First track on a loose concept album I did for the RPM challenge 11 years ago. Essentially, Broken Arrow is one man's perspective on the end of the world. We have destroyed society though some horrific mechanism, perhaps nuclear war, and our protagonist travels the wasteland with his guitar looking for other musicians, hope and a chance for some of us to start anew. I used a pretty convoluted recording process, but I like the songs, I hope you do too.

The Pact

Broken Arrow

Second track on a loose concept album I did for the RPM challenge 11 years ago. Essentially, Father's Gun is one man confronting the mistakes of the old ways after the end of the world. We have destroyed society though some horrific mechanism, perhaps nuclear war, and our protagonist travels the wasteland with his guitar looking for other musicians, hope and a chance for some of us to start anew. I used a pretty convoluted recording process, but I like the songs, I hope you do too.

Fathers Gun

Third track on a loose concept album I did for the RPM challenge 11 years ago. The grave is about our protagonist seeing a good man a true leader being put to death and buried by an irrational post apocalyptic mob. 

We have destroyed society though some horrific mechanism, perhaps nuclear war, and our protagonist travels the wasteland with his guitar looking for other musicians, hope and a chance for some of us to start anew. I used a pretty convoluted recording process, but I like the songs, I hope you do too.

The Grave

Fourth track on a loose concept album I did for the RPM challenge 11 years ago. Walking Song sees our protagonist wandering the wastelands in search of music and hope. 

We have destroyed society though some horrific mechanism, perhaps nuclear war, and our protagonist travels the wasteland with his guitar looking for other musicians, hope and a chance for some of us to start anew. I used a pretty convoluted recording process, but I like the songs, I hope you do too.

Walking Song

Sixth track on a loose concept album I did for the RPM challenge 11 years ago. Our protagonist now leads a group of survivors and speaks to the better aspects of ourselves that we need to embrace in order to rebuild a better society. 

We have destroyed society though some horrific mechanism, perhaps nuclear war, and our protagonist travels the wasteland with his guitar looking for other musicians, hope and a chance for some of us to start anew. I used a pretty convoluted recording process, but I like the songs, I hope you do too.

Asleep

Seventh track on a loose concept album I did for the RPM challenge 11 years ago. Essentially, Our protagonist and the group he leads have made it out of the wastelands and discovered an untouched natural landscape where they can establish a new society. Did a one take lead over a little melodic finger picking song I wrote and left it as is.

We have destroyed society though some horrific mechanism, perhaps nuclear war, and our protagonist travels the wasteland with his guitar looking for other musicians, hope and a chance for some of us to start anew. I used a pretty convoluted recording process, but I like the songs, I hope you do too.

The Return

Eighth and final  track on a loose concept album I did for the RPM challenge 11 years ago. Amen is the finale of the story as the protagonist and the band of survivors have found a sanctuary and vow to keep from making the mistakes of the society that destroyed itself. 

We have destroyed society though some horrific mechanism, perhaps nuclear war, and our protagonist travels the wasteland with his guitar looking for other musicians, hope and a chance for some of us to start anew. I used a pretty convoluted recording process, but I like the songs, I hope you do too.

Amen

Wrote this six years ago when it was clear smart phones, social media, reality TV and 24 hour entertainment news cycles were creating perfect zombies to follow whatever cause fed our frightened  narcissistic need for the self to be the most important thing. I hoped it would get better, but.......

Snapshots

GroupMind

A Love song for my wife. Not really a romantic tempo, I know, but there is a joy and strength to it, which really has a lot to do with love. Just wishing she could see her internal beauty, joy and strength when she starts doubt.

Wish

Inspired by a few of the things my father said to me when I looked to him for guidance. His fears became mine for a while and ultimately I realized they came from a place of love, but they also helped me see that our own fears are our own fears and we don't need to pass them on to those around us.

Slippery Slope

Inspired by a friend who cut herself as a teenager as a way of coping with expectations that didn't fit what she felt and wanted to express within a Protestant family that believed expressing emotions was anathema to success in life.

Cut (RoughTrack)

Just keep walking and you'll get there eventually no matter how hard it gets. In other words, if you just keep walking you'll make it to the end.

Walk On

Really a demo, but I liked where it was going and I wrote it in a deep depression and it helped me out of it so I left it alone

Somehow Somewhen (RoughTrack)

A longing to live in a World devoid of the Orwellian insanity, hyper-competition and loss of awe and appreciation for nature. A place where everyone doesn't always have to give you their opinion and compare you to them. Essentially a wish to be at peace with it all and actually live the idea of "Home is where the heart is."

