I love reggae (mostly), so the stakes were high, and made even more precarious by a case of lyrics block. Nothing original here to write about writer's block.

Running out of options

An emotional song about a woman longing for the family Christmases of the past.

Christmas Song

Music copyright David Snyder 2025
ASCAP/DAY OF FAITH RECORDS
David Snyder: Guitar, Bass, Piano, Strings


So this one is a little strange, and I don’t quite know what to think of it myself. Here is how it came to be.
I sat down at the piano and in one take (one of my one take experiments) wrote a chord progression and piano part for a twenty minute piece of “trance music” to help me go into a trance like state when I am writing. (I use that every day now BTW.) Then I snipped off the first five minutes (have no idea why) and decided to add a lead part on the bass. Never done that before, using a “lead bass” as opposed to a lead guitar.
The I went back and added a lead guitar loaded with effects and feedback for the second half. I had both the Les Paul and my jazz bass wired to send midi, and used that to trigger string parts, so I could have some string parts that were the same notes as the bass and guitar.
The end result is this.
I call it Watchers at the Gates of Dawn.
Again, I have NO IDEA what to make of this, but I kinda like it,  and am kinda thinking about doing a whole album like this. There is something I like about it but I can’t say what. The chord progression (which BIAB analyzed for me seems) kind of cool, but definitely trippy.

THE WATCHERS AT THE GATES OF DAWN

J'ai écrit les paroles et j'ai composé la musique de cette chanson.
Les arrangements ont été faits avec Band-in-a-Box (guitares) et Suno AI (voix, violon ).

Faut pas s’app’ler Einstein
Pour savoir qu’un instant
N’est que très relatif
Face à l’usure du Temps
Les grains du Sablier
S’avalent comme des pilules
Quand on n’les digère plus
Les accrocs s’accumulent

Les plages de sable fin
Deviennent sables mouvants
Les relations humaines
S’enlisent le plus souvent
Des exceptions existent
Entre gens tolérants
Dont l’ego modéré
N’est pas prépondérant

Faut pas s’app’ler Einstein
Pour faire sienne cette formule :
" A trop se fréquenter,
On risque la bascule ! "  
Les grains du Sablier
S’avalent comme des pilules
Quand on n’les digère plus
Les accrocs s’accumulent

Faut pas s'app'ler Einstein

I Need A Lot More Jesus

Another best friend and musician has passed.  
Scott and I met in 1967 and played in bands together from then until we retired from the music business years later. We remained best friends even after our playing days were over.  RIP Scott. 

This is my tribute to him. 

Via my breath and keyboard controllers I am playing the Swam violin and Cello.  Band-in-a-Box is supplying the balance of the tracks using my sound sources.

Ode to Scott

Lyrics: R.W. Davis
Music, vocals, production: me
Image by kues1 on Freepik

No No No No

For Dennis

Produced, Mixed and Mastered by Scott Collingwood

Screaming Eagle

No Suno cover this time . . . this is a song I've had around of a little while.  Ray Cochrane helped out by laying down an excellent bass track.  My biggest challenge was getting my vocal to sit in the mix where I wanted it.  Fingers-crossed that  I hit close  enough to home.  Hope you enjoy the tune.  

Staring at the night sky
The stars and all their kin
Thinking about the fine lines
The space that we’ve been spinning in
The force that pulls together
You and I and everything
And the common ties
Of love and gravity

I keep asking for forgiveness
But it only make things worse
No matter how I try to 
Find the secrets to your universe
The laws of love’s attraction
Well, they seem to be my curse
As I try find the way to you from me

But all I see Is this 
Black hole in front of me
And will I be some traveller 
That’s bound to wander endlessly
Down this broken path desperately 
Seeking some kind of love to last in me
That can pull you close and keep you
Gravity

All these endless orbits
Elliptic in my head
Swing us round in circles
Can’t we just go straight instead
All of my confessions
By now they should have led
All along the way to you from me

Words and Music:  Dj Lekich

(c)2025 Dj Lekich

Gravity

MST MST 2 Funkey b

Lyrics and translation below:

This well known Hawaiian hula song was composed in 1920 by Charles E. King. The lyrics of the first four verses were written by J. Kealoha. They tell about the four main islands of Hawaii (Hawaii or Big Island, Maui, Oahu and Kaua, in pic), their own leis and mountains. Later Noelani Mahoe added five more verses about the five other islands of Hawaii.
In my version I sing just the first four verses. I play banjos (Tenor and Plectrum), mandolins (Napolitan and Octave) and guitars. I produced this at my home with Band in a Box and Reaper.

Sanat ja käännös liitteenä:

Tämän tunnetun hula-laulun Hawailta sävelsi 1920 Charles E. King. Ensimmäiset neljä säkeistöä kirjoitti J.Kealoha. Niissä kerrotaan Hawaijin neljän suurimman saaren (Hawaii eli Big Island, Maui, Oahu and Kaua, kuvassa) oma lei ja vuori. Myöhemmin Noelani Mahoe lisäsi viisi säkeistöä Hawaijin muista saarista.
Versiossani laulan neljä ensimmäistä säkeistöä. Soitan banjoja (tenori ja plectrum), mandoliinejä (napolilainen ja oktaavi) ja kitaroita. Tuotin tämän kotonani Band in a Boxilla ja Reaperilla.

Hanohano Hawai`i la lei i ka lehua la
Kuahiwi nani la o Mauna Kea

Kilakila `o Maui la lei i ka roselani la
Kuahiwi nani la o Haleakalâ

Ha`aheo O`ahu la lei i ka `ilima la
Kuahiwi nani la o Ka`ala

Kaulana Kaua`i la lei i ka mokihana la
Kuahiwi nani la oWai`ale`ale


Honored is Hawai`i whose lei is the lehua
Beautiful is it's mountain, of Mauna Kea

Majestic is Maui whose lei is roselani
Beautiful is it's mountain, of Haleakalâ

Proud is O`ahu whose lei is the `ilima
Beautiful is it's mountain, of Ka`ala

Famous is Kaua`i whose lei is the mokihana
Beautiful is it's mountain, of Wai`ale`ale


Kunnioitettu on Havaiji, jonka lei on lehua
Kaunis on sen vuori Mauna Kea

Majesteettinen on Maui, jonka lei on roselani
Kaunis on sen vuori Haleakala

Ylpeä on Oahu, jonka lei on `ilima
Kaunis on sen vuori Ka'ala

Kuuluisa on Kauai, jonka lei on mokihana
Kaunis on sen vuori Wai'ale'ale

Na Moku Eha aka Hano, Hano Hawaii (The Four Islands) (Music: Charles E. King 1920, Lyrics: J. Kealoha)

I've been a guitarist since the age of 15 and writing songs since then, albeit more prolifically since 2000. I prefer strong melodies and to borrow chords to move outside of the diatonic. Usually, the song mix contains my vocals, guitars and sometimes bass, with drums, keys and other instruments auto-generated. The tracks uploaded in my Soundcloud are attempts to 'illustrate' the idea and sound I imagined when writing the songs. At best, the quality of recordings are demo quality. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!

Running out of options

Andrew of the antipodes