Jangly, crunchy, power pop in the vein of Matthew Sweet, Big Star, the Replacements.
She's Not Okay by David Nyro and Holling Girouard
Pull the curtains back, the morning sun spills in,
lights your peaceful face, warms your frozen skin.
I say your name; you don't answer me;
that's the way it's come to be
Don't tell me she's not okay, I'm watching her everyday
Everyday
Shadows move around, time is not a welcome guest.
They don't make a sound. Your room is still the same,
just as if you never left. I put on your nice blue dress,
pretend you're not a mess.
Don't tell me she's not okay, I'm watching her everyday, everyday.
There's a world outside that you once knew...seashells and beach glass, I'm bringing it to you. Primrose and pine, something to tell you that I'm here...
I will lay with you, say everything I never said. Just hope I'm getting through. Or are you watching movies there in your head, or sending flares there in the dark. A whisper could be scream, your life could be a dream.
Don't tell me she's not okay, she'll be waking up anyday, anyday.
Don't tell me she's not okay, she'll be waking up anyday, anyday, anyday, anyday

David Nyro; the Early Years. Fossil Fools by the Trilobites. Past Art-i-facts

She's Not Okay

She's Not OK

Definitely a trippy vibe, with some cool fx. Think "Smashing Pumpkins?"

Pearl

Wearing my Elvis Costello/80's new wave on my sleeve.

Amnesiac

Sonically rich, moody, anthemic, epic, dark, angry, wistful, dreamy, textured. On the other hand, I have no idea what this genre is...

David Nyro: the Early Years. Fossil Fools, the Trilobites; Past Art-i-facts

Houston

Rubicon
© September 14, 2020 by David Nyro                                
Chorus:  I  have crossed the Rubicon  and  I've  gone  beyond  the pale;   burned  those  bridges beyond all  recognition.   
I've set  sail  without  a  crew,  without a rudder, without a clue.
But  the  winds  and  the  currents   are   my   companions
Verse 1:  Once  upon  a  time,  I  was  a  lucky  man,  
a  better  man,  a   fool.  
Once  upon  a time, I  believed in fairy tales,  Save The Whales,  
and Sunday School
But that was then, and this is now, and I'm a hollow man,  
a bitter man,  a broken tool.
When everything's been  stripped  away,  even dignity, there is nothing, nothing,  nothing
to  lose .  .  .   What  would  you  chose?
Chorus: I  have crossed the Rubicon  and  I've  gone  beyond  the pale;   burned  those  bridges beyond all  recognition.   
I've set  sail  without  a  crew,  without a rudder, without a clue.
But  the  winds  and  the  currents   are   my   companions
Verse:  Once  I  had some  friends, I was popular, singular, a   man  of  means. I  chose to see the universe  as a friendly place, with an honest face, where we could follow our dreams. 
But Einstein never said which way to go, what to choose  
and  how  to  be.  
The  ones  who  saw  the  universe  as a  hostile place,
a  rat  race,  no  room  for  grace,  they had  it  out  for me.  
And  I  just didn't  see,  naivete -  the   choice  I   made
Chorus: I  have crossed the Rubicon  and  I've  gone  beyond  the pale;   burned  those  bridges beyond all  recognition.   
I've set  sail  without  a  crew,  without a rudder, without a clue.
But  the  winds  and  the  currents   will  see  me  through,  see  me   through.
Na   na   na  na   na   na  na   na   na    na   na   na  na   na   na  na   na   na    na   na    na    na    na    na    na    na
na   na   na  na   na   na  na   na   na  na   na    na   na   na   na  na   na   na   na   na    na    na   na    na    na     na 
na   na   na  na   na   na  na   na   na   na   na    na    na   na   na  na   na   na  na   na   na    na    na    na     na    na

