Live Music Vid: http://youtu.be/88pcrCWdlCM?list=PLpXuN3w41rfq2-u_cO5f2VwAhOk9xcOE8

BACKGROUND

I always hoped to find time to do a 6th song as a tribute to '74 Miles Davis, but as I was creating Damage, it started to naturally become that tribute from the first note I played. So I allowed it to go as far in that direction as possible while staying within the context of the rest of the project. 

I took influence from the raw unrefined sound, seamless organic form, and featured electric trumpet Miles used in his rock-based music of that period. I kept in mind what his keyboard player Keith Jarrett said about the band being totally "willing to ignore whatever was coming next."


LYRICS

Verse 1 

No way to sustain the damage 
of the brains that run the planet 
The resulting famine questions understanding. 
Some say it’s God’s plan, 
Some say we have a hand in it 
Some say it’s both, 
But I’m in the boat of taking note that anything is possible 
And doubt that any group of three hundred can be that knowledgable. 
And people that believe in it can watch it fall apart 
In front of whatever faith they claim, 
Shameless contradiction grains of salt in their position, 
using conspiracies as excuses to lay back and remain useless 
To the point it’s self abusive, 
Inclusive of no element that’s relevant, 
Never could see the room for the elephant, 
Delicate balances leave most of the world in malice, 
But those who follow logic just think nothing and form a callus, 
Always bring something to the table despite fluctuation, 
Willing and able to adjust and remain stable. 


Verse 2 

Always willing and able, cut the strings and cables, 
Independent from flesh in a suit 
'Cause no matter how much power they got 
Everybody slips at least one time. 
And no matter how much flex they got, 
They bend and break under pressure. 
Take a fresh approach to taking measures. 
Some people give too much credit instead of first second guessing Institutions make their contributions 
Brainwash the stains, 
Take away pleasure, 
Absorb the pain, 
no helmet, 
Protection; objection to the infection, 
Projections after asking congregations for collection, 
Erection of social constructs take a life of their own, 
Evolve and then just dissolve down to the bones. 
Zoning and permits for information traffic through the media 
We take surface impressions, 
But don’t take them as lessons, 

Refrain 1: 

It manifests obsessions, 
Breaks logical connections, 
No bouncing off reflections 
To see the real complexion. 

Refrain 2: 

Blood stains soaking through the bandage; 
No way to alleviate the damage.

ISM - SurvivalNomics - 05 Damage (Tribute To Miles Davis)

Live Music Vid: http://youtu.be/-2LwxbLlCGs?list=PLpXuN3w41rfq2-u_cO5f2VwAhOk9xcOE8

BACKGROUND

I created a rough draft of this song's verse section in sequencing software using simple sounds. After starting the live recording, I got inspired to make up new parts so only the beat and the bass line stayed the same. 

The whole chorus section was created from scratch while recording. I knew the beat would stay the same, so I wrote the lyrics before recording the instruments live. 

Throughout the project, I wanted to put FX on my voice to blend it into the electrified palette in the music. But with this song, I wanted to see how my natural voice would blend with the electric sounds.

LYRICS

Chorus: 

Maintain focus, come a long way from hopeless, 
Devotion to attack even if nothing’s hitting back, 
Punch through the wall, give resistance and stand tall, 
Give it your all and the barriers tend to fall. 


Verse 1 

Maintain focus, come a long way from hopeless, 
Putting concepts in motion but only time can expose it, 
Lifting the veil of years, wool over the ears, 
Not always what it appears, 
Perception subject to fear, 
Living with conditioning certain modes of submission, 
And wishing is obsolete - it’s something you can’t eat. 
Just mobilization is what gets you the system beat, 
Just operate on fact 'cause philosophy’s out of reach. 

Keeping it close 'cause people love to hate on your hopes, 
They've got nothing better to do, 
With their backs up against the ropes, 
Taking punishment, 
Minding other business just to rummage, 
Finished before they could get started - can’t hit the mark, 
So rise above, 
Stand on the platform that life’s an art, 
There’s always more, 
Always possibilities. 
Mental agility a must 
'Cause you can’t trust even yourself sometimes, 
Welch on yourself sometimes. 


Chorus: 

Maintain focus, come a long way from hopeless, 
Devotion to attack even if nothing’s hitting back, 
Punch through the wall, give resistance and stand tall, 
Give it your all and the barriers tend to fall. 


Verse 2 

It’s not enough to think- 
Actualization plus the patience to make something faint into a creation, Autonomy - build an internal nation with reserves, 
When you’re paying the price for what you deserve, 
With inflation we suddenly require some concentration, 
Not used to this 'cause people think God fixes situations. 
Inner battles never make sense but you can’t rattle, 
Just get on the horse and make sure you don’t forget the saddle. 

