This song is about losing my wonderful big brother when I was a young man. He bought me 'The White Fender Strat' and said quietly through his smile "No excuses now...". Thanks forever bro, this is for you as always.
 
The Valuable Friends:
@janinelevinson: The Queen of Roll, Rock and Soul on the Second Mic
@rick-4-1: Mr Tour Pro on Very Cool Drums
@phil-mcwalter: The Other Stuff


SMOKE

Growing up, looking up
I have never had my toast buttered on both sides
I started crying the day 
I watched my father clearing the overgrown weeds at the top of the garden and realised 
And realised
That wasn’t what he was doing
Ooh no

It was a still day 
So still
It was a still life
And the smell of the smoke never quite left our clothes
Five years
And another
Five years

There was a silence 
Where my beautiful dead brother still lived between us 
And that quietness wasn’t burned with the weeds

It was a still day
It was a still life 
So still
And the smell of the smoke never quite left our clothes
Five years
Another
Five years

Digging the sod in Donegal 
Praying for muscle, bunched like a ball 
Sweat and pride loved standing tall 
Anticipating 
Eye-watering 
Peat-stove fire 
That would 
Warm 
Cook 
And flavour our bones

It was a still day 
Still day
It was a still life 
Still life
And the smell of the smoke never quite left our clothes

Another
Five years
And another
Five years...

Five years
Tick tock
Five years
My father lost his sense of smell and his pulse in cenotaph central heating
Five years
And my orphaned senses 
Five years
Still feel that fire

And smell that smoke...

© July 2021 - Phil McWalter

Image: 'Peasant Burning Weeds' 1883 Van Gogh

Spotify

Smoke

Livin' in a fantasyworld

Amphibious Sedan

POOR

Thank you to my awesome boyfriend Sander for a new magical drum and bass track to sing! Sooo much fun. @wane-of-summer for more awesome music. 😊❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

SECOND NATURE (Wane of Summer and Annie Smart)

a blue note for a blue time

I love me some Zep, and I love this riff from How Many More Times. So, I recorded a jam track using it as the basis for the groove...and invited my good friend (well, EVERYONE's good friend) Tom Adams to jam with me. I play the the main riff and take the first and third passes, Tom goes second and takes us home. Check out more of Tom's stuff here https://soundcloud.com/user-342548892     AND, if you haven't seen Zep perform this song to a stunned group of Danish teens check it out here...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE-JQzj2aEA
Are you still reading? Well, I feel bad for cropping John Paul Jones out of this photo. He's a great musician, but he wouldn't fit. Sorry, JPJ.

HowManyMoreTimesJam(with Tom Adams)

And I love her (Instrumental). Cover by: Delmonia
4 Life Guitar tracks played by: Khalid (Delmonia)
Other instruments were played by MIDI sequencer..
https://youtu.be/ehupZztSZAc

And I love her

And I Love Her

music, arrangements, mix : Wypernet (@wypernet)
voix/vocals : Dominique Briand 

Un immense merci à mon ami et talentueux artiste Wypernet (@wypernet) pour m'avoir proposé cette collaboration et pour avoir composé cette musique merveilleuse qui accompagne ma voix sur cette très belle chanson de Michel Berger.

A huge thank you to my friend and talented artist Wypernet (@wypernet) for offering me this collaboration and for composing this wonderful music to accompany my voice on this beautiful song by Michel Berger.

Pour me comprendre - french cover (Wypernet & Dominique Briand)

This is another song with my old friend and former bandmate Gareth. Recorded before the lockdowns. 
Gareth is the vocal and guitar.
The lovely lyric is from the poem by the wonderful Shel Silverstein as is the cover artwork.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

Where The Sidewalk Ends ( Collab with Gareth -  based on the Shel Silverstein poem)

O Holy Night arranged for a string sextet and shakuhachi.

O Holy Night

Delmonia was founded at the end of 2017 for development of original music and cover arrangements.