Always an event when you release new material and this is such a lovely structure and a truly fine lyric. Bravo Joe!

One play is just not enough. Sounds like a timeless classic already

A really beautiful one Joseph! I've always enjoyed your song craft, and this is no exception. Experience and wisdom, it's all there, and your voice a testament to that!

clear singing - wonderful fingerpicking, very much enjoyed

This is really a beautiful vocal and guitar performance, Joseph.

The master of the previous version was a bit quite so I enhance it by raising it's normalization & loudness to match soundcloud stream standards.

Energetica [Enhanced Version]

WHEN I LAY MY WORRIES DOWN

I will shed my old skin
See the world as new again
When I lay my worries down

I will go out on the rocks
And I will gaze upon the flocks
When I lay my worries down

And I will breathe a sigh of ease
Like the wind against the trees
When I lay my worries down

And I will drink the summer wine
But I’ll leave some on the vine
When I lay my worries down

And that looming sense of dread
When I lay down in my bed
When I lay my worries down

Shall be lifted like a stone
And I’ll leave well enough alone
When I lay my worries down

When I lay my worries down (demo)

My latest song, Empire, was born from the haunting Dunkirk beach scene—young soldiers lined up in silence under the blazing sun, waiting. No speeches, no music—just the weight of dread. Their stillness felt like bravery. Above, RAF pilots fought unseen, alone in the sky, risking everything for those below. The song emerged as a sound collage, built from simple chords and evolving textures that captured the quiet courage and tension I felt. It’s a sonic reflection of that liminal space—between fear and hope, action and stillness.


The Dock

Empire

I thought I'd have a go at remixing this track and hearing how it would sound in instrumental form.
Music: Graham Williams - Produced by Graham Williams & Heliopolis 5
Lead Guitars & Rhythm Guitars: Graham Williams
Brass, Bass, Drums & Keyboards: Heliopolis 5
Photography and artwork: Graham Williams

Check out more of Heliopolis 5's excellent work by visiting his page: @user-555484870.

Sooner Or Later (Instrumental Version)

Sooner or Later (Instrumental Version)

Another song of mine, basically pop, arrived out of nowhere, just two chords that take on a life of their own and end up becoming a pretty catchy song. I explore the possibilities of my small keyboard, considering I don't know how to play it. The lyrics talk about a very recurrent and seemingly complex theme, but in practice very simple to deal with: Life, that thing about which you can say anything.

Life is just a memory

this is a song I wrote for the Alters, a ragtag bunch of fellow amputees,,,sometimes we put our parts together to make a hole……this is the 2nd take with Don “heavyhand” Jones one of the best one legged drummers on the block……this is as far as we got before we started to get a bit “legless”……good fun though……..
Seems to be a lot of fakery around with just about everything these days,,,but they’ll never be a Rolling Stone,,,,,,,,peace and cheers for listening

Paul St Jack…Bass
Derf Lipskin…Elec Piano, Vox
Lionel Osbourne…Guitar
Jim  Mcgill…Warblin, other guitar




DingDong

ain't no tomorrow without today
yesterday waved, chased it away
now it's been running
through the middle of my mind

standing room only, come take a seat
feeling confused rinse and repeat
scrubbing the skin, and clean it all away

yeah it's there in the morning too
evening and noon
don't pretend you don't see it
it ain't leaving so soon

here's the news, it aint getting better
it's snowing in the Alice, but Don ain't no rolling stone

what will it matter, how will it feel
now that the fake, is the new real
nothing surprises, it's normal to us now

silence is noise, peace is a dream
if you're hearing voices, it's not what it seems
it's just the assistant, talking while you sleep

yeah they're there in the morning too
evening and noon
don't pretend you don't hear them
they ain't going so soon

heres the fake news, it ain't getting better
Harry got a job, but Andy ain't no rolling stone

you felt safe there on your island
where the ocean was so blue
come and going as you pleased
thought none really knew

if you believe it, it must be true
say the liars, speakers of "truth"
the court jester, who's really the king of the fools

and he's there in the morning too
evening and noon
don't pretend you don't see him, he ain't going so soon

heres the news it ain't getting better
the silks get paid and the purse gets fatter now
the uk 35 degrees, the icebergs are melting
but Jeff ain't no rolling stone

DingDong

This piece started again, as often is the case, with me experimenting on the organ. My daughter was intrigued with it when she heard me playing with it, and said it has film noir vibes, which influenced the rest of the composition as it gave me a target, a clear vision of where it was going.

Another version will come, hopefully soon, as a collaboration with some of my friends whom you may already be familiar with from other songs on my channel, which will replace some of the virtual instruments you will hear in this demo version with real instruments, namely, drums and bass, and probably add some additional surprises.

Releasing this version was not in my plans, but after hearing from three separate people that this version should not change, it is done, I have decided to release this one separately from the coming collaboration, so you can hear it exactly as I originally imagined it. Of course, I fully expect the collaboration will be better still, as it always is when bringing multiple talents together, instead of just me in an echo chamber.

I hope you will enjoy listening, and thanks as always.

A Study In Neon

Arno Behl played sax and Dave Wayne Hardy played guitar.
Both performed great on this.

A Full Moon And A Dozen Roses

Special thanks to Marty for his cappella ....

https://soundcloud.com/mkandersson1982/marty-andersson-from-the-archives-liberation-spoken-word

Lyrics: 

Our bodies are enslaved, but our minds and our spirits do not have to be. Do not fear thinking outside what is considered normal, do not fear to think unlike your peers. If they judge you, let them; their opinions are of ill importance; what matters is your heart, what matters is the truth. This physical existence is but only a short chapter in the epic tale of you and I; a tale that connects us all and stretches throughout eternity.

As your lives are spent working day in and day out to reach the a-typical material goals, ask yourself in a deeper sense: are you happy? Do you know true happiness? Or do you merely find comfort within the confines of societal boundaries because it is safer to follow the majority?

Liberate your spirit; even if it means being criticised, even if it means being considered abnormal;

 everyone has the right and/or power to be themselves, we just need to break free from the shackles of fear which hold us back from revealing what is behind the mask.

LIBERATION. 🎧

Guitar instrumental.
Ocean vibes. Enjoy the music!
海と波がテーマのギターインストです🎸

I mixed this right after we played in the studio, but I think my ears were shot. That's why I remixed it. (Sep. 14, JST)

ギターを演奏した直後にミックスしたんですけど、ギターアンプの音圧感に耳が慣れてしまっていたようで、ちょっと変なミックスしてたので、リミックスしました（9月14日）

Island Mirage

The initial track: https://soundcloud.com/syntaleta/after-the-midnight

After Midnight/ Collab Syntaleta & Sar Araion

Singer songwriter from the mountains of North Carolina

New EP "Blue Ridge Mountain Waterfalls" out now (Sept. 18th, 2025)

www.josephhouckmusic.com

When I lay my worries down (demo)

Joseph Houck

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