Definitely inspired by The Cure, with lots of references to boot. Going for the 80s and 90s vibe, but with a critical look at our current state of affairs in this country.

Mixed and mastered by Josh Carney of Carney Media Group.

Cure Me

Try the untried.  Exploring new things is good for the soul.  Straight up rock song with a theme of breaking out of the monotony.

Lyrics:

INTRO:
Trying to figure out this itch inside
What is missing. Why not satisfied.
Something’s changed.  Part of me died.
Life and desire sometimes collide. 

VERSE 1:
Children have a sense of adventure,
Always learning something new.
Changing life at their center.			
All the events and things to do.

Something happens when we’re older.
House, and job, and comfort, too.
But. the fire inside begins to smolder.
Life can suck the life out of you.

VERSE 2:     
Instead of getting all down inside,
Try something that excites you.
Lift yourself up.  Decide to decide.
Relish life with something that’s new.

Explore more sides.  Enjoy the whole ride.
Shake it all up, and make things askew.
Find the guide that drives you inside.
Excitement brings life into view.


CHORUS 1:
Write a song.  Something strong.
Make new friends.  Go out on weekends.

What a great feeling.
That moment you wake, not knowing where you are.

Don a pack, travel there and back.
Explore a new side.   Try the untried.

Something’s appealing.
The first steps you take, in distant lands afar.

VERSE 3:
Tap into your sense of adventure.
Try something crazy, wild, and new.
Go for it and be a contender.
Out on a limb discover what’s you. 

Oh, I need the thrill of exploring.
Always need things to pursue.
Newness helps from being too boring.   	
Open doors, and go on through.	

CHORUS 2:
Write a song.  Something strong.
Make new friends.  Go out on weekends.

It’s really healing.
Getting away and raising the bar.

Don a pack, travel there and back.
Explore a new side.   Try the untried.

The world is revealing. 
So fix that ache, and chase your lodestar.

BRIDGE:
Stagnant water kills.
Rapid water thrills 
Scrape off all that rust.
Trust your wanderlust.

VERSE 4: 
Oh, I want the thrill of exploring.
Adrenaline to raise your heartbeat.
Flying, hiking, driving, touring.
What you need to make life complete.

Now, take in the thrill of exploring.
Enjoy talking to strangers you meet.
Free the energy you’ve been storing.
Get out there and get on your feet.

OUTRO CHORUS:

Write a song.  Something strong.
Make new friends.  Go out on weekends.

What a great feeling.
That moment you wake, not knowing where you are.

Don a pack, travel there and back.
Explore a new side.   Try the untried.

Something’s appealing.
The first steps you take, in distant lands afar.

Write a song.  Something strong.
Make new friends.  Go out on weekends.

It’s really healing.
Getting away and raising the bar.

Don a pack, travel there and back.
Explore a new side.   Try the untried.

The world is revealing. 
So fix that ache, and chase your lodestar.


Mixed and mastered by Josh Carney of Carney Media Group.

Exploring

A sardonic yet catchy look back at growing up in the suburbs in the 80s and 90s. Hints of Lou Reed, Cheap Trick, and The Replacements. 

Lyrics:

VERSE ONE: 
Jennifer dresses for her sweet sixteen
High school boys trying to look suave but mean
Danny’s got a booze bar in his trunk
Driving to the party just to get them all drunk

VERSE TWO: 
Other guys hanging at the Circle K
Wishing for some action to come their way
Spent last weekend scopin’ at the mall
Hours of scamming, with no luck at all.

PRE-CHORUS: 
Looking back,
It seems so . . . pathetic!
Looking back,
It seems so . . . pathetic!

CHORUS: 
We were just livin’ in a suburban void
We didn’t know all we could’ve enjoyed
We were just livin’ in a suburban void
That explains why we were oh so annoyed.

VERSE THREE: 
Know no culture; got no class
Just hanging around, sittin’, sittin’ on your ass
Lord only knows, there’s nothing to do
But watch videos and smoke some pot, too.

PRE-CHORUS

CHORUS

VERSE FOUR: 
Catching a buzz on his parents’ fine rum
Michael’s feeling pretty good, but acting really dumb
He noticed that the bottle’s looking kinda low
So he fills it up with water; hopes his parents don’t know

PRE-CHORUS

CHORUS

BRIDGE

VERSE FIVE: 
Jennifer undresses for her sweet sixteen
Hoping to get lucky, oh what a scene
She loaded up at Danny’s booze bar
Now her boredom’s going to take her too far.

