SynthStrange

(Free WAV Download available here under '••• More'; and eventually, as part of a future solo album)

Greetings my friends. I admit up front, this is a strange write-up… culminating from years of trying to navigate a world that no longer makes sense to me. And maybe that’s a good thing. We all needed a wake up call to just how ineffective and unsustainable it all is? And the last few years have provided examples of that… in abundance. 

Speaking of abundance (or in this case, lack thereof), Cheer and I have been discussing this one a lot lately; specifically in regards to the shops and restaurants we frequent. I finally gave up on building a DIY, music-centric desk I designed, because none of the local hardware stores had enough of the pieces in stock. We’ve watched our favorite Romaine lettuce disappear from the shelves, to be replaced by something half the size and twice the cost. Several of our favorite restaurants have closed permanently, and the wait times at others is painfully long now. 

Apparently, shop and restaurant owners can’t get anybody to work for $15/hr when it costs $30/hr to afford rent and groceries now. (How could we have ever predicted or prevented that? One might speculate.)

It’s enough to make the average mind go a little panicky. “Why don’t you have that in stock?”, ‘Why did the price on this just double overnight?”, “Why have we been waiting for 20 minutes just for the menus?”. All of these are very real, and very concerning… specifically if we never stop to question how much of that thinking is the result of being programmed to think like consumers our whole lives.

How often have you heard a commercial say something along the lines of “You deserve this because you are worth it.” Or “You should fear this. And our product/service can protect you.” Or “You should take this prescription, despite the list of side effects being longer than the list of benefits.”

I suggest we ask ourselves ‘Am I thinking with the mind of a consumer right now?’, and then be very willing to let those developing thoughts roll around in our heads for a while. 

Cheer and I concluded (with minor alarm) that we are both profoundly brainwashed by ‘consumer’ thinking; and it shows every time we feel a sense of panic in the store. Sure, things are a bit more scarce than they were 5 years ago… but does anyone (old enough) remember 30 years ago, when the stores contained half of what they offer now? (And none of us were freaking out over a lack of choices then). How about a time when you couldn’t have something shipped to your door overnight (many of us can still remember a time when 6-8 weeks was a decent shipping window).

Maybe the path to changing this paradigm is for us to get out of that ‘consumer’ thinking, and focus more on a ‘grateful for all the amazing things we have’ kind of thinking. I can still go to the store and choose from an abundance of fruits and vegetables, a teetering display of chips and dips, a bevy of beers from around the world. There are still more choices than my simple brain truly wants to think through, even if they are sold out of the Smoked Salmon and Ketchup flavored Cheetos I was specifically looking for.

So my plan going forward is to TASER myself (at least psychologically) every time I catch my brain being consumery. And the goal is to reach a point where I’m not thinking “It’s not fair my favorite restaurant closed.”, but instead thinking “How cool is it that I had that experience; and got to support the family that owned and worked that restaurant.” 

We’ve reached some critical tipping points that are well on their way to determining our future; and I believe a healthy attitude (dipped in gratitude) is the thing that’s going to keep us from gnawing each other’s faces off over the long haul. Them’s my weird thoughts for the day. Take em with a grain of salt (assuming the store carries the brand you like). I hope you enjoy my latest musical offering, ‘I’ll See It When I Believe It”. :)

WTF! The Musical

I'll See It When I Believe It

beat, backing track - IPG1 aka Ian Greaves (Lou Osiavo)
flute, final mix _joerxworx
You can visit this talented artist: https://soundcloud.com/joerxworx

Manifest Flex By IPG1 & Joerxworx Flute Remix

Welcome to scene 7 where our dear Peggy is trying to figure out which direction to go in that will lead to her new destination. Who can she enlist to help her? She is definitely in a crisis!

What would you do if you were in hiding in forest from your abuser who is bound and determined to make sure everyone believes you're out of your mind?

Join us and see and let us know what you think!!! Please go back and listen from the beginner if you have not heard the whole story. https://on.soundcloud.com/3gTST

We still are amazed that we're actually creating a musical this way!!! We are having an absolute blast bringing this story to life and can't wait to share more!!!!

