Photo is Lulu at Muscle Shoals studio.
Two turn tables and a microphone. Well, maybe three drum samples and an upright bass. No actual blisters, thanks for the suggestion John, but that tall old man can take a punch. Felt like Daffy at the last take. "I can only do this trick once." My little tribute to the joys of bass playing. ;)

I Got Blisters On My Fingers

Laisse Tomber Les Filles (reframed)

Girls Just Want To Have Fun (The rock version)

At some point, a long time ago, I gave up on creating a "new" musical language. It was still possible, in the late nineteen eighties and early nineties when I came of age, for me to see music as a linear progression. In my early twenties I would compose pieces that I thought of as new jazz. Of course they weren't. Just very individual songs in older styles with some ideas for other styles. A dash of Duke Ellington arraignment, a snippet of Monk perhaps a teaspoon of Syd Barrett mixed with some rock and roll harmony. Eventually, after a long pause in playing at all, I came to make music, I see as, more in line with the pop artists like Warhol and, especially Lichtenstein. My own musical ideas are still there but slyly inserted into pieces that are consciously, imprecisely, modeled on other works or styles. Anyway I went to see the new version of West Side Story with my wife the other day. The original show made right before that "pop" era. It was so sincere. No irony with an honest attempt to bring musical theater "forward". I so enjoyed it even if it's a bit middle brow Americana. I'm writing this description in hopes of being equally sincere. The melody borrows a bit of "Somewhere" as a tip of the hat. I hope. My big musical ideas, besides that, are as follows. The key may sound a bit vague at times but floats between B major, E major and A major so that classic one four five, if somewhat buried. the time signature changes a few times, briefly, and syncopates when it doesn't. There's the Syd Barrett influence for those keeping score. There's also some willful changes from major to minor in the harmony that are classic rock ideas. Even if, in this context, they eventually become key changes. Well that's enough sincerity. Oh except for the photo. It's Miss Place. My wife maiden name and me back when I would have written something like this. ;)

Miss Place

Pumkin Pie

Monkey Parts

Always Something There To Remind Me

I am curious how my, or anybody's, musical output is altered by actual life. Usually, well, at least over the last bunch of years that I've been posting here. I can't really say because both the music and life are in a constant flow. This last year though the music and my normal day to day life were somewhat interrupted. I seem to be settling into a familiar but slightly different approach. Although most of my curiosities remain. This piece is really a reframing. That's what I like to call it when I cover a song by someone but keep the original vocal. In this case Ian Stephen. As a change of pace I am actually playing, as a bassist with Mr. Stephen. I must say it delights me that for once I can share one of my musical portraits with the subject. It's also fun to ponder why I've changed, in my own music, what I have.

Let Elvis Free

My first bit of writing in over a year. Why elevator music? I don't know.

Freddy

Kitty Cat Clock

My Girlfriends Back (cover)

I don't know for sure why I've been so heavy on covers for some time now. I have inklings of some ideas. One was to write something combining a theater style song with my usual mush of other styles. While I had that idea in my head I stumbled across this song. I like to listen to current, or nearly current pop songs on occasion, for fun ones to do covers of. This one seemed to me to be a mix of pop and theater music. I should say here that I haven't gotten around to seeing Barbie yet and, while I'm sure I've heard bits of things from her, I've never sat through a song from Ms. Eilish either. Anyway I thought it was a fine piece of writing. I could say a bunch more about this subject but I've grown tired of writing.

What Was I Made for? (Cover)

Inspired by The Love Boat. Not the show itself but more the imagined back stage with Lauren Tewes doing prodigious amounts of coke, old 50's movie stars and the giant egos of the people involved in a hit TV show. That mixed with an out of control bass line, some Muzak, jazz and the weird bits of the 70's floating around in my mind.

All The Things You Are (A Love Boat version)

A song that runs in my head as background music when I think of my youth. It still sounds fresh and modern to my ears. Done, with love, in the garage band style that also would be appropriate to that same soundtrack.

Giant Steps

This one is yet another cover, but this time with a personal connection. The Armchairs were a very early 80's Melbourne, Australia band featuring my current collaborator Ian Stephen. I saw an old video Ian had posted and suggested adding it to our set list. Here's my NYC style version done á la 1979. Here's the original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI8S46v1MjY

Can You Guess?