Rubicon David Nyro Bear Creek Bare Bones

A shot of Philly soul, a master blaster from y'all's past! Somebody's past, anyway. No, not an out-take from a Spinners, Ojays or Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes album. An actual, original song written in 2016!!!
Channeling the mojo of the City of Brotherly Love! Tapping into the songwriting inspiration of Gamble, Huff, Bell and Creed. TSOP! I'm singing, including the Ny-lites! (Backing vocals. I tried to find people to sing, but it's hard, man, it's hard!) Sean Lane nails it on the drums, Mr. Marc Miller brings it on the four-string! The Jackal, Jakael Tristram, slams the door shut with some savoir faire electric guitar stylings. I play piano and other keyboard stuff. Handclaps by everyone. If you dig it, please let me know. Go to my website: www.davidnyro.com or my twitter @DavidNyro. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE feedback, good, bad or ugly. Let's interact! Enjoy the music and the love!

Never Saw A Woman

Intense. Brooding. Throbbing. Undertones of paranoia and regret, overtones of hope and determination.
Part anthem, part dirge, part trance.
You COULD dance to it, in a zombie-like way.
Not really sure how one might categorize this song. It's definitely in the rock arena, but there's some alt vibe here - Leonard Cohen meets Nine Inch Nails? There's some soul and blues. Many of the ambient-like effects you hear are the product of a hand-made instrument we affectionately call "the bike." Played by drummer/percussionist, Sean Lane. So a little nod to electronica.
Personnel:
David Nyro: piano, keys, all vocals, co-producer
Marc Miller: bass
Sean Lane: drums, percussion, the bike
Jakael Tristram: engineer, co-producer
Recorded in July, 2016, at London Bridge Studio, Lake Forest Park (North of Seattle)

Owl See You

Waiting For My Life (To Start Again)

The inspiration for this song is my true love. She has moved on to her next "true love," but for me, love remains. Love is eternal, as all true lovers know. Not all love, but the kind of love that is alive in this song, a piece of art fixed in time that will last as long as the internet is around, is my guess, even if no one hears it. A heartifact, tucked away. Always go with love. It lasts. Unless it doesn't. And that's what this song is about; something that is the most powerful thing in the universe and yet also very transient, fragile. Lots of blood, sweat and mostly tears went into this song. Hope you can relate. Feedback welcome. The high notes at the end scared me, but they came out honestly and my trusty co-producer and engineer, Jakael Tristram, thought they were solid and we should keep 'em. So we have.

Owl See You...On the Other Slide

Anything

Another mostly autobiographical song that's also universal. I'm pretty much the man in the window, revisiting a place where the love of my life, now lost and gone and with another, and I courted. It was "our place." I'm sure we weren't the first, nor will we be the last, to claim a spot as "ours." Hence, the "Happy Couple" who replace the lone lover to conclude the song. The circle of love, and life, continues, right? Thank you for listening. Hope it touches you in some way. Abby London, who sings the song, more than did justice to my song and all the meaning, feeling, and history behind it. Thank you, Abby!

The Man In The Window, featuring Abby London

I tagged this as Dream Pop since I needed to pick a genre, but singer-songwriter and/or folk pop might also fit.  There's elements of pop, ambient, prog. rock, alt, retro, rock, even some soulful vibe at the end.
Our biggest reference for our production on this was Beck's masterpiece, "Morning Phase." But plenty of musical touchstones, from Pink Floyd and the Beach Boys to Tame Impala and Unknown Mortal Orchestra.
Inspired by losing the greatest love of my life, in the depths of despair, about four months after she moved on...

Diving Grace

Dreams

The title of this song came from my mom. She had cancer and was feeling like she didn't want to come to dinner and be a "Skeleton at the Feast." I'd never heard that saying before, but I instantly knew what she meant. My next thought was "This would be a very cool song title." And so the song was written, with my mom in mind, and her fight with cancer, which she recently lost. The lyrics are her, first-person, reflecting on her life. It's a deeply personal song for me. Haunting, aching, a little shimmery, some Beck, Pink Floyd, Moody Blues vibe happening. It's definitely melodic. This is not the final version. More cello is coming and it has not been finally mixed or mastered. Rushing it out for Halloween, for obvious reasons. Thanks for listening. David

Owl See You...

