Set for release on May 3rd, this folk anthem of resilience and connection in the face of divisive politics provides us a melodic glimmer of hope in shared humanity in the midst of the storms swirling over our heads.

Give Me Shelter from the Storm

Song a week #19 (#18 reddit): 
Protest Song 

This is a parody/rewrite of "In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)" by Zager and Evans, 1969



Photo by Jurgën Freund



In the Year 2025

Song-a-week #20:
Writing a song to my friend 
 in prison. 

Wherever You Stand

Songaweek 2024 #24

Prompts: 
Reddit - use a name

My friend passed away last week. This song was inspired by a story that somebody told about her. 


Lauralilo

Song a week 2024 #27

I'm on the road and this is what I did today; It's recorded between the road and the river. 

Photo Trinity River, CA, Highway 299

Let the River Soothe Your Soul

Song a week 2024 #45

Prompt: Art as Resistance

Self-explanatory - I woke up in the middle of the night and wrote this, then came up with a melody later. Although it is not the best recording, I just wanted to get it out, since I'm a day late on my song a week!

It was also partially inspired by Kamala's concession speech. 

We Find Joy

Song a week 2025 #11

Jesse Colin Young passed away - I started to sing "Get Together" and realized I had to rewrite it! People kept talking about how disempowered they've been feeling, so I wanted to write something to lift us up, to remember that every little thing matters, and that it's enough, even if we can't see it right now.

Original by The Youngbloods

#parody #protestmusic #protestsong #politalparody #musicwithamessage #oligarchy #autocracy

Get Together (Parody)

Song a week 2025 #12

true story. photo from back then, too. 

Hanging with the Hippies

Song a week 2025 #14 - 
Prompts - Save Your Breathe (songaweek. org)
and Thought Police (reddit)

I didn't use these prompts explicitly, but they framed the story for me. 

I came up with the eerie melody line for the chorus, and then the words came from there. 

Photo by Marilu Domingo-Ortiz

They're Coming

Song a week 2025 #28 - 

Prompts: 

Two assignments - 
1) Do a title chorus seven different ways - I picked this version - Title, phrase, Title, phrase
2) Use borrowed chords. I have a II major (E, in key of D) and bVI (B flat major) and bV  (C) going to the resolving D chord. 


Everyday Moments

Song-a-week 2025 #30 - 

Prompt: Challenge the assumption

Toward the Light

Song a week 2015 #31

Self-explanatory...





Photo from 
groworganic.com
(fair use)

Sweeter Than Sweet

Song-a-week 2025 #33

Prompt: Sleep

Comforting myself with memories, warmth, and cozy blankets...

All Wrapped Up in a Memory

Song a week 2025 #35

Instrumental - Maybe a little bluesy...
Working on utilizing the whole neck of the guitar, with a sweet two-string chord In the key of A. I don't have the chops to add words to this much guitar. Yet. Maybe someday when it becomes second nature, but not today! 

Study in Open A 3212171

Song a Week 2025 #36

Self- explanatory...

Still Here

Song a Week 2025 #37

Prompt: "Song a Week" - Why do we do it, or, what's it like, trying to do it? This doesn't say why, but it's a bit about how my week often goes. 

Photo: Spore print of a mushroom that was releasing spores in my car, on a trip, apparently with some air flow from a window cracked open. 

Can I Conjure Up a Song

Song-a-Week 2025 #38

No Kings 2.0 Protest Song, celebrating the power of the people. 


#NoKings #Protests #RiseUp



Fair Use photo, unknown photographer, Chicago, Illinois, 10/18/2025

Taking It to the Streets

Song-a-week 2025 #39 - Prompt: The Great Escape 

Story time...










Photo: George Pagan II, Unsplash - fair use

Tiny the Great Dane

Song-a-week 2025 #40

Prompt:

write and record a song in an hour 







Photo:
Image found on stupiddope.com / Not sure where it came from, but this is fair use, no profit etc. 




Doomscrolling

Song a week 2025 #41 - 

Burn piles on a wet autumn night... people gather round - we always gather round the fire...and sing!

Ancient Circles

Song a week 2025 #42

Prompt: Pieces of a Life


My mom is 99, and in hospice. It's been a rough few years for her. 



Photo: Sunset somewhere on the road ...
with a side-view mirror to look back at where we've been...

Pieces of a Life

Song-a-week 2025 #43

This is my friend's story - an adoptee, looking for her birth family.

Finding Ground

Song a week #44

Prompt: 

Use (at least) two song ideas. Should they go together like peanut butter and jelly, or be as different as cactus and a stuffed animal? 

I was thinking about the Aurora Borealis and also doomscrolling some supernatural visitation stories. I went madly wandering around different keys for different sounds, so it's rather wacky. 



Photo is actually a section of an installation in the Seattle airport bathroom!

Visitations

Song a week 2025 #45

Prompt: Elevator

The recording (vocals) could be elevated, but in the interests of finishing a song versus perfection, here it is. 









Photo Credit: I'm missing the photographer's name, but it's a flight of swallows or a scream of swifts. 


Elevate

Song a week 2025 #46 - Prompt: 

Song conversation, in relation to another song - "I f the Aliens Came" - Song a week 2025, #10


Photo: Allegedly, spaceships arriving on visitation day

POV Aliens Finally Visit Earth

Song a Week 2025 #47 - Prompt was "Rain". Started with a chorus about crying in the rain, but that's not where it ended up. 






Photo from the Menucha Center, over the Columbia River, East of Portland, OR

We Know the Way to Go

Song a week 2025 #48 - For community singing - a layered song, to be sung with three parts in a group. In progress, but you get the idea. I'm just learning how to record these, so, thank you for your gracious understanding!

Breathing In Breathing Out  (Chant)

Song a week 2025 #49 

Words from Christian Watson (Mr. Skelly), found online (1924us), slightly altered. 

A valiant effort at putting together some layers. This is a community singing genre chant, with a low harmony. Ideally all the words could be sung at one time, but perhaps it needs to be split into different parts. The timing is a work in progress.  I thought the song could be used as a round, but I didn't get that far. I got into the harmonies instead. 



Photo from Conscious Growth Convergence 2025.

Do All the Good You Can (Chant)

Song a week 2025 #50

Catching up to finish off 2025 with some community singing pocket songs; here's a rough recording of another one. Still learning about timing and layering and using audacity, so take this as just a sketch, work-in-progress.


Water, water falling/flowing down
I am like the water falling, falling/flowing down 

Where does it come from and where is it going?
Can I flow so easily down... down?

Water Falling (Chant)

Song a week 2025 #51 - Filling out my song a week 2025 songs with some chants, learning to layer recordings, practicing in a DAW, just doing sketches of possible layers. This one came this morning and I tried a few layers, to decent effect. Of the four chants I have worked on the last few weeks, this is a small step up in production, but it's still just a sketch, a work-in-progress, imperfect timing and all that. It's just a simple concept, meant for self-awareness.

Slow Down (Chant)

Song a week 2025 #52

The Reddit songaweek group prompt this week was something like this song's title. 

I would call this more of an improvisational sketch about the song prompt than an actual song itself, but, it'll do - I had fun, expressed myself musically with minimalist lyrics,  and here it is. 

This photo was taken just after New Year's, when I was out on the street after watching my neighbors shoot off fireworks. 

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