This music was created by

Hurtful Junez (original instrumental composer, bass, drums, mix, and master)

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/qwQ2m


Fly Nightmares (guitar craziness and synth programming extraordinaire)
https://youtube.com/@flynightmares8405

And


Miss Bestie Life (concept songwriter, character voices and lyrics)

https://soundcloud.com/miss-bestie-471751350


I'm Free

Here’s my latest song and arrangement with lots of piano, strings, bass, drums, guitar, synths and vocals. 
Thank you sooo much to my lovely Sander for another fine mastering job. @wane-of-summer 😊🎶🎹🎤🎼💕❤️🌷

FEELS LIKE HOME

Mood Exhibit - Closer to Vast

Composition - Gamma

Track made by and for a friend of mine, Dust.........
Wish you well and that you return soon!
Open for jamming or collaborations.
Intro and outro by Dust 
Filler by Arma
4/28/23 Reduced Bass and rumble

The World Is Burning (Drifting Embers)open

The gift, alien revelation.  (return of the mayan spacegods 2)

The Older I Get

The Smoking Trout collaborative is back with another installment in The Quest for the Holy Dumpling (follow the whole story here: soundcloud.com/tea_are_sea/sets/quest-for-the-holy-dumpling). This time Stephen/TexMex Shaman partnered with me on the production, and we're featuring Nadia Selvaggi who also joined us on 'amanita muscaria'. Thank you Jeff, Uziel, Stephen, and Nadia for another awesome creative experience, this one was a trip to work on!

Stonerjazz @user-911083679 - Vocals, Lyrics, Drums and Bass
Nadia Selvaggi @nadiaselvaggi  - Vocals, Spoken Word, and Operatic parts
Uziel @user-455619833 - Piano, Strings, and other acoustic sounds
TexMex Shaman @texmex-shaman - Guitar, Effects, Production
Tea R. Sea - Synths, Production, and Final Mix

Lyrics

Get on the bus get on the bus, Get on the bus wlth us
c'mon c'mon get on the bus
There's Gus, who drives the bus and he does Everything for us
He's got the peddle down--

and all the band and larry mary sid and johnny too and that's to jjust to name a few
and all of you who have the eyes and ears to hear and see-
all of us are on that bus Telepathically
so you had better be ln the vicinity of the bus
whose designated destination ls infinity and all points ln between

Believe you me, there ls no comfort or relief ln Clarity
Truer words were never spoken and even though we're all broken
here's a little token of the love l'm feeling for the instant beauty of the moment

Everyone ls psychedelic from those purple Mlcrodots
Fuel ls burning under stars so bright
on the bus, 10 feet off the ground
blacktop slippin under us at half the speed of light

Now lt comes flowln down, lt washes over me
something l can hear, but l can't exactly see-
Cans are Blarin, l'm just starin
hearin things we can't believe
music soothin, lt's not Taxing so relaxing
making music with some friends of mine
making noises so Delightful-
on the bus, where betrayal ls the only thing
that's not allowed

Come along, you're all lnvlted to rlde the bus wlth us
get on the bus get on the bus
c'mon get on the bus
don't make a Fuss
Just get on the bus

(Spoken word samples are readings from The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe)

---------
To hear more from the Smoking Trout, check out our first album, The Land of Zed soundcloud.com/tea_are_sea/sets/land-of-the-zed

Get On The Bus! (HOLY DUMPLING #4) w/ Stonerjazz, Uziel, TexMex Shaman, Nadia Selvaggi

A female composer, singer, musician, pianist, piano teacher, choir leader (Heart of Scotland choir), song writer living in Bonnie Scotland! I have grade 8 piano with distinction and an LTCL piano diploma. On band camp too! 
I also have a duo with the wonderful @wane-of-summer
Follow us @user-949559825 (Passion Arcade) 💕
I teach online piano and singing via video if anyone is interested just message me!

FEELS LIKE HOME

Annie Smart