This song is about losing my wonderful big brother when I was a young man. He bought me 'The White Fender Strat' and said quietly through his smile "No excuses now...". Thanks forever bro, this is for you as always.
 
The Valuable Friends:
@janinelevinson: The Queen of Roll, Rock and Soul on the Second Mic
@rick-4-1: Mr Tour Pro on Very Cool Drums
@phil-mcwalter: The Other Stuff


SMOKE

Growing up, looking up
I have never had my toast buttered on both sides
I started crying the day 
I watched my father clearing the overgrown weeds at the top of the garden and realised 
And realised
That wasn’t what he was doing
Ooh no

It was a still day 
So still
It was a still life
And the smell of the smoke never quite left our clothes
Five years
And another
Five years

There was a silence 
Where my beautiful dead brother still lived between us 
And that quietness wasn’t burned with the weeds

It was a still day
It was a still life 
So still
And the smell of the smoke never quite left our clothes
Five years
Another
Five years

Digging the sod in Donegal 
Praying for muscle, bunched like a ball 
Sweat and pride loved standing tall 
Anticipating 
Eye-watering 
Peat-stove fire 
That would 
Warm 
Cook 
And flavour our bones

It was a still day 
Still day
It was a still life 
Still life
And the smell of the smoke never quite left our clothes

Another
Five years
And another
Five years...

Five years
Tick tock
Five years
My father lost his sense of smell and his pulse in cenotaph central heating
Five years
And my orphaned senses 
Five years
Still feel that fire

And smell that smoke...

© July 2021 - Phil McWalter

Image: 'Peasant Burning Weeds' 1883 Van Gogh

Spotify

Smoke

With gratitude and respect to Kohei Uchimura, who is retiring.

This song was inspired by Kohei Uchimura who is a gymnastics athlete at Tokyo 2020 Olympic.
But maybe you can sing this for your hero, for your friends, for your lovers, for your parents….
Whatever it is, this is a song of gratitude and respect for the person you admire.

[Lyrics]

Cause I Saw You Were There

Do you know why I could come here?
Do you know what made me to come here?
It’s you. 
Cause I saw you were there. 
You were there.
Yes, it’s you. 
Cause I saw you were there. 
You were there.

引退される内村航平選手へ、感謝と敬意をこめて。

体操の内村航平選手の東京オリンピックを見て、この曲が生まれました。
でもたぶんこの曲は、あなたのヒーローのため、あなたの友人のため、あなたの恋人のため、あなたの両親のための曲でもあります…。
それが何であれ、あなたの憧れの人への感謝と敬意を歌ったものです。

[歌詞]

僕がなぜここに来ることが出来たのか知っていますか？
何が僕をここに連れて来たのか知っていますか？
あなたです。 
あなたがそこにいたのを見たからです。 
あなたはそこにいた。
そう、それはあなたです。 
あなたがそこにいたのを見たからです。 
あなたはそこにいました。

Cause I Saw You Were There

Counting the days lol The B side of Iron Gate  if there is such a thing any more Cheers G

64 And Counting

Happy New Year from The Welcome Parade!!

We hope 2022 will be the start of something quite exceptional for everyone.  I think we are all due a bit of a respite from the current state of affairs! 

Lyrics:
I can feel the fire living in the rain
Pay witness to the pleasure hiding in the pain

To hear the craziness of those that you deem sane
A circle left unbroken we'll travel once again

If not today, maybe tomorrow… 
If not for joy, maybe for sorrow…
If not to lead then maybe to follow…
If not to steal then maybe to borrow…

To feel as broken, as I seem to be
All surrendered out my friend, embracing my defeat

The mirror changes nothing except the point view
A gap, a hole,  a thing that takes my place,  takes my place with you

If not today, maybe tomorrow… 
If not for joy, maybe for sorrow…
If not to lead then maybe to follow…
If not to steal then maybe to borrow…

If not for joy, maybe for sorrow…



The Welcome Parade is proud to release our first two tracks of 2022

The Ready -  See "The Ready"

Not Today - This ones development followed a different path than what normally happens in our band.  As usual it starts on Skype...ends up discarded to the "we will get to that later" pile.  The melody however simply refuses to leave my(Jeff's) head.  I string together a rough rhythm guitar track and send it off to the crew and say in the email....this is what this is about for me and I am compelled to finish this. 

Thom sends back a written chorus....and what a chorus it is.  I do a quick performance and once I can hear the thoughts in real time... the verses slide right out of my head on to paper.   Jay moves to the Rhythm guitar, Jeff to lead vocal and bass,  Thom on the lead and aux & rhythm guitar work.

Normally in development the drums and bass get locked in first so everyone can grab on to the vibe once its all figured out.  In this case...the bass was the last instrument to be figured out.  It was a wonderful opportunity to play off my band mates with the bass.  There are times where I rotated to the speakers and imagine my friends in studio/stage across from me as I start digging deeper on the bass.  Something I don't always get to enjoy but something so seductive to feel! 

I hope one day the world looks at us and says...we got to get these guys together!  If not I am just very happy to have a couple of friends with a musical connection that exists as something so natural, it is difficult to keep the components separate, to realize where one ends and another begins. 

You guys rock and I am so glad to have you as friends and musical companions...rock on mi amigos!

2022

Not Today

Not Today (by The Welcome Parade)

Our cover of Einstürzende Neubauten's song. Please listen to the wonderful and sublime original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz6G6l1MZlg&ab_channel=Einst%C3%BCrzendeNeubauten-Topic

Heaven Is Of Honey

might be about general regrets or old loves or even international grievances or just something like what Sir Paul sang "Fixing a hole..." but in this case it's NOT Fixing A Hole...!

The Nail's Long Gone But The Hole's Still There

I hope peace will come to all those who listen to this track. 
The sun and the moon change roles. The star finishes its role in management and sleeps with people. 
The daily life that is repeated every day sometimes feels ordinary. That's a happy thing.

The sunrise at the daybreak

But Where's The Fun In That?

If I Had A Dollar


If I had a dollar for every time I thought of you
if I had a dollar for every time I thought of you
I’d have so much money Honey 
I wouldn’t know what to do.

If I had a dollar for every time you turned me on
if I had a dollar for every time you turned me on
I’d be richer than Bill Gates and Céline Dion.

If I had a dollar for every time you yanked my chain - chain - chain
if I had a dollar for every time you yanked my chain - chain - chain
I would need no Doctor - I wouldn’t feel
I wouldn’t feel no more pain.
Is there a Doctor in the house?

If I had a dollar for every time I thought of you
if I had a dollar for every time I thought of you
I’d have so much money Honey
so much money Honey
so much money Honey
I wouldn’t know
I wouldn’t know - what to do.

If I Had A Dollar

Solar

Release date : November 6th 2020.

Thank you very much indeed for taking time to listen to my work
and for all your support. I really do appreciate it!

Enjoy!

Solar

Alexander Yakunin