organization that supports addiction recovery in a structured community. This connection allowed 10PM to perform at various venues, including the Westin Hotel, Inverness Hotel, Arrowhead Golf Course, and even in the Stout Street parking lot during family visits. They became the official band of Stout Street Foundation.  They also played at the Oriental Theater and were featured in Colorado Music Buzz Magazine that summer.  Doug's business trips to Mexico also provided the opportunity to give demo discs to friends and colleagues which led to a radio spot in El Salvador.  

10PM also secured a Live at Lunch segment on KRFC 88.9 FM in Fort Collins.  The KRFC radio host, Cindy, was an admitted fan of 10PM and passed the audio to her friend Gus.  2 weeks after the radio spot, Doug received a call from Cindy to make contact with her friend Gus in Boulder.  During that initial conversation, Gus conveyed that he liked the music and recognized Doug's 80s piano style with influences from Elton John and Billy Joel.  Doug was thrilled and made the trek to the Boulder business park.  As Doug entered the facility lobby where he was greeted by Gus who then led him through a maze of music equipment, computer servers, and a room of master tapes.  In the corner of a room Doug noticed a large stack of packaged CDs.  A closer look at the cover brought him back 4 years when the same CD came in the mail – the Elton John SACD sampler!  What the heck?  Gus referred to the SACDs as extra inventory from the Sony promotional mailers.  Sure as God made little green apples, Doug had met the very man, the Sony Engineer, who made the sampler that arrived on his doorstep 4 years prior to their newly formed acquaintance.  

Doug came to know Gus Skinas, the Sony Mastering Engineer and pioneer of Direct Stream Digital (DSD), Super Audio CD Technology (SACD), and a respected sound engineer and audiophile in the music industry still today.  Gus engineered DSD and SACD authoring in digital form working with masters in the industry such as:  Pink Floyd, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, and Nat King Cole in his early career.  Holey moley, what an audio jackpot!  As Doug researched the history of these formats and learned that they were better than Blue Ray and DVD Audio, but were never pushed by Sony beyond the R&D projet phase that Gus worked with other engineers from Philips and Mytek Audio.  SACD technology would only exist in the music underground audiophiles.  Gus carried the torch continuing with the technology and shared his knowledge with music lovers like Doug who crossed his path. With new inspiration Doug improved his recordings and brought audio WAV files to Gus for listening sessions at his studio.  It was like going to a mini IMAX theater to listen to music.  Gus in turn shared his favorite music, giving Doug a chance to hear rare Elton John out-takes and individual audio tracks from "Candle In The Wind." What a moment that was…. Gus is still making great music as part of the PS Audio Team at Octave Records in Boulder, CO.

Then a friend introduced Doug to Dr. Scott, a vocal coach from the music industry and Juliard graduate. He has coached artists like Randy Travis, Heart, and Natalie Cole.  Doug frequently visited Dr. Scott’s studio to discuss music and, with his permission, attended vocal sessions, gaining new friends and recording clients. Doug shared his best recordings with Dr. Scott, who began promoting Studio D to talented young singer-songwriters in Denver. Doug treasured the moment Dr. Scott complimented him saying, “Doug, you record the human voice with the heart in which I teach it to sing.”  Gulp.  In so many ways, God and the universe has rewarded Doug as he stepped more and more into his purpose.  There are so many more stories to share, but we will save a few. 20+ years after they first met, Doug and Mike Worthington are still close friends who write, record, and perform original music. They appreciate 10PM, Studio D, and the musical journey. Ultimately, it’s about the journey, not just the destination and you just have to do what you love.  In Studio D on the wall above the piano, a framed sign reads "In Everything Give Thanks," a reminder that music is a gift and it comes from the sprit that connects us to our soul. We are all connected, and the power of intention is real.

“In Everything Give Thanks"

Thank you Josh Dornback for the amazing photograph of me at the Yamaha Grand Piano. This photo really captured the joy that music brings me.