PRE-CHORUS

CHORUS (2X)

Mixed and mastered by Josh Carney at Carney Media Group

Suburban Void

Too many people in the world have a tendency to blame others instead of taking responsibility for their actions.  It seems like a narcissistic trait.  We would all be better if everyone ceased playing the blame game.

"Funkin' Blame Game" is a rock song, with a funky baseline, catchy guitars, driving drums, and vocal accompaniment by the awesome Anne Bennett.

VERSE 1:

Never at fault, no responsibility.
It’s the worst trait, vulgar and ugly.
Pass the buck.  No sensibility.
We all do it.  Killing our society.

Fantasize your own superiority.
Seeking praise, and covet all envy.
Play the victim, show no empathy.
Admit no mistake, never an apology.

CHORUS:

Do you play the bla-a-ame game.
Where you win by shovin’ them down.
Do you say things that defame them.
Excuses you, passin’ around.

Better, smarter, know it all.
Always right, and can’t be wrong.
All questioners must be flawed.
Challengers all are small.

VERSE 2:

Just one slip, means no respectability.
You deny, any culpability.
You can’t show, vulnerability.
It’s a threat to your virility.

Convincing you, to have the capability
To lead a life, filled with civility.
Is just a path, of dumb futility.
That always ends, in your hostility.

CHORUS

VERSE 3:

“I am sorry,” is a disability.
You depend on, other’s gullibility.
Believing you, the only possibility.
Don’t care for peace and tranquility.

Buck stops there, no credibility.
You’re locked down, no humility.
Your behavior leads to instability.
No authority, no nobility.

BRIDGE LYRICS:

Don’t you, want to, cease to, play the, play the blame game

When fingers point, you complain.
Can’t be me, you exclaim.
Resisting blame, you refrain.  
Not your prob, you explain.

Guilt-free self, you sustain.
Sympathy, you abstain.
Deflect flaws, you remain.
Just satisfied to play the blame game.

Funkin' Blame Game (feat. Anne Bennett)

A contemplative rock track that ponders two sides of personality -- one that wants to be having fun all of the time, and the other that just wants to chill and be alone sometimes.  The song mirrors this sentiment, with different portions with different atmospheres.  Acoustic guitars and simple instrumentation in parts of the song, and then a tempo change with full driving bass, drums, guitars and horns in the choruses and bridge.

Lyrics:
VERSE 1: 

Melancholy, 
Often hits me.
When I go deep.
Into what I could be.

I wonder why
I can’t be that guy
Who always arrives 
With fun is his eye

Always happy, 
Now that isn’t me.
Why can’t I see
Happiness ain’t free.

No need to try
To always fly high
I can get by
Having two sides

CHORUS:

Split desires
Pulling me
Fun, done, home, free.

Why can’t I
Just decide
Who should I be?

POST-CHORUS 1:

There are two sides that I can be
Dividing line, depends on the time.

There are two sides, and which is me.
I can’t decide, even though I tried.

VERSE 2:

Like Jekyll and Hyde
I can’t decide.
Fun amplified.
Or stay inside

There are times
I like being alone
Me and mine 
On my own.
 
CHORUS.

POST-CHORUS 2:

There are two sides that I can see
Dividing line, depends on the time.

There are two sides, and both are me.
I can’t decide, but that’s alright.

VERSE 3:

Mirror’s glare 
Is always there.
I don’t care
Just don’t compare.

Be who you need
Go at your speed
You’ll be freed.
To succeed.

CHORUS

POST-CHORUS 1

POST-CHORUS 2

Mixed and mastered by Josh Carney of Carney Media Group.

Two Sides

The first song I recorded. My dad passed away in July 2020, during the pandemic. I couldn't travel cross country to see him or be with family. We couldn't have a funeral, so we couldn't gather to mourn him. This song is for him.

Lyrics:

VERSE ONE:
Father died the other day.
Took him time to pass away.
Yet, I couldn’t go; I had to stay away.
I’ll return, after this disarray.

CHORUS:
Can’t travel or gather to mourn him.
Can’t travel or gather to mourn him.
Just calls ‘n stories about him.
But, it’s not the same . . . it’s not the same.

VERSE TWO:
Sending photos he displayed.
‘Cause memories begin to fade.
Like the way we sang and we played.
Or the bad jokes that he made.