Never seem to have enough liquid assets for paddles, 
But grounded enough to know how to pursue what matters, 
But without enough of a habit the brain scatters 
About the framework of the cerebrum plus distractors, 
Heavy with seduction, 
Some people make moves just to gain suction, 
Snap the lining of the belly of the beast from the consumption, 
Inflation bubble breaks, 
Macrocosm of our mistakes, 
A combination of what we choose to make, take and fake. 


Chorus: 

Maintain focus, come a long way from hopeless, 
Devotion to attack even if nothing’s hitting back, 
Punch through the wall, give resistance and stand tall, 
Give it your all and the barriers tend to fall.

ISM - SurvivalNomics - 04 Focus

Live Music Vid: http://youtu.be/eXEthAL9V3Y?list=PLpXuN3w41rfq2-u_cO5f2VwAhOk9xcOE8

BACKGROUND

I explored more with texture in this song using guitar pedal FX, and also put the keyboards into guitar amps to see what would happen. I welcomed the potential for wild energy, but was also careful not to add more elements than necessary. 

I made a quick rough draft of this song idea in the computer with the beat and one guitar part. I only kept the beat, and created the other parts while recording. The lyrics were written just before recording the live instruments.


LYRICS

Chorus: 

It’s no rules, (there’s) nothing to lose, and it can’t relate 
To the masses, trying to be the fastest 
Barrel of crabs, you barely see nobody last, 
Fall back fast, 'til the present feels like the past 
Let alone the future: way too far out of grasp, 
Just do the math (and) look at the prints on the beaten path, 
System crash, 
Flashbacks to the cause to be exact, 
Picking up the pieces survive and struggle to stay in tact. 


Verse 1 

Against the grain, must be insane to maintain true 
To everything that makes the new times new- 
It’s always another level and something else to develop 
And truth becomes just a function of wealth- 
This is hell if the money’s the root of all evil, 
It wreaks upheaval, 
We can’t leave, depends on what you believe, 
Sink or swim, got to breathe, conniving for what we need, 
Too many people Breed, we're over budget for greed, 
Foundation cracking- 
We're overweight, we're wasting space, 
No traces of dignity, fighting for the same place, 
The real estate shows its face on the clocks of what we chase 
And every time we make a move, 
We’re too willing to break the rules. 


Chorus: 

It’s no rules, (there’s) nothing to lose, and it can’t relate 
To the masses, trying to be the fastest 
Barrel of crabs, you barely see nobody last, 
Fall back fast, 'til the present feels like the past 
Let alone the future: way too far out of grasp, 
Just do the math (and) look at the prints on the beaten path, 
System crash, 
Flashbacks to the cause to be exact, 
Picking up the pieces survive and struggle to stay in tact. 


Verse 2 

Must move up or minimum lateral, 
Somebody always tries to undercut - offer collateral 
Damages, the bandages soaking up 'til you fold up, 
Understand famine before you could ever get rolled up in profits, Demolish all notion of being hopeless and acknowledge 
All options of things that could put you in motion- 
The people you use, but sometimes you lose, 
Stay in the game long enough, make enemies, 
Friends always need something, 
Offering close to nothing and always keep a smile, 
Been a while since I’ve seen that many go the extra mile, 
Seeking to buy their way to heaven - just a mile high, 
Willing to die at the hands of weapons that control minds. 


Chorus: 

It’s no rules, (there’s) nothing to lose, and it can’t relate 
To the masses, trying to be the fastest 
Barrel of crabs, you barely see nobody last, 
Fall back fast, 'til the present feels like the past 
Let alone the future: way too far out of grasp, 
Just do the math (and) look at the prints on the beaten path, 
System crash, 
Flashbacks to the cause to be exact, 
Picking up the pieces survive and struggle to stay in tact.

ISM - SurvivalNomics - 03 No Rules

Live Music Vid: http://youtu.be/HnQkyBRFpyA?list=PLpXuN3w41rfq2-u_cO5f2VwAhOk9xcOE8

BACKGROUND
This song was created on the spot without any planning, recording one instrument at a time, recording whatever came to mind next, and writing and recording the lyrics at the end. 

Since I usually start recording after dark, I was up pretty late recording the lyrics, and it took me longer to write them since I was tired. So for the rest of the project, I wrote the lyrics before recording the music instead of after. 

The beat is inspired by "fusion" and how drummer Jack DeJohnette played with Miles Davis around 1970. The guitar parts draw influence from Explosions in the Sky and Red Hot Chili Peppers. 

This was the first song recorded for the project. The guitar pedal FX in this track were used as the core starting point for making the rest of the songs on the EP and to unify the sound of the project overall. Variations were minimal.