Home

Needed a quick song to fit the requirements for the RPM challenge. It was late, my daughter was 7 and loved Tinker Bell so I just set down a drum beat on the Casio and then built over it. Not very tight I know, I just did it in one shot and I thought it sort of sounded like the fairies working in Pixie Hallow.

pixie.,.,Hollow

An old west story of a sort of cowboy Messiah that speaks to current times. How Christ's lessons of being loving and egoless and helping and treating your neighbor as yourself are not heard by many who claim to be Christians. Instead they become frightened by others differences, over righteous, over zealous, judgmental and corrupted by their worship of money and power all in an effort to control what is much bigger than all of us and beyond comprehension and control.

JRVF

White Horse

I had a vision of a lone cabin with a smoking chimney high above timberline on a snowy mountain. Inside was an old man, perhaps God, and I was seeking wisdom or empathy or reassurance that I could embrace my imperfections rather than shame myself and somehow overcome my limitations and achieve a higher level of spiritual existence.

The Door

Kind of a Johnny Cash vibe with a train rolling down the tracks as a metaphor for the inevitability of our overwhelming fear of not really having control causing us to hurt ourselves and each other. Our self-centered and short-sighted actions will ultimately bring about our own demise unless we become more self aware and stop thinking we are the center of it all.

Perdition Junction Line

A song about sticking with the one you are with for a deeper reason than romantic love despite the profound feeling of being with someone who makes your heart sing and filling you with the delusion that the other will make your life perfect. Kind of a central theme between Romeo and Juliet; and in their case, they found a way to stay forever within that state, which is ultimately tragic and devoid of the textures of life. Just hung a microphone played and sang it after writing it with the intent of refining and recording the song with more instrumentation, but thought the tone of it was right as is.

Requiem for Juliet (live/roughcut)

In my mind I saw an American soldier and a jihadist lying mortally wounded next to each other and realizing how much they had in common and how they had been duped by those in charge who use God as a means to an end for power and self aggrandizement with no regard for the destruction and pain they create for every one else.

Armistice

A good vent after a few bad days of feeling misunderstood. Kind of a Johnny Cash punk rock feel with a bit of a country infused lyric.

Down

Technology takes us further apart. We struggle to communicate because we want it on our terms by feeling a positive reward from every interaction. Social media and narrowly focused 24 hours news and voyeuristic entertainment isolates us more and more. We feel safe in our little cocoons and terrified by anything that doesn't fit our narrow mind. This applies to both sides of the political coin.  We desperately want the world to be black and white, yes and no. Just like the binary code of our technology, on or off, yes or no, 1 or 0; and if you are different, you are the other. This seems to be growing and as we dehumanize the other we create a world where it is a choice between what one group thinks or death. There is no perspective taking, no compromise no use of our inherent ability to transcend linear processing so we literally become as limited as the technology we have created,

Hang em High

Musically inspired by the Foo Fighters. Speaks to the mistaken belief that greed is what drives capitalism. As consumers we are often dumb to our part in the process and surrender our power and become intoxicated by shiny trinkets and artificial status. With social media we now create artificial versions of ourselves and market them as a product. We literally make ourselves a commodity and value it above our real selves and community. 

As Max Weber said "Greed unchecked is not capitalism, greed unchecked will destroy capitalism."

Fade Away

My third try to mix this song so it sounds like it did on my four tracker before converting it to garage band. I think I'll leave it be now. 

Essentially speaks to the illusion of futility and feeling trapped within a hyper-capitalistic, media, image and propaganda driven culture. As individuals, we can be trapped by it and kept in a mental cage. The difference between us and the monkeys at the zoo is that ours is a psychological cage and we can get ourselves out.

Cage (Remastered)

The Road Agents are Bob Gemas and David Williams. Bob is an old punk rocker with an eclectic taste and wide knowledge of all sorts of music. He would find somewhat obscure songs songs that we would then do as a two piece. Bob plays rhythm guitar, sings lead vocal and adds any percussion you might hear. David plays lead guitar, bass fills and does backing vocals. In addition to the covers, there are a couple of Road Agent originals that Bob wrote. 


We played out with these and some of my tunes. Most of what is here is live with a mike hanging and two guys making music. A few of the songs, like this one, are more produced but still keep that Road Agents edge..

I hope you enjoy it.

Long Chain (Cover) - Bob Gemas and David Williams

The Road Agents are Bob Gemas and David Williams. Bob is an old punk rocker with an eclectic taste and wide knowledge of all sorts of music. He would find somewhat obscure songs songs that we would then do as a two piece. Bob plays rhythm guitar, sings lead vocal and adds any percussion you might hear. David plays lead guitar, bass fills and does backing vocals. In addition to the covers, there are a couple of Road Agent originals that Bob wrote. 


