MOTHER WOLF

Message Of The Fish

Happy Friday to my SC friends. Today’s musical offering is very special to me because it signifies a breaking away from my old patterns. Long story short… old Justin was pretty set in his music making/production routines (solo work belongs on solo albums. Collab work belongs on collab albums. And never the two shall meet). 

But new Justin is proving to be surprisingly more flexible in his thinking; an interesting (I might even go as far as to say… shocking) result of my new paradigm. And while it might seem like a ‘nothing burger’ to most people… the way my brain is wired, this is a huge change… and one I am grateful for.

So today I happily offer my first collab song, also intended for my first hybrid album. The song is called ‘Life In Twilight’… and my guest artist is our dear friend, Carlos Vivanco (https://soundcloud.com/carlosvivanco-1, https://carlosvivanco1.bandcamp.com), offering up the lovely Alto Sax and Guitar you hear in this piece

If you haven’t already crossed paths with Carlos, you are missing out. He is one of the most prolific people I have encountered in my travels. He plays about 30+ instruments, each with impressive skill. And if the instrument doesn’t exist... he creates it himself. And 'musician' is just one aspect of his inspiring and adventurous life. He is a great example of a person who discovered his passions early, and is now living a beautiful life pursuing those passions. We need more people like him in this world, reminding us of what is truly important.

On a personal level, the stuff Carlos has taught me over the years has helped me ease into this new sober life with tremendous grace. The music theory and instrumental lessons have helped make my sonic worlds more sophisticated (and therefore more rewarding to craft). And the moving and breathing meditations (Chi energy exercises) have proven fundamental to my mental/spiritual well being too. Needless to say, he has been a major influence in my evolving life; and I will be forever grateful. 

Carlos, I am honored beyond words that you are the guest artist on my first hybrid album. It signifies a great new direction for me. I’m excited to be on this path, and I’m glad you agreed to join me. 

To everyone else, we hope you enjoy “Life In Twilight”, the first of two new songs with Carlos that will ultimately wrap up my upcoming album “What Color Is Your Paradox?” 

(And yes... this is the last song I still had in the archives from my little break; originally finished on 1/20/2024. It's all going to be new content from here on out). :)

Paradox?

Life In Twilight | Carlos Vivanco & GrevusAnjl

Composition by Michael Billings, Douglas Wilkerson and Michael Grimes / drums, D. Wilkerson / Guitars, M. Billings / Piano, Michael Grimes

Mixed and produced By Wilkerson / Grimes

Tropical Death

(Free WAV Download available here under '••• More'; and eventually as part of my Foul Weather Friends album)

I bet I met Belial Pelegrim (https://soundcloud.com/belial-pelegrim, https://belialpelegrim.bandcamp.com/) within the first 3 months of discovering Soundcloud; and man did he set the bar high. If you have yet to encounter his music while exploring this community, I would be flabbergasted. He is most definitely located in the left ventricle of this great circle of friends. :)

One of the things I genuinely admire about him (besides being an off-the-scale musical genius) is his tremendously generous nature in supporting the people of this community. Back when the idea of collaborating scared the living shit out of me, he actually offered me the opportunity; we then made ‘Fog Drinker’ (that was back in August of 2017. Wow! Where has the time gone?)… and after that, I wasn’t so horrified by the idea of collabs any more. Frankly, you survive the wild ride that is a Belial collab, and you’re pretty much fully acclimatized to the idea. Haha.

And here we are, almost 7 years to the day… and I have the great privilege of hosting our 8th musical soundscape… and this thing is superb if I do say so myself. 

Honestly, everything I’ve created with this guy is awe-inspiring. Here's a link to the playlist so you can check them out when you’re done here (https://soundcloud.com/justin_mackay/sets/the-belial-pelegrim-grevusanjl). You’ll thank me for this. I promise. 

Oh, and while you're on his page, check out any one of his Taffeta series. A new chapter is released every weekend. Needless to say, it has been a massive stretch just to reach song 200 (of 266) this weekend. And it is a labor of love we can all benefit from. It truly boggles the mind.

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy, ‘Trading My Doomsday Clock For A Sundial’. :)

F.W. Friends

Trading My Doomsday Clock For A Sundial | Belial Pelegrim & GrevusAnjl

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"Just say no the the status quo"  Dogs h8 Rats are genre defying, avant-garde music coming from the depths of punk rock, jazz, and everything in between the lines, it's chock full of surprises. The music is born of improvisational performances so with a little luck and a good ear you'll catch the "mistakes and imperfections" now and then, or as Miles Davis once said "Don't fear mistakes, there are none" and that ethos is in clear evidence within the music of Dh8R's. The core of Dh8R's is made up of Douglas Wilkerson and Michael Grimes who enlist the talents of various friends for added sensory enhancements."

❤️ Thank you for buying music from independent artists! We need to pay our rent and electricity bills, feed our cats, buy food, car insurance, and all that other stuff too...You can buy our music on Bandcamp.

Tropical Death

Dogs h8 Rats

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