CHORUS

BRIDGE

VERSE THREE:
Capturing laughs through the haze.
Some of us have been crying for days.
No hugs ‘cause of this pandemic craze.
Toughest thing; you’d be amazed

CHORUS: 2X

[Mixed and Mastered by Josh Carney of Carney Media Group]

Major Inconvenience

A soft rock, soft pop track about the dangers of relying on first impressions alone.

The Rest Of Me

An introspective look back at life, with a classic rock sound reminiscent of the 70s.

Lyrics:

Years going by oh so fast,
Hair growing in gray.

Dreams that I had when so young,
Time slipping a way.

Where does time go?
	(Where does time go?)
	(Where does time go?)
I just don’t know.
	(I just don’t know)
	(I just don’t know)

When I look back at my life,
Will everything appear alright?

When I look back at my life,
Will I believe it all worthwhile?

When I look back at my life,
Will I have achieved my desires?

When I look back at my life,
Will I remember the fire inside?

Man hoping I’d be one day
Friends I wanted to make.

Peaks calling me out by name,
Work taking its take.

Where does time go?
	(Where does time go?)
	(Where does time go?)
I just don’t know.
	(I just don’t know)
	(I just don’t know)

Talks I wanted to have with you,
Words I wanted to say.

Me putting off things to do,
Not seizing the day.

Where did time go?
	(Where did time go?)
	(Where did time go?)
What do I know.
	(What do I know?)
	(What do I know?)


Mixed and mastered by Josh Carney of Carney Media Group.

Back At My Life

Where has all the empathy in the world gone?  An alternative rock track in the style of Maneskin, Muse, and Queens Of The Stone Age.  Lots of guitar, bass, and synths.

Empathy Is Dead (Sunil Hariani and Andrew Thomases)

An homage to The Clash, with commentary on today's culture.  Hard driving post punk song with lots of guitar, bass, and drums.

VERSE 1:

Comments brawling
Hate spewing in
Lines being drawn
The peace is growing thin.

Comments brawling
Bombs will fall
Internet is drownin’ 
Fight the law


PRE-CHORUS:

Yowwwww

I’m all lost
I’m all lost


VERSE 2:

Comments brawling 
Should I stay
I say no
Better go away

Comments brawling
On pirate satellite
Shareef don’t like it.
Getting uptight


PRE-CHORUS

CHORUS:

I’m all lost in this online world
Can no longer browse happily
Came in here for a special offer
Guaranteed personality


VERSE 3:

Comments falling
Sowing your doubt
Comparing to others
Fear of missing out

Comments falling
Find your clan
Don’t pop the bubble
Stand by your man  

BRIDGE:

Come clash with me
No not all all

Come clash with me
No not at all

You must expla-ain,
Why this must be
Did you lie-ie,
When you wrote about me.

CHORUS


Mixed and mastered by Josh Carney of Carney Media Group @MusicTechHelpGuy

Clash With Me

Ever feel stuck in the past--dwelling on decisions you made earlier in life? Get out of your funk with some funky sounds and realize that your past shouldn't haunt you.  Enjoy this 80s-esque track, with hooky synths, funky guitar, and a catchy chorus.  Sounds a bit like Duran Duran meets OneRepublic.  #DuranDuran #OneRepublic #80sPop

Lyrics:

VERSE 1:
 
Reliving 
My decisions
Keeps me livin’ 
Livin’ in the past

Reliving, my decisions
My decisions 
Keep me living
Keeps me living like a man
Who’s stuck in the past

All the “what if”’s 
And the “how comes?”
And the “how comes” become the “how longs”
And the how longs make me wonder 
Was my life just miscast?
 
PRE-CHORUS:

I’m feeling
I’m failing
My memories betraying

Need healing
I’m reeling 
My misery’s not fading

You’re living
You’re thriving
I’m barely just surviving

Relieve me
Deceive me
Please change the facts completely 

CHORUS:
 
Maybe I’ll never know
What it’s like to never grow
With the highs and not the lows
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

But someday I will see
A life of harmony
And there will be no
Past, to, haunt, me

VERSE 2:
 
Existence
Is illusion
Yet I'm choosing 
The confusion that's passed

Existence
Is illusion
Yet I'm choosing this confusion
When illusion could be soothing,
In the life i forecast.  [The confusion that’s passed]

Old decisions 
Wish were different
Can't change my old decisions
But the difference in the future 
Liberates me at last

PRE-CHORUS

CHORUS

BRIDGE

I’m sitting on the side
The crossroads of my life
Trying to decide
Whether I’m a deceiver

In suffering the past
It’s easy to look back
See a different design
But I’m not a believer 

PRE-CHORUS 

CHORUS

Mixed and mastered by Josh Carney of Carney Media Group.

