Sinners and Saints
Dan Swanson - Vocals, Guitars, Bass II, Synths, eDrums
Steve Andricks - Bass, Flutes

I
time hides and moves in the darkness for you, my son
at the end, we all fare the same
but now we’re trapped inside this old, cold illusion 

sinners and saints, all share the blame, where is their shame?


II
old wars are fought in the shadows, battles raging 
darkness hides its flesh from the sun
our time in this world may not change us for better
for hate consumes all, sparing none

sinners and saints all share the blame, they share the blame, where is their shame?


III
I don’t pretend to know all the answers, my son
these questions of life returning
that we all share in our searching, such confusion 

sinner or saint, we share the blame, where is our shame?


IV
what matters most is our search for the truth, my son
ignore the failures made in life
accept the change that truly changes you, my son
avoid hate and what it becomes

don’t be afraid, of your mistakes, don’t be ashamed, find your own way!
don’t be afraid, of your mistakes, don’t be ashamed, find your own way!

copyright Dan Swanson 2022

Sinners And Saints

Let Tomorrow Come

Just a shitty little ditty for no reason whatsoever 

Well as soon as sight restores my eyes
I get out of the bed after several tries
A quick crack of the blind to check the skies 
I must be outta my mind , there’s never no surprise 
But I’m alive i suppose 
Although I thrive as a ghost 
I’m just surviving at most
Confusing highness with hope
But I ain’t claiming I’m broke
When every days the same joke
It’s just the way that I cope
Turning brain cells to smoke 


And now my bowels are made of paper towels and hatred for my sinning 
I’m quite upset I haven’t fixed them yet , but if that’s the price then im winning
And I’m willing to continue on
This thrilling search for better songs
Delivered in a natural style
That withered off there for a while
I’ll promise you I’ll never use
Computers to replace the muse 
I’ll never judge the folk that do 
But subterfuge is like super glue
It sticks like shit and makes a mess 
And never hits like Dylan’s best
This was supposed to be a protest song  
I don’t know where that bloody ghost came from 
It’s just another mostly hopeless one 
The kind that hits the Holy Ghost in one
And writ in shifts between the blunts and bongs
I’ll probably quit now that the goings gone

Shit guitar and pointless musings by me

His highness of hope

First and foremost, this song is dedicated to my best boy, Loki, whom the Universal Consciousness (or whatever you call it) gained this past Saturday. This photo was taken just before he transitioned to another dimension after hours of catching the ball, his favortite activity in the world. 

I'm 30 now, and have been for a little over a month. After being alerted that this was the conclusion of my "Saturn Return" period and some careful reflection of what that means to me, I decided to cap it off with a banger. 

My "Saturn Return" could best be described as "Psychosis 101," followed by "Psychosis 201," "Psychosis 301," and finally, the period I'm wrapping up now, "The Integration." I was listening to an Alan Watts lecture (surprise!) about the process of transforming consciousness when he covered the risk of psychosis and it hit me like a bolt of lightening; Psychosis COULD be described as another method of traversing and exploring consciousness. 

I emerged spiritually awakened, with a strength of self (and Self!) that I had not experienced ever before in my life. There was some fallout, sure, and a few things are still in shambles but fancying myself a bit of a psychosis connoisseur (I better be at this point!), I find that the most important advice I could give is to work WITH it, and not against it. 

Now, that does imply medication adherence is mandatory and having a care team for support certainly helps, but one of the most unproductive pieces of advice I received was to ignore the voices instead of engage them. I firmly believe that through conflict resolution and inter(AND intra!)personal skills, one can turn their inner demons into inner allies and truly find the mysticism so closely intertwined with psychosis,  emerging a fuller person from it. 

Psychosis is devastating, no matter how you slice it. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try to know it as deeply as possible. It doesn't have to destroy you. "All exploring is dangerous...Just because something is dangerous, doesn't mean at all that we shouldn't do it."

(I may update this blurb once I get my adderall refill)

Saturn Return

℗ © Copyright Ian Stokes. All Rights Reserved
Recorded, mixed and mastered using Logic.
Guitars played: Taylor 714CE in open C Sharp tuning (Capo 9th Fret)
Photography: Thanks go to Nigel and Libby Hume at Hume Photography.

Having originally released this song on Soundcloud in 2021, I am delighted that the wonderful violinist Jessica Elisabeth has added her beautifully crafted playing to this remixed and remastered track. 

I hope you enjoy listening to this new version of one of my personal favourites.