LYRICS

Verse 1 

One life to live, one fight to give, 
Against the odds is my job, keep my eyes on biz 
'Cause all is possible, 
Capacity unstoppable, 
Audacity to do whatever it takes 
'Cause life is what we make, 
Not always enough there for the taking, 
Got to manifest, 
State of rest is forsaken, 
Keep it moving - all the rest is just faking, 
No reason to wait, 
'Cause out the gate it's seeking to dictate- 
Not up to fate, 
A race against time to the sublime, 
Exploiting whatever gift is mine 'til it's refined, 
Looking ahead full circle is like rewind, 
It's almost like being ahead is just being behind, 
But truth is timeless- 
Creates the mindless - in a zone, 
Immunity from revolving paradoxes and throwing stones, 
No way to avoid the rules on the way to the throne, 
No way to do nothing wrong 'cause I'm writing my own. 


Verse 2 

No boundaries, no limits, 
No way around the fight or flight dilemma 'cause we're in it, 
Whether by sin or by religion, perception's tinted, 
Shaping the world around you, 
Got every chance to spin it, 
Mind control, time control, knowing can take a toll, 
Knowing when to hold and when to fold- 
Man this is getting old. 
But that's the dice and how they roll- 
Up or down hill until the gods can have their fill- 
The balance, 
The chalice, 
Forced to think and drink from, ink from, 
Sink in a puddle of making links, 
Socratic method- mapping out logistics, 
4th dimension twisted, 
Enter a zone as if nothing ever existed, 
Find a way to freeze it out, move to gain clout, 
With what you can't live without, figure what it's about. 
Haves and the have nots seeking to get a shot, 
The truth will hurt for what we are but more for what we're not.

ISM - SurvivalNomics - 02 One Life To Live

Live Music Vid: http://youtu.be/77vuGQDmptM?list=PLpXuN3w41rfq2-u_cO5f2VwAhOk9xcOE8

BACKGROUND
While overseas, I made a solid rough draft of this song digitally, mapping out the form, the bass part and a guitar part. This draft became the stylistic blueprint for building the rest of the project. Although it was written first, it was recorded in the studio second, whereas usually I start recording first without a plan. 

I was highly anticipating how the digital draft would translate into a live recording. I often change my ideas the moment I hit the record button, but in this case I stayed very close to what I originally wrote.


LYRICS

Chorus: 

It’s all fighting for position 
Struggle for power is how we’re living 
Almost never seems safe to have a vision 
Seeing effects of all my decisions 
They say everything happens for a reason 
But I’m the only reason I believe in 


Verse 1: 

It’s all fighting for position, 
Always puncher’s chance, fighting for decision. 
Always a mission stop to listen on my own volition, 
Takes more than plans and wishes. 
All of a sudden, fate switches, 
But it’s the chase and not the acquisition of the riches- 
Got plenty of racing without the distance, 
Plenty of friction without resistance, 
No concept of time without the instant, 
Concept of what’s mine without what’s missing, 
Concept of blind without the vision, 
Concept of divine without a mission, 
Without looking or talking got time to listen, 
Always stay focused on what’s contingent, 
Only got notions to keep precision 
And keep building and stacking against division. 


Chorus: 

It’s all fighting for position, 
Struggle for power is how we’re living, 
Almost never seems safe to have a vision, 
Seeing effects of all my decisions, 
They say everything happens for a reason, 
But I’m the only reason I believe in. 


Verse 2: 

They say seeing is believing 
But distorted perception is what we leave with, 
Eyes to behold, the soul is sold, here to get old, 
Passing the time as they fit the mould, 
No purpose just surface existence, 
Persistent for riches but can’t find bliss, 
Swing and miss, find the abyss and it’s finished, 
Stapled by the wrist a crucifixion, 
Addiction to pursuit of power, new to repercussions 
Tough to chew on 
Life diminished to hours and minutes and can’t flip it, 
Deficit hit the limit, no longer free, 
Mind and body on another plane, 
Reactions got to try to keep them tamed, 
Even if nobody’s to blame, except for reasons 
Here to cause you to question what you believe in. 


Chorus: 

It’s all fighting for position, 
Struggle for power is how we’re living, 
Almost never seems safe to have a vision, 
Seeing effects of all my decisions, 
They say everything happens for a reason, 
But I’m the only reason I believe in.

ISM - SurvivalNomics - 01 Reason

A live impressionist re-work of J Dilla's laid back "In Space" instrumental.  Love the song, just felt like messing with the groove.  
Live Studio Vid: http://youtu.be/MO1Zw3O35xw?list=PLpXuN3w41rfq2-u_cO5f2VwAhOk9xcOE8

In Space (J Dilla Cover)

Experimental electronic-based track with samples from screaming animals.  Project link: https://iscottm.bandcamp.com/album/s-in-the-s-is-vol-2

Rising Under

Distraction (feat. Mass Media)

As my artwork evolved, my tools of choice evolved from drawing & painting to video art, filmmaking, and finally visual effects. My music branched into sound art, and my writings evolved into different forms & hybrids. Ultimately, I find filmmaking to be the powerhouse that can host most mediums and ideas.