Yutaka composed an amazing instrumental a few months ago, and asked me to write and play on it. I was immediately captivated by the grandeur of his musical composition, and of course was delighted to collaborate. When I asked Yutaka what he was thinking of as he composed the music, he said "a holy tree". I then researched the beliefs and traditions and mythology of holy trees from both our cultural backgrounds - Japanese and Anglo-Celtic, and had a bash at a bit of haiku! 

Instrumental composition & instrumentation ~ Yutaka Hirai 
Lyrics, vocal composition & vocals ~ Chris Okunbor
Audio engineering ~  Yutaka and Chris
Copyright 2015
Listen to more of Yutaka's music https://soundcloud.com/yutaka-hirai

Photo taken last year - the woods in Scotland


Kodama

Lonely, alone, roams the land
Leaves only faint traces in the sand
Lovers and friends fade into grey
"One" can be such heavy company.

Listen Kodama!
The leaves rustle
I'm so lonely.

Gossip of the wrens
The icy boughs are ringing
brittle whispered rhymes.

Scribe earth circles with a hazel wand
Mountain spirits echo ancient songs.
Flute of alder calling up the wind,
Forgo all to take Kodama's hand.

O sorrowful heart
shimenawa rope will bind
the desolate ones.

Listen Kodama!
The leaves rustle.
A lonely human cries.

Lonely one, clinging to the ground.
Eyes shut tight, three times spin around.
Turn around, begin the journey home
A human spirit can't endure alone

Ah Kodama!
I'll bind you with a shimenawa rope
then I'll leave you.
I will not stay alone.

Listen Kodama!
I'm going to leave you now.

Listen Kodama!
I'm going to leave you now.
I don't want to stay alone.

ああ、木霊よ
あなたにしめ縄を巻いたら
私は行くわ
私は一人じゃない
(Oh , Kodama
Once you are wound with a shimenawa
I 'll go. I'm not alone)








Kodama (Holy Tree) ~ Yutaka Hirai & Chris O ...see description for lyrics.

First Earth Records is a Dublin-based record label featuring independent artists from around the world. The label works as an open network of collaborative artists creating everything from rock, electronica, psychedelia to jazz, and folk music. Thanks for listening!! :)
Profile pic by Neal Burns.

firstearthrecords@gmail.com

Our ever expanding list of wonderful artists and collaborators;

https://soundcloud.com/akashic-fish

https://soundcloud.com/sun-om-sun

https://soundcloud.com/3skrex

https://soundcloud.com/implicix-3

https://soundcloud.com/keithregenerate

https://soundcloud.com/neal-burns

https://soundcloud.com/loki-leaf

https://soundcloud.com/agitationphi

https://soundcloud.com/firstearthcollective

https://soundcloud.com/citrus-res

https://soundcloud.com/europeankanon

https://soundcloud.com/djosirislive

https://soundcloud.com/zzzzazen

https://soundcloud.com/catz-bizcuitz

https://soundcloud.com/mark-bark-911843331

https://soundcloud.com/kitty-bark

https://soundcloud.com/nealretke

https://soundcloud.com/the-credible-unhulk

https://soundcloud.com/sexy-baby-mice

https://soundcloud.com/spectralbridger

https://soundcloud.com/macalla

https://soundcloud.com/rainbow-prophet-cat

https://soundcloud.com/podge-cooke-1

https://soundcloud.com/halcyon-daze

https://soundcloud.com/jacobrootproductions

https://soundcloud.com/theeuncondemningmomus

https://soundcloud.com/cryptic-planet

https://soundcloud.com/cooke-regenerate

https://soundcloud.com/ambient-re-generation

https://soundcloud.com/regeneration-collaboration

https://soundcloud.com/heideggers-dog

https://soundcloud.com/q-source

https://soundcloud.com/sunshine-girl-8

https://soundcloud.com/bi-polar-sexual-bear

https://soundcloud.com/user-674764601

https://soundcloud.com/saueradler

https://soundcloud.com/owlyeahofficial

https://soundcloud.com/howard-lee-380548563/

https://soundcloud.com/the-strange-band

There is a video of  "Going Down to Mark's Place"  on You Tube, Last fm, and My Space.
Also  YouTube videos from vinyl releases with cover pics of  'Icarus',  'State of Mind'  'Captives', ' Ambiguous Girl',  and 'Some People'  all written by Chris Scheri. ' Crushed and Crazy'   and 'Omniscience'  written by Chris Scheri and Cris Bonacci.
http://facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004046356170

Chris Scheri vocals and flute - 2songs - Sweet Jayne live bootleg video clip:  http://youtu.be/kwhgNdXUjwI  : Star Spinner / Emerald

Wild Orchids have been posting tracks for ages so it is time to add Wild Orchids:  Chris Scheri and Robyn Youlten. Playing live since 2016 as a duo  and also as a full band Wild Orchids and the Weeds.

Music producer and visionary artist Garrett Jones. Known as Magik Plan. Producing cutting edge and uplifting electronic music. 