Brisbane

Lyrics:

I don’t want to stay here
Just
Waiting on the world
Now
Baby I’ve got ideas
For you
And I
Need to see you
Smile
Make my blood flow

Dobbie you’ve got my mind asunder
Dobbie please let me watch you slumber
Dobbie please

I can’t find my own thoughts
Like
This who I am
Well
Won’t you fill the boxes
And make
Me alive and 
Breathe out
Whisper in my ear

Dobbie you’ve got my mind asunder
Dobbie please let me watch you slumber

How could I have missed so badly
You know 
My heart’s
Your’s alone
Why would I have ever hurt you
Look close
You’ll see
The real me

I think I am done so 
Go
Make your way back home
Girl
You’ve got stuff to do and
I see
That I’ve brought you 
Down and
There is no way back

Dobbie you’ve got my mind asunder
Dobbie please let me watch you slumber

How could I have missed so badly
Oh no

Dobbie you’ve got my mind asunder
Dobbie please let me watch you slumber
Dobbie you’ve got my mind asunder
Dobbie please let me watch you slumber
Dobbie you’ve got my mind asunder
Dobbie please let me watch you slumber
Dobbie you’ve got my mind asunder
Dobbie please let me watch you slumber
Dobbie you’ve got my mind asunder

Dobbie

My version here's the original if you don't know it. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7KNmW9a75Y

Flowers (Now with 100% more Some Old White Guy™)

This was suggested or, perhaps, requested by a friend. I didn't know the song before. I got to say, while it's not that harmonically interesting(and no offense are any of them?) nor particularly catchy(she certainly, generally, has an ear for a catchy melody) The lyrics have got to be the best I've heard from her(in fairness a somewhat limited sample). I love the line "Sometimes you just don't know the answer 'Til someone's on their knees and asks you". For a marriage proposal you've rejected? I have to admit Ms. Swift has moved up a bit in my list of songwriters. Oh I did it as an imaginary Muscle Shoals version.

Champagne Problems

Be Quite

I wanna be

What is going through my mind. What made me work up yet another cover when I’ve got plenty of other things I could work on(sorry Marquis). This is a song by Nick Cave. I’m currently in a band, playing bass, with Ian Stephen. Ian is a musician originally from Melbourne, Australia. Ian and Nick were members of the same music scene. While I don’t think they were especially close they traded band members, played in the same clubs, etc.. I should note that before playing with Ian that I was aware of Mr. Cave but had never really listened to him. Ian is the songwriter for this band so, in an interest to develop a sense of his music, I started to listen to Mr. Cave’s work. I like it, although I haven’t listened enough to have a strong opinion of the total of his work. Ian reviles Mr. Cave’s work. I attribute this mostly to jealousy. There is certainly more to it than that, but I cannot help but delight in bringing up Mr. Cave to Ian. I made this to send to Ian. Of course there is more to it than this. The irony that this dark track, often interpreted as a Nazi death camp guard’s talk to a jewish child, is one of Mr. Cave’s best known ones because. It was used in a Harry Potter Movie. Irony and sarcasm, two of the great joys of my life. There are some other conceptual ideas but I’ve written enough.

O Children

Lyrics:

Oh baby please don’t let me be the
Secular version of a vestal virgin
My soul is pure but it’s light on burdens
What’s a boy to do if I knew
I’d tell you

Girl you’re fine
Drawn with a graceful line
Would it be that you were to opine
On the many virtues
I imagine are mine
 
Take a minute, hell make that two
What am I to do without you
You’ve got to shut your open eyes
Or your good sense will drive you to
Some other guy 

I say
Help me out
Free your mind of your
Valid doubts
I may be trouble procured
But ain’t that better then being bored

Can it be
Vis-à-vis me
That a light is shining
Showing you a way
A revelation of the mundane
To be determined
Oh my doll
Run for it

Callus is the knife
In the hand of a chosen disciple
You might be right
But that won’t stop you from being 
Unseated


Dark is the night
Dark is heart of a former lover
Dark is sun
In the hands
Of anybody other 
Than you
With the light 
Obscured

Darling says
I’m not listening 
Your big mouth is constantly ginning
For place
No one gets to
Amongst the allies 
And the byways that circle
Around
To nowhere

To Nowhere

Lyrics:
Muy Fuego
Look at those shoulders
That mamacita could go
Throughing boulders
For fun
You’d had better run
Before she treats you like she did that
Honey bun

Chase me instead
I like to live life on the 
Knife's edge

Mi Dios
Where did you find that dress?
Edith Head would be
So impressed
Muchacha loca
I am the man for you
Now put down that anvil and listen to

My spiel
As I kneel
And take out my comb to
Address my hair

Hold me tight
Well not quite that tight
I need to breathe
And I’m here to stay
You are my 
Living Dream