Skeleton at the Feast

It sparkles. It shimmers. It pulses melodically. As one of my uber-peeps exclaimed after hearing it:  "I could almost imagine the Edge laying down an echo-laden anthemic guitar over the track! In Madison Square Garden no less! (Are you there, Mr. Edge?) 
David Nyro: Piano, keys, guitar, producer
Jakael Tristram: guitars, keys, bass, producer, engineer
Sean Lane: drums
Ric Vaughan: mastering

Conscious
(I Have Seen You)
© 2016 by David Nyro

I    have     seen          
I    have      seen   you          
I    have    seen          
I    have    seen     you    in    your    s o r r o w 
     
I     have      seen   you,    reaching    for    the    light          
I     have   seen     you,    retreating     in    the   night
And   you’re    beautiful,     no     matter    who    you    are       
You    are    beautiful,    like   a    Van   Gogh    star

I    have    waited       for    you       all      my     life       
getting     ready      for    you    all   my      life

Conscious      I     will      try     to    be     
Conscious         of      you     and      me         
Conscious     I     will         try         to         be       unconditionally   

Glory          Sorrrow

I    have    seen    you          
I    have    seen    your    fractured    smile         
I    have    seen    you     
I    have   seen    your   wounded   child
And  you’re     perfect,      
no   matter   where     you    are    
No  matter   who    you’re    with

Conscious     I     will    try  to   be     
Conscious    of      you     and      me         
Conscious     I      will     try      to     be        
unconditionally

Conscious

A song about suicide in the face of endless depression and loss, with all hope lost. And then, something rekindles. The killing train doesn't come, the moment passes, fate is a brakeman. We rise, start anew, resolve not to keep living a life in shambles. 
Inspired by actual events: Losing love, family, friends, money, home, and almost everything, but self. 
Start anew, with only that. Horizons await.

Lyrics:

A Life in Shambles
© January 28, 2018 by David Nyro                          

Lying   on  the  railroad   tracks,  waiting  for  a   train,  the  blessed    train
But   the  trains  ‘round  here  don’t  always  run  on  time, mind  the  time      Maybe that’s  a  sign  after  all  this  black, I’m  still looking for the divine.
So  I  pick  myself   up  and  wander  back  to  a  life   in  shambles   
Ba   ba   ba  ba   ba   ba    ba     ba      a      life      in     shambles
Ba   ba     ba    ba     ba   ba    ba     ba      
As  I   recall,  mine  was  a   happy    childhood,      
though  pain  was  there,   I  had  my    share
But  I  was  unprepared  for  the  other  childhoods   
I’d   inherit;  darker  still,  Darker  still         
I  am  done  living  someone   else’s   life     in   shambles      
Ba   ba     ba    ba     ba  ba    ba     ba
A     life      in    shambles      
Ba   ba     ba    ba     ba   ba    ba     ba        
So many  of  us crawling through a life  in shambles, life in shambles.       
I  have    always   been   the   one  who    gambles ~   
on   troubled  hearts,  but   I    never   held  the cards
Now,  there’s  nothing  left   to lose,     
From   the   outside  they  look  so   gentrified    
But  on   the  inside  they  feel  so  terrified   
Someone   will   see    through   their    disguise,      
their disguise,  their  disguise,  their   disguise 
Standing   by   the railroad   tracks, waiting  for  the  train, 
the freedom train   
No  baggage,  no  pack,  I’m  travelling  light,    
the way  I  came.  The  way I  came
Say  goodbye   ‘cause I   won’t   be    back    to   
A  life   in   shambles  
Ba   ba   ba  ba   ba   ba    ba     ba        
A  life   in   shambles  Ba   ba     ba    ba     ba   ba    ba     ba      

Credits:

Piano, keys, acoustic guitar, all vocals: David Nyro
Bass and electric guitars: Jakael Tristram 
Drums: Chas Bommarito IV

A Life in Shambles

A Life In Shambles - 2.1.2020 1

Epiphany
                                            © January 1, 2018 by David Nyro              

V1:  Let me  leave  you  in  the  morning,   
my, my, my, my moonlight bride   
When the veil of  sleep still covers up your shadow side.     
And let me slip out in the morning so true, so blue     
Let  my legs have wings  that carry me  back to you, carry  me     
It’s never been easier to travel  in  my mind    
It’s  never been easier to see.

If I  could  give  you  one  gift  even greater  than  my  love,    
it would  be  epiphany(sweet) epiphany
I  know  the  shortest  distance between  two points 
can still feel like a  million miles, a  million trials
And I  know you’ve been living in a closet in your mind,   
measuring all  our love  by  what you  can’t  leave behind.      
I’d  wait for you  forever,
but you  can’t wait  for  never  
You  can’t  wait for the divine  
It’s all  inside you, my friend,to  the end
If  you believe  in you,  you  can  really come true.     
Pride will always misguide you to defend
Against  those who really love you, (on)those you can  depend 
But I can’t escape your past  ‘cause  you  can’t comprehend    
So, I watch you  sail away ay ay  ay       
Ships that sail away
Maybe at  sea,
epiphany
Hey       Hey       Hey     Hey   (continue “Hey’s”)
Forgiveness,   Forgiveness,  Give yourself  that  gift,           
Even though you’ve done nothing wrong            
Even  though   you’ve  done  nothing wrong              
Even  though   you’ve  done  nothing wrong              

Credits:

Acoustic guitar, keys, all vocals: David Nyro
Bass, acoustic and electric guitar, fx: Jakael Tristram
Drums: Chas Bommarito IV

Serious Nowhere

Epiphany

Epiphany by David Nyro

Handclaps, searing guitar work, dark, angry vocals, driving drums, this is a good song to drive to, especially down a desert road in the dark. Definitely some Dire Straits in there. Maybe even a little Golden Earring. Throw in some Mellencamp, Talking Heads, Chris Rea for good measure. 
Yet another song about broken love, dashed dreams. Are there any other kinds of songs in this universe?

            Serious Nowhere
© September 27, 2019  by David Nyro                                               
Verse 1:   
Here I am again,  on one of the crop circles of hell.    
Cast away,  in  the name  of   righteous entitlement.
My  eyes  are  open  and   my   heart   is   bleeding,  
but  I  can  still  can't  tell:
Chorus:  Was  it  me,   was it  you?   
Hey  hey  hey   (hey  hey  hey)    Hey  hey   hey     hey   hey  hey  
Was   it   love,    or   was   it   true?    
Hey  hey  hey   (hey  hey  hey)    Hey  hey   hey     
hey   hey  hey
Guess  it  doesn't  matter,    the   things  we  tell ourselves    
To   try  not   to  care,   Hey  hey  hey  
Hey  hey   hey,      
Here  I  am  again,   in  some  serious  nowhere.
Verse 2:  
The  wind  moans like the ghosts of  this  old town.  
There's a blown-down sign  in  the  dust, 
bloodied with  rust,   remind,  rewinds,    
reminds me   of   our  folly,  our  beautiful  folly;  
trying  to   carve  a  love out  of this  Godforsaken  wilderness.
Chorus:  
Was it timing,  was it fate?    
Hey  hey  hey   (hey  hey  hey)    Hey  hey   hey     hey   hey  hey         
Was  it  too little,  too  late?   
Hey,  hey,   hey,    (Hey,  hey,  hey)   Hey  hey hey
hey  hey    hey   
What  does  it  matter  anymore?  
End  of  the road,  like Tom Joad
Hey  hey   hey      Hey   hey    hey     
Here  I  am  again in  some  serious  nowhere.
Bridge:  But  I'll be around,  even  in the dark,  
even in the wasteland  of  a  million  broken  hearts;
I'll be around,    I'll  be  around   
Chorus:  Was  it  me  or  was  it  you?   
Hey  hey  hey   (hey  hey  hey)    
Hey  hey  hey  (hey  hey hey)  
Was   it   love,   or   was   it   true?   
Hey  hey  hey   (hey  hey  hey)    
Hey  hey  hey (hey   hey  hey)
I  don't know,  I  don't  know.  
(Hey  hey  hey) I don't  know,  I  don't  know. 
(Hey hey hey,  hey hey  hey)
Was it  you,  was  it  me?  Was  it  me,   was  it   you,   
was   it   love,  was   it  true,  was  it  love,  
was  it  true, was  it  me,   was  it  you,  was  it   you?    
Whoa.  What  does it  matter anymore? 
What does it matter anymore?