No Past To Haunt Me

The first song I recorded.  My dad passed away in July 2020, during the pandemic.  I couldn't travel cross country to see him or be with family.  We couldn't have a funeral, so we couldn't gather to mourn him.  This song is for him.

Lyrics:

VERSE ONE:
Father died the other day.
Took him time to pass away.
Yet, I couldn’t go; I had to stay away.
I’ll return, after this disarray.
 
CHORUS:
Can’t travel or gather to mourn him.
Can’t travel or gather to mourn him.
Just calls ‘n stories about him.
But, it’s not the same . .  . it’s not the same.
 
VERSE TWO:
Sending photos he displayed.
‘Cause memories begin to fade.
Like the way we sang and we played.
Or the bad jokes that he made.
 
CHORUS
 
BRIDGE
 
VERSE THREE:
Capturing laughs through the haze.
Some of us have been crying for days.
No hugs ‘cause of this pandemic craze.
Toughest thing; you’d be amazed
 
CHORUS: 2X

Major Inconvenience - Demo

A look at the pandemic and the current state of the country, especially at the frustration of not knowing what's next or when the pandemic is going to end.  #Rock #Blues #AlternativeRock #PandemicMusic

The COVID - 19 Blues

Striving for perfection is not all that it is cracked up to be.  It's better to be satisfied with yourself and be comfortable in your own skin.

A hint of the 80s, with a little funk to the bass.  The irony is the amount of time trying to make the song sound as good as possible.  ;-)

Lyrics:

PERFECTION   by Andrew Thomases (October 15, 2020)

VERSE 1:
I used to think perfection ideal.
A goal to reach, despite the ordeal.
A badge to show, a certain way to feel.
What to strive for to prove my appeal.
Flaws that I had, I would all conceal.
And then I found out, it could not be real.

CHORUS:
You can do no wrong.
No mistake at all
Infallible.
Perfect through it all.

The people who think they’re perfect, are the ones who are flawed.

VERSE 2:
No satisfaction.  No self-honesty.
Can’t admit mistakes.  What a fallacy.
Finest detail, always had to be
Simply perfect.  It’d make one crazy.
Unachievable.  Took some time to see.  
Comfort in your skin, was ok with me.

 CHORUS

VERSE 3:
I’d build my façade – be beyond compare.
Ruled by others – care what they declare.
Be vulnerable – don’t you dare.
Let your guard down – something to beware.
Beat yourself up – errors you despair.
Realized it was fake – became self aware.

CHORUS


[Mixed and Mastered by Josh Carney at Carney Media Group.]

Perfection

Straight up rock track, with lots of guitar, bass, and drums.  It's about climate change and the need for action.   Special thanks to John K. Williams for inspiring the bass line in the verses.  #ConsiousRock

Lyrics:
WILL YOU MISS ME WHEN I’M GONE   by Andrew Thomases (November 14, 2020)

VERSE 1:

Will you miss me when I am gone . . . oh, oh … oh, oh.
Will you miss me when I am gone, and the oceans all rise … oh, oh … oh, oh.
Will you miss me when I am gone, and the smoke fills the skies … oh, oh … oh, oh.

CHORUS:

Can’t you see the hazard upon us.
Tipping point is right before us.

Urgency; you can’t ignore it.  
We must save our only planet.

Grandkids, they deserve to enjoy it.
Without change, we’re gonna destroy it.

VERSE 2:

Will you miss me when I am gone . . . oh, oh … oh, oh.
Will you miss me when I am gone . . . oh, oh … oh, oh.
Will you miss me when I am gone, and the trees are cut down … oh, oh … oh, oh.
Will you miss me when I am gone, and the rivers flow brown … oh, oh … oh, oh.

CHORUS

VERSE 3:

Will you miss me when I am gone . . . oh, oh … oh, oh.
Will you miss me when I am gone . . . oh, oh … oh, oh.
Will you miss me when I am gone, and the world is in drought … oh, oh … oh, oh.
Will you miss me when I am gone, and the species die out … oh, oh … oh, oh.


Mixed and Mastered by Josh Carney at Carney Media Group.

Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone

A life-long music enthusiast.  I played bass guitar in the 80s and 90s throughout high school, college, and grad school.  I picked up playing again, taught myself guitar, and started recording during the pandemic.  Happy to share my work with others.

Andrew Thomases

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