LYRICS: 
These thoughts go drifting by
And I watch them fade away
Where they come from I don’t know
Where they go, who can say
It seems that there is always
A lesson to be learned
Another twist in the story
As the pages get turned

So I put on my walking shoes
Take it steady, take it slow
Turn my collar to the rain
Breathe in deep and let it go 

What are the rules in this game
Are there any rules at all?
These thoughts go drifting by
And down the waterfall
It seems that there is always
A lesson to be learned
Another chapter in the story
As the pages get turned

So I put on my walking shoes
Take it steady, take it slow
Turn my collar to the rain
Breathe in deep and let it go

Now I’m standing by the river
At the foot of the mountainside
Will the grass be any greener
Over on the other side
It seems that there is always
A lesson to be learned
Another time, another story
As the pages get turned

So I put on my walking shoes
Take it steady, take it slow
Turn my collar to the rain
Breathe in deep and let it go

My Walking Shoes Feat Jessica Elisabeth

My Walking Shoes Featuring Jessica Elisabeth

Cast of Characters:

Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – Fender Precision bass and Gibson SG electric guitar

K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken -- drums

The Beautiful Dark -- @thebeautifuldark -- Carl -- vocals

J.J. Terrell– @j-j-terrell – organ and piano

Mistermark-- @user-432503709 -- Mark –- VST string and VST sax

TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen — Tom Anderson custom T model electric guitar, production, mix, and mastering

Llanpsych -- @llanpsych -- Tez – Epiphone Les Paul electric guitar

This cover of the CCR version of this Screaming Jay Hawkins classic began as an idea Josh had for Eclectic Collective putting on a musical Halloween costume. He was inspired by his favorite band, Phish, who cover an entire album every Halloween as a musical costume. Although, which song we covered was up for debate from the start.

Once we decided on a song, Josh laid down the skeleton for it on his '71 SG. Once we had a framework to work with, Ken laid down his rocking drums, followed by Josh completing the rhythm section by adding his trusty P-bass. Even though the song was now in its infancy, Carl summoned all his Halloween spirit for his dynamic vocal performance.

Now that it was sounding like a real song, JJ dropped both the key piano part, as well as his expressive organ in there, too. Mark wasn't far behind, adding his magic via the sax to the solo section, and strings in the third verse. Stephen came through with the spooky tremolo guitar and the fiery first half of the guitar solo in the solo section right after. And to put the cherry on the musical sundae, Tez brought the lightning down for the second half of the guitar solo, as well as the solo work that leads the whole way to the end.

We all enjoyed bringing this classic song back to life, and doing it in the spirit of what may be the most fun holiday on the calendar. We hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed creating it. Happy Halloween!


🎃I Put a Spell on You (Eclectic Collective)🎃

The Break-in

Darkwave explorations of the human condition... inspired by the paradox of hope vs. broken dreams...
Releases November 14 🖤

Call Me Abbey

Here is an unreleased track. I felt this character study song was too dark, but I hope you find it interesting. A character study of bitter man and his breakup blues.

Lyrics:
I'm drinking the Devils urine
It keeps my angels yearning
Drinking darkroom chemicals
It's coming up burning
Slowly developing
That our love is turning
And all my love spells 
That I got from the bottom of the well
All your forgiveness
All those sutures
That never ever held

No movie music gonna save our final scene
Those swelling strings
( Do you feel manipulated?)
(Ya  know what I mean?)
All those curse words
That you heard
When I became 
Exiled from your world

Out where the molecules
And the numbers live
That makes the world spin 
(just right!)
When I'm doing the cemetery polka
All night

All the fake excuses
All the lies
My ghost will haunt you
But It will never look you in the eyes
All those insults 
That you hurled
When I became
Exiled from your world
I'm an exile from your world

Exiled from your world...

Exiled From Your World

'My Drouthy Cronie' is a line from the Robert Burn's poem, 'Tam o' Shanter', and is a tribute to the many 'drouthy cronies' I have shared time with over the past 60 years or so. Some have passed and some are still alive and kicking. I thank them all for sharing some of their valuable time with me.

My Drouthy Cronie

This is the surprise for that wonderful time of All Saints’ and Halloween. I love telling stories, and this one is sad yet beautiful in its own unique way. I enjoy surprising people—but always in a good way!

"Lady in White" is a song about love that transcends time — about learning to let go, and finding peace after heartbreak.

Inspired by the old legend of a woman in white, the story becomes a reflection of anyone who’s ever loved deeply and had to learn to move forward.

It’s a song of healing, of memory, and of hope that light can always return, even after the longest night.

💫 Themes: sadness, heartbreak, love story, healing, memory, forgiveness, hope, resilience

💭 If you’ve ever stood between what’s gone and what’s yet to come — this song is for you.

Stessy M - Lady in White ☽ ☆

This site is a mix of some of my compositions and solo guitar performances.

Sinners And Saints

The Music of Dan Swanson

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