CREDITS:

Guitars, keys, fx, vocals, handclaps: David Nyro
Guitars, bass, fx, handclaps: Jakael Tristram
Drums and handclaps: Chaz Bommarito IV
Engineering: Jakael Tristram
Producers: Jakael and David 


                  What  does  it  matter  anymore?

Wearing Jackson Browne on my sleeve, this is my "Fountain of Sorrow." (Not in the same league, but, hey, it's Jackson, for crying out loud...which I did a lot of; crying out loud, that is, thank you very little, Little Miss-Can't-Be-Wrong. 
But all is forgiven, if not forgotten. The universe told me it didn't matter...and never did. But it sure inspired a lot of songs, empathy, and greater understanding!)

Lyrics follow these fine credits:

Piano, acoustic guitar, lead and harmony vocals: David Nyro
Electric guitar and bass guitar: Jakael Tristram
Electric slide guitar: Jeff Hass
Hammond B3 Organ: Roger Wood
Drums: Chas Bommarito IV

Sanctuary
© January 14, 2018 by David Nyro

Ran away from her.
Ran away from him.
Now you run away from me.
But you can’t run away from you

I see a woman standing tall and proud and radiant.
She’s learned so well to keep her fears and doubts in check,
so you would never guess

Hold on to me, for a while.
Hold on to me, and not the past
Hold on to me, for a while,
‘til you find me lacking like all the rest

I see all eyes on you, watch you climbing to the crest
of a wave that rises beautifully, shining in the west.
But even oceans reach their limit,
waves crashing on the shore.
I saw it all and found it perfect,
but you always wanted more;
and it was never enough.

Above these ordinary moments,
that speak a humble truth,
that feet of clay can still walk with angels
when it comes to love in
the highest way, above it all!

There are moments that overwhelm;
when something wants to break through
Something wounded, something true.
Thru your tears, you ask me what I’m looking at
I simply answer...“you.”

Why do we welcome people into our lives,
sometimes for months, sometimes for years?
Only to discard them because they don’t vanquish all our fears;
something that only we, ourselves, can do.

I remember the secrets that you shared,
when you trusted that I cared,
the room within your room
when the world grew too much for you to bear.
Running home from your cruel school,
to an abandoned, mocking home;
feeling like a little fool,
punch your pillow and let those stinging tears flow;
Let them flow

Instrumental: (Jeff Hass, slide guitar)

And it seems to me your endless pain
is way out of proportion to these
slights, perceived or otherwise.
Makes me wonder if there’s a darker
secret, buried deep inside, buried deep inside.

But for you, it’s easier to drink your wine
and bury yourself in work,
Believe your workaholic parents never cared
and your sister is a jerk.
Punish them with high indifference and discard lovers
when they don’t serve your purpose
And still I loved you, and love you still,
even though you never believed it,
and perhaps, you never will

Sanctuary

Light and airy, with a tinge of chiming sadness. And there's cello. Syncopated drumming and some shimmering, undulating keys and electronics. Something for everyone: electronica, folk, pop, singer-songwriter, lo-fi, bedroom, jazzy.

Now It's Time

Leonard Cohen meets James Blunt. Maybe? No? Who knows. 
Confessional, heartbreaking, resigned, ruminating, with a touch of Tame Impala (a major influence for some of the production/arrangement touches for this song. Do you hear that? No? Oh well. It was something in my mind, anyway.) Not sure what genre this is: pop? Rock? Old-school? Bedroom? Electronica singer-songwriter? Chill-indie?

I'll Step Aside

I write songs. Lots and lots of songs. I wish I could stop, but I can't. 3,000 and counting. And those are the finished ones. Happiness. Let me know if I can help you in some way. More happiness.

DavidNyro

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