Kiss me now
And when you get a chance 
Could you please 
Put me down

Oh mi chica
You are my spicy
Paprika 
Can’t you see that I
Need ya
Don’t run away
You’re too fast
I can’t catch you
I’d be gassed
Don’t ruin my day

Look at those wrists
Put a bat in her hand and
Watch the hits

Muy Fuego
That mamacite es Fuego
Bonita chica

Muy Fuego

Lyrics:
You’ve got every little number
Written down in a book with no cover
Shut your mouth girl
Your words have lost their luster
And meaning

Pick up your socks from the floor 
Your mother will start to jaw on all
The mistakes that you’ve made 
Real and projected

And you don’t want to hear it now
And you don’t want to deal with that how
Can you shut off that radio
In your head

Climb on that pony 
With the prince of the world
Make out of nothing
Everything you are

You are the queen of the land
You are the great beauty damned
By all of the harlots 
Scandalous and
Grand

Charlotte

Lawyers, Guns and Money

Dance Party!!!

Lyrics

Every time I see your face
I feel my 
Heart race
I can't believe I got the luck
To get in
Your good grace

I am the worm
You are the dirt
the good Lord
Placed me on this Earth
Just to
Chase after your skirt

And when the sun don't shine
And when my life feels black
You move your heart right next to mine
And a cut me a little slack

Your smiling face refracts the light
Straight into
My place
My life has been a decent hand
But you are
My only Ace

I am a slug
You are the warm wet place
The good Lord
Placed me on the Earth
Just to
Gaze upon your face

I do not believe in God
I don't think there'll be any place else
And if I'm right and this is all I get
I'm thankful my cup was filled

-Guitar solo-

And when the sun don't shine
And when my life feels black 
You move your heart right next to mine 
And a cut me a little slack

Cut Me A Little Slack

Lyrics:
I've got the diamond
So have no fear
Suck up the atmosphere
Let the stage lights shine

Babe now the answer is
Oh so clear
Don't make it sound so dear
Like it was chocolate in the sun

I've got the golden pancake
Assured by a handshake
With my connection up above

My delusions are mine
I made them 
Please don't degrade them
They're the only thing I own

Now honey you are so cool
Let the sunlight dapple you
Give me a smile and
I'll be complete
There is nothing that can compete
You are poetry in motion
My thoughts swim in the ocean
Of you
Girl 
Of you

Peace to the fools of everyday
Fiddling their lives away
Hiding from the warmth of the sun

They work so hard to be riven from
The only sure thing they're given
Like lemmings on the run
From love
And hate
Their children eating off their plates

God knows the meaning
I do  not babe
At least that's what the preachers rave
Though that may be a lie

Now honey you are so cool
Let the sunlight dapple you
Give me a smile and
I'll be complete
There is nothing that can compete
You are poetry in motion
My heart swims in the ocean
Of you
Woman 
Of you

Poetry In Motion

I sent the original tracks over to Couch King some time ago after working with him on a couple of his projects. I've always wanted to do a hip hop track with some rapping but it's the one thing I haven't gotten down yet. I love what he did both musically and with the subject matter. Plus what a sweetheart to work with. I got it 99% done but then got really busy and left him hanging for far too long. After some gentle prodding, I finally finished. Thanks again Marquis! :)

And So You Say(A Couch King/Jon Lock joint production)

Lyrics

Raging at the fools won’t stop the fun
Jesus jumped the gun
He should have lied in wait
I can’t go on with this
My life of subtle trysts 
With both love and hate

To tell you now
But then it seems to be allowed
So shallow and unavowed 
Are we

To think like unkept beds
Let’s fill our empty heads
With candy cake
For the fortunate
This could be the end
Of our sad mistakes

Have been made
Lie and say we’ll be ok
Close my eyes and
Turn away

Baby I have got
Black hatred  in my heart
A stomach tied in knots
For you

To see me here
It can not be clear
What I’m trying to do
Or failing to
Perhaps hiding from
Shadows in the dark

Is what it is
My love lift up your chin
And then maybe we can begin
To dine on the light

Odd Times

A collaboration with @mahan-mahan in which he doesn't play, at least in this version. The song though is his pick and believe it or not I never heard it before his suggestion. God am I getting old. I was shocked to see what a big hit it was and I had no idea.
For those interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0hyYWKXF0Q

Dance Monkey

I'm a conceptual musical artist but the concepts are vague and I'm not willing to explain them.

jon lock

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks