I lived in Rhode Island for several years and I would occasionally drive on I-95 past a giant fiberglass termite perched atop a building  which inspired me to write this song.

Link to wikipedia article titled "Big Blue Bug"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Blue_Bug

Big Blue Bug

Inspired by my Grandfather, Bill Stapleton. A true genius in many realms of thinking.... Including poetry. Thanks Papa


Lyrics

Ahoo ha! 

They say it started with a blast
Our universe in distant past
I search the sky I search the trees
But only laughing beauties tease
Oh! God who wrought this mighty task
What size are You? I fondly ask
A galaxy infinity
What proof of your ability!

So feeble is my understanding
Of Thee and the stars so long expanding
Oh! fury of this recondite
When will this mystery come to light
Why wonder at a galaxy
When we as yet don’t know the bee
How could it be that from one bang
Alone all natures music rang 

It’s Papa!
Ahoo ha
Pass into the future
It's Papa!
Ahoo ha
Passing to be future 

What mysteries do we tread upon
When daisy heads we trample on
Alas no greater is the deed
That you can make a star or seed
Oh! cruel short chain of lexicon
Can’t I express this God an’ sun
To look into the deep devide
And tell what secrecy it hides 

To see the way the skies obey
Or ponder over Saturn’s Rhea
To marvel at the sun on fire
Or look to Mars revolving mire
Or see the Moon’s majestic eye
As she protects the starry sky
If I could but explain a tree
Then I could solve this mystery
Waiting answer will not be long
God will tell me when I’m gone


It’s Papa!
Ahoo ha
Pass it to the future
“I’ve got Mum safe an' sound” 

It’s Papa!
Ahoo ha
Passed to the future 

There there sons
and our little girls
Greetings from heaven
You’ve all turned out so well
You give this planet the good warmth
Truth, heart and hope
It’s really that simple
Just love and be one” 

Hey Nana
Hey Papa
Ah hu ha
Passing to the future
Ah ha ha ha
Hey Nana
Hey Papa
Ah hu ha
Passed into the future
Ah ha ha ha

Notes
This song is built on a poem written in 1969 by my Grandad, Bill Stapleton. He used to say Ahoo Ha and his kids used to say it too after he passed away. He setup the very first recording studio in Ireland in the 1940's and travelled the country recording trad musicians. He went on to have great success setting up film studios meaning he pioneered two industries on the emerald isle. He was a true genius and way ahead of his time. He is still inspiring us 40 years after his death. When making the song I decided to bring in my Nana also to pay homage to her. she was a wonderful pianist and gave me my first few lessons. I've incorporated as many of their children and grandchildren into the song saying Ahoo Ha as I could so we end up with three generations of his blood relatives included in the piece ♾️
The mere mortal words I added are imagining what he would say to his kids from heaven!

God and the Universe

2024 Remix and Remaster version to bring it up to the standard of the later album tracks for full album release in 2025.
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Lindisfarne has always held a special fascination for my wife and I, so it is no surprise to me that I would eventually create some music about it. Hopefully you can be swept away by the music but not the tide ;-)

This track is now the first track of the "The Pilgrims Way Project" exploring the history and natural world of Lindisfarne

Project Playlist

soundcloud.com/mrbouzouki/sets/the-pilgrims-way-project

Project Website

www.pilgrims-way.co.uk

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Instrumentation
The Pilgrims Way Instrumental features Low Whistle, coupled with the sound of strings waves and the wheeling of seagulls overhead. It also features Shevvanai Voice of the Elves VST. (Lara Ausensi)

"Flock of Seagulls by juskiddink (5th June 2010) licensed under creative commons attribution licence via freesound.org

creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Thanks to Redmando, Leonard Scaper and the Songwriters in the Kitchen Forum for the spark
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Background
Ever since 635, when King Oswald gave the Holy Island of Lindisfarne to St Aidan to establish his monastery, the island has been a place of pilgrimage. The road was not constructed until 1954 and until then the vertical poles were the only indicators of the safe route between the mainland and island. The sight of the poles stretching across the sand and mud is one of the most iconic views in Northumberland and to walk the route away from the road and follow in the footsteps of our medieval ancestors is a wonderful experience.

With 'The Pilgrims Way', there was actually very little research involved. Lindisfarne was a place both my wife and I loved and it was really created from a simple low whistle melody. I also included 'Foley' sounds to help in the immersion for the listener. Having got some initial positive feedback from some musical friends, I decided to try and create a series of pieces based around Lindisfarne. Given it's history and unique natural setting, there seemed plenty of material to go at.

The Pilgrims Way - 2024 Remix and Remaster

Cast of characters:
Well-- @user-370942421-686440500 – Hakan – synth, beat, and seed idea
Surfers Like Us– @user-411502040 –Artur– guitar
Llanpsych– @llanpsych –Tez– guitar, mix, and production 
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –five-string fretless bass guitar, synth

This song began with Artur inviting Josh onto a project that he and Hakan had just started that consisted of the beat and a synth line—the one that opens the song—supplied by Hakan. Josh added his five string fretless bass to it first, coming up with an idea of how it could sound. Then, Josh asked Tez to get in on it, too, because Tez not only has an affinity for the genre, but an aptitude for it, as well. After Tez laid down his hot guitar, Josh went back and played his idea, but accounted for Tez's jamming, too, this time. After the basic tracks were done, Artur brought his vibrato/delay guitar magic to the jam, too. Then, Josh added the various synth voices that you hear throughout. ​
  Every great song needs a great producer, and Tez was the man for this job. He brought it all together and used our various parts like a conductor uses different parts of a symphony. This is the fist song that Tez and Josh have done with Hakan. Artur and he are musical partners, so if you dig this song, you would probably like what's on their pages, too. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed making it.

Ghost Train   ( with Entheogenic Psychonaught, Llanpsych and Surfers Like Us )

Ethereal Phase

There is a sanctuary that works with a vet in Egypt for horses wandering the gutters for food, injured and near death, some still being used to haul carts...despairing of a moment in time where life is of little value, as do the people who must live this as well

I let my fingers do the walking
give 'em a stretch to flip the screen...
and I've been transported to a digital moment
captured yet rolling free
talkin Insta babeeeeee
and my curiosity
O ooh yea
and could U offer me a word
on the why's of the absurd...
pullin ponies from the gutters
gotta slap em to stop the flutters
takin that soul to the sanctuary
O hey
young rider...on the day...
got them killa war nags...kickin all four ways
for uh...virility and war
Oh yea
train em up in the old old ways
break em down wearing reins...
Oh yea
riegn on
rein on
O yea
and I let my fingers do the walking
and I'm watchin...yea bro
got a thousand claims...
but ur nag is a drag limpin and she ain't simpin
O yea rein on rain on
take that soul to the sanctuary
let me help u take the reins
for the cart u carry
with the angels at the sanctuaryyyyy

At The Sanctuary

life's journey, in acoustic and electric guitar with words vocals. 

- Lets keep walking together.Played with Mark Grimshaw.

Rewind (2025)

Bits And Bobs

op. 154/2025 - Zum Nikolaustag

This is a short piano sonata in the Classical style dedicated to my mother for her 70th birthday.
It consists of three movements in the following sequence

1. Allegro scherzando (Sonata-allegro form) 
2. Andante semplice (varied ABABA form) 
3. Presto amabile (Five part Rondo form)

The Jane Austen sonata began its life as a Lied ohne Worte (the second movement) inspired by music from the movies of Jane Austen's books, hence the title.
To this I added what was originally intended as an opening movement to a never completed violin sonata and thought that I'd call it a two movement sonatina.
But as my Mother's 70th birthday was coming up I thought that I'd give her a special gift and composed the Rondo finale based on three themes spelling out the musical cipher of her three names (Ingrid Eleonora Unger) and so the sonata was complete.
In fact the last revisions where made as late as the morning of her birthday! 

Piano Sonata No. 1 "In Jane Austen's salon" in Eb Major Op. 21 (complete)

I am a music teacher at Oskarshams Folkhögskola, where I teach classical singing, composition, music theory and chamber music. 
I am also a singer with primarily art songs on my repertoire, a hobby composer and poet and a founding member of the Mönsterås Jazz and Chamber Music Society.
I studied composition at Ingesund College of Music and Baroque counterpoint at Uppsala University and mostly write vocal music for song and piano, and/or choir but eventually compose for other instruments and ensembles as well.
I have been called "a radiant talent in finding the essentials in different musical styles" (Arvika Nyheter, December 4, 2006) and regional news paper Barometern wrote that my music shows "good insight in choice of melody and harmonic part writing" (September 25, 2012).
My music has been performed in Austria, Canada, England, Germany, Sweden and USA.

Notable works are:

"Three nocturnal Songs Op. 11", song cycle of three songs for soprano and piano. Premiered by Cecilia Alrikson and Natalja Shakova in Oskarshamn, Sweden in 2018.

"Night songs Op. 6", song cycle of five songs for baritone and piano. Premiered by Anthony Schneider and Rosemary Barnes in Vienna, Austria in 2013.

"Ave Maria - String quartet in d minor Op. 12", string quartet in three movements. Published by Gusthold Music, USA in 2020.

"Av hjärtat, sjung! Op. 22", cantata in five movements for STB soloists, SATB and childrens choir, string quartet and piano. Comissioned for the opening concert of the four day festival "L'Esprit - upplev 1700-talet" (L'Esprit - Experience the 18th century) in 2020.

"Joie de vivre - Piano sonata No. 2" Op. 23, sonata in four movements for solo piano. Composed in 2020.

"Jaktsonaten - Violin sonata No. 1 Op. 13", sonata in four movements for violin and piano. Composed in 2016.
 
I have been published by:

Gusthold Music Publisher (www.gustholdmusic.com) 
- String quartet in D minor "Ave Maria Op. 12" (May 2020)

Flauto d'Amore Editions
(www.flautodamoreproject.com)
- Danza, for Flauto d'Amore or C-flute (June 2020)

Psalmportalen (www.psalmportalen.se)
- Three congregational hymns (Herre Gud, vi lovar dig, När det känns som att allt ljus försvinner and Ett litet barn, Marias son) (Summer 2017)

I hope you will find something here to listen to that you will enjoy!

Photography for my profile image: Anna Broette

Piano Sonata No. 1 "In Jane Austen's salon" in Eb Major Op. 21 (complete)

David Unger | Composer