Magik Plan has created a catalog of timeless tracks and continues to impress listeners throughout the world with his unique blend of sonic influences and selection of cutting edge, genre-bending tunes. Taking influence from a wide range of styles, Magik Plan pushes the envelope of electronic music and delivers a fresh take on psychedelic electronica through his cross-boundary hybrid grooves.

Follow this page for more releases, DJ mixes and live streams.

Record Label: @outerlimitslabel


http://magikplan.com
http://outerlimitsmusic.com

Full Album Releases: 
Life is Music (2020) (Outer Limits Music)
Inner Worlds (2016) (Unify Music)
Spiritual Equilibrium (2013) (Unify Music) 

iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/magik-plan/id728034767

Beatport: 
https://www.beatport.com/artist/magik-plan/784153

Booking inquiries: 
magikplan@gmail.com

Chris, hailing  from North West  Tasmania in Australia, is a singer-songwriter who pens originals, and  plays vintage music the way it used to be.  Her mashup of  Folk, Blues,  &  Americana  draws on a lifetime of  encounters with places, people, and the magic of nature;  echoing  a multitude of  global grassroots traditions. 
Traveling around carrying her “band” like a pack pony ~ lap-slide, banjo, uke, as well as a few plain ole guitars, she  regularly performs in Australia and Europe.
Growing up in Merseyside, England, Chris was exposed to the vibrant music scene of the late 60’s and 70’s,  and her music is has been influenced by  traditional folk, country blues, and  world music .
In 2016 she represented her State at the International Blues Challenge & National Women in Blues Showcase in Memphis,  and her second album,  “Wailin’ & Raggin’ the Blues” was  a   finalist for “Best Self-produced CD with the Blues Foundation , USA.  Her third album, “Twisted Roots & Twisted Highways” was  a finalist for Blues & Roots Radio Album of the Year in 2018.
www.chrisokunbor.net

"To my mind, a BLUES doesn't have to be a 12-bar progression. To me, if a song has the right emotion then I accept it as BLUES" - PETER GREEN

"I go by feel, I go by feel. 
The only way I know what's real" - BUDDY GUY

Mostly, as a self-taught guitar player (maybe not... considering all the influences and internet/book resources I've come across lately!)  and rather than trying to be anything remotely near a good player of any great technique, I'm not bound by genre or clichés; I just like to go for it. It's a whole lot better that way. 
Blues is a human expression of emotion. That may explain why I felt called to blues music, even though, I grew up in Europe, a continent apart from the music’s heartlands in America’s Deep South. And that may also be the reason for the great Portuguese Bluesmen we have nowadays (The Legendary Tigerman/Frankie Chavez/Budda Power Blues/Rui Veloso/Dead Combo/The Black Mamba/Mazgani and many others...)

I’m a fan of raw guitar players who aren’t really polished… you’re not sure if it’s all going to fall apart.  Those who, rather than trotting out a collection of preconceived practised licks and lines, take some chances along the way, creating ideas on the spot. IMHO they sound more exciting and impressive for it. I play whatever comes into my head. It's an adventure because when I do a breakdown or a solo, it's new each time and I just let it go... The majority are first take. I just turn it on and press record...they are mostly one moment in time. I’m always looking for something. Sometimes I’m not quite sure what, but you just have to keep looking...
The real beauty is playing without thinking and once you have some concepts down, what comes out, is from the heart.  It's second nature. 
I just enjoy listening and playing some music, in honour of that timeless way of killing time (just for the fun of it...and whenever inspired: "If you're not feeling it, don't play it!"). I'm happiest picking out a blues tune to a suitable backing track. After all, simple music is the hardest to play...
For me, half the battle is to get the right sound. And that, in turn, inspires how you play.
As a tone fiend, I like to let those bluesy guitar tones breathe a little bit. But, almost everything I play, it never, ever comes out quite the way I heard it in my head. Sometimes I end up with something that's kind of close, but it's not quite what intended originally. These uploaded tracks are no exception... They are far from being perfect. First of all, I'm not a fan of perfection when it comes to music...it may even compromise the tone, but if the tone is there, great! It sounds like a human being playing guitar. 
As Dan Patlansky once said "I would rather hear an average player with a great guitar tone than a great player with a bad tone".
 I love stuff that sounds like a spontaneous real-life experience. Playing music is a human activity, and we humans are far from perfect! There is a certain charm in something that feels human with the flow of a spontaneous performance. It's that spontaneity that makes for the magic... 
Feel free to comment good, bad or indifferent and do not hesitate to share any ideas you might have. 

Favourite guitarists (old school suspects apart):
Matt Schofield;  Jim Campilongo;  Walter Trout; Robin Trower; Joe Bonamassa; Andy Timmons; Gregor Hilden; Robben Ford; Larry Carlton (among others)...

Kodama (Holy Tree) ~ Yutaka Hirai & Chris O ...see description for lyrics.

Chris O (2)