We played out with these and some of my tunes. Most of what is here is live with a mike hanging and two guys making music. A few of the songs, like this one, are more produced but still have that Road Agents sound.

I hope you enjoy it.

Dry River (Cover)

The Road Agents are Bob Gemas and David Williams. Bob is an old punk rocker with an eclectic taste and wide knowledge of all sorts of music. He would find somewhat obscure songs songs that we would then do as a two piece. Bob plays rhythm guitar, sings lead vocal and adds any percussion you might hear. David plays lead guitar, bass fills and does backing vocals. In addition to the covers, there are a couple of Road Agent originals that Bob wrote. 


We played out with these and some of my tunes. Most of what is here is live with a mike hanging and two guys making music. 

I hope you enjoy it.

Search and Destroy (Cover) - Bob Gemas and David Williams

Search and Destroy Electric (Cover)

The Road Agents are Bob Gemas and David Williams. Bob is an old punk rocker with an eclectic taste and wide knowledge of all sorts of music. He would find somewhat obscure songs songs that we would then do as a two piece. Bob plays rhythm guitar, sings lead vocal and adds any percussion you might hear. David plays lead guitar, bass fills and does backing vocals. In addition to the covers, there are a couple of Road Agent originals that Bob wrote. 


We played out with these and some of my tunes. Most of what is here is live with a mike hanging and two guys making music. .

I hope you enjoy it.

Jango Lives - Bob Gemas and David Williams

Lights (Poke Your Eyes) Out (Cover) - Bob Gemas and David Williams

The Road Agents are Bob Gemas and David Williams. Bob is an old punk rocker with an eclectic taste and wide knowledge of all sorts of music. He would find somewhat obscure songs songs that we would then do as a two piece. Bob plays rhythm guitar, sings lead vocal and adds any percussion you might hear. David plays lead guitar, bass fills and does backing vocals. In addition to the covers, there are a couple of Road Agent originals that Bob wrote. 


We played out with these and some of my tunes. Most of what is here is live with a mike hanging and two guys making music. A few of the songs, like this one, are more produced but still capture the spirit of the Road Agents..

I hope you enjoy it.

Tuesday Night - Bob Gemas and David Williams

The Road Agents are Bob Gemas and David Williams. Bob is an old punk rocker with an eclectic taste in and wide knowledge of all sorts of music. He would find somewhat obscure songs that we would then do primarily as an acoustic  two piece. Bob plays rhythm guitar, sings lead vocal and adds any percussion you might hear. I play lead guitar, bass fills and do backing vocals. In addition to the covers, there are a couple of Road Agent originals that Bob wrote. 


We played out with these and some of my tunes. Most of what is here is live with a mike hanging and two guys making music. 

I hope you enjoy it.

Folsom Prison Blues (Cover)

The Road Agents are Bob Gemas and David Williams. Bob is an old punk rocker with an eclectic taste and wide knowledge of all sorts of music. He would find somewhat obscure songs songs that we would then do as a two piece. Bob plays rhythm guitar, sings lead vocal and adds any percussion you might hear. David plays lead guitar, bass fills and does backing vocals. In addition to the covers, there are a couple of Road Agent originals that Bob wrote. 


We played out with these and some of my tunes. Most of what is here is live with a mike hanging and two guys making music. A few of the songs, like this one, are more produced and a bit less raw.

I hope you enjoy it.

Solitary Man  (Cover) - Bob Gemas and David Williams

Beatles records gave me hope, happiness and humor while growing up in what became an unhappy and troubled home. That lead me to the guitar and then the Who, Johnny Cash and all sorts of other genres of music as I grew up. 

I'm not sure how to classify my music. I think of it as rock, but when I play out some people ask me if I'm a folk singer. I don't think so in the traditional sense, but perhaps singing about what I see as the shortcomings, deficiencies and self-created chaos within my society, myself and human culture in general is a core component of folk. Really, I think it is at the core of true rock, blues, country and many other forms of music and art.But, given the fact that when I play out I often strum hard enough to make my fingers bleed, I'll call it rock.

I played college and pro soccer and coach college soccer. I have worked in a variety of businesses and even acted for a time. Experiencing many different slices of life and a diverse array of people and environments, I have always been befuddled by our ego's ability to take something beautiful like life and nature and turn us against ourselves and each other. As individuals we are all very similar on the inside and we seem to lose sight of that fact. I guess that is what I write about. It helps me stay sane and find some hope. My recording quality isn't the best, I know, but it is "Getting Better All the Time." I like my songs, I hope you do too.

D M Williams

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