This is a remix of my first vocal offering which I originally released over 10 years ago. Some of the original (free) VST's have faded from existence so I worked with a few of my current favourites and one new one. By now I had switched to a Strat guitar and this is undoubtedly one of my better, more fluid leads. At the time, I was also experimenting with keyboards and was really just getting comfortable using two hands (rather than 2 fingers). Also at this time, I was getting comfortable using Cuckos Reaper. As for lyrics, they just came from the mood of the tune. Everything is drawn from life experiences, so a "cut and paste" of some old, but not forgotten, memories. I'm not sure why I chose the 3rd person to express these images. 

Broken Dreams
---------------------

[INTRO/SOLO]

You wake up from a nightmare ...
Or was that real?
Somehow you can't get out of bed
Fingers too numb to feel.

Sun coming through the window
But there's no heat.
Now, the silence is deafening
Not a sound from the street.

[SOLO]

Sweet smells from the pillow
As you turn in bed.
Memories of warm embraces
Filter through your head.

No matter now, the bed is cold.
The covers are all grey.
The memories still linger
Of a love that did not stay.

[OUTRO/SOLO]

:: Words and music copyright Rick Engler

Image courtesy of MS Word Clipart
Drum sounds courtesy of Free Studio Drum Sounds and 9th Wonder Kit
Microphones: Apex 185
Keyboards: Casio WK-110 with built-in voicings
Fender Princeton Chorus Amp
Fender Stratocaster Blacktop Guitar
Boss ME-70 Multi-effects pedal
Analog to Digital: Steinberg CI 1 USB MIDI Interface
Mixed in Cuckos Reaper on a PC
Remixed using Reaper with a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and a Shure SM58.

Broken Dreams

Broken Dreams (Original)

Lost Son 

So how could I know
The things you didn’t tell me were making you 
so unbelievably lonely and sad 

So why couldn’t you show me
the thoughts you kept inside 
your fortress of gold held by a legion of wardens


My son, my son, where did you go?
I miss you more than you could ever know
I pray for your safety every day
Hoping you'll find your way back to me someday


So I should have known
The path you had to choose was the one of your own 
be guided by angels on all your ways


My son, my son, where did you go?
I miss you more than you could ever know
I pray for your safety every day
Hoping you'll find your way back to me someday



Cover Artwork: M. Besinger 06.07.1955 (dad)

Lost Son

Whispers During Wartime

Astrarium

Quasimomentum

Live Reflexion#016

JIM ANDERS _ Jugend

there's a lot of people, who wanna get you down.
don't wanna see you smile, just wanna see you frown.
make you look real bad, give you all the blames.
they get all their joy, from twisted mind games.
their vibes are really bitter, their minds are really dark.
never trust a traitor and never trust a narc. 

Never trust a narc.  (narcissist)

Cast of Characters:

David Marconi — @david-marconi-917184705 — electric guitar, bass, foundation synth plus midi percussion and assorted traditional voices, production, mix, and composition
Elpiverse — @elpiverse — Elpi -- vocals, vocal composition and production
Ron Lewis — @ron-lewis-779503933 — synth 
TexMex Shaman --  @texmex-shaman –Stephen– sitar and mastering
Mistermark – @user-432503709 – Mark – talking drum
Llanpsych-- @llanpsych -- Tez – electric guitar
J.J. Terrell-- @j-j-terrell—JJ-- synth flute and ambient synth
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken–drums and percussion
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – 5-string fretless bass
AliasZen (Elpi's husband) — artwork (created with the help of AI)

This song began with David, who wrote it on the guitar, synth, and bass over a programmed beat he created. He and Josh met more than two months ago and decided to do a collaboration, based on mutual enjoyment of and respect for each other's music. Dave had this song pretty much fleshed out, although it was still a skeleton when he offered it to Josh, who, of course, got the rest of the Eclectic Collective involved. 
  
Dave asked us all to compose our own parts for the song, so we all got to work right away doing that. We all realized that the first order of business would be to get a real beat on this, so Ken accomplished that task with some dynamic, Eastern inspired drums and percussion, which he plays throughout the song. JJ then stepped in and added his best eastern flute magic. Stephen was next with the perfect-vibe sitar you hear in the first two sections. 
  
Josh came next to add his five-string fretless bass to the mix, augmenting David's high, staccato bass with his deep, low tone bass. Then, for the third section, where David's Gilmore-esque guitar solo resides, Josh drops out, allowing for Dave's awesome bass playing in that section. However, Josh does come in again towards the end, in the final section, too. Also, in that section, Tez dropped an augmented, harmonic, electric fire, complementary guitar part. Then, David's frequent collaborator and friend Ron added some well blended, ethereal synth to the first section, too.
  
Once we had the instrumental parts pretty much laid down, we began to discuss getting a woman to sing on this, as David was inspired by The Great Gig in the Sky, by Pink Floyd, and we all agreed. Who we found to do it actually blew all of our minds. JJ, being familiar with her music, contacted Elpi first, and we were all lucky enough that she agreed to do it. Having heard Mediterranean music all her life in Greece, she tapped into what her husband said were her "ancient Greek roots," for her spectacular vocal performance. She finds all the modal notes and places them perfectly throughout her sections. 

  But before we were done, Mark came through with some really striking talking drum parts in the first two sections, too. Once we had everything in the can, David took over, both with some masterful editing and production, and with the balanced, dynamic mix. The mix was a formidable task, but he did it with considerable skill, also taking everyone's opinions into account, which is a talent in and of itself. When he was done with the mix, he turned it over to Stephen for the mastering, which the latter did to everyone's satisfaction, as always.
  
This is the first song the Eclectic Collective has done with David, Elpi, and Ron, and we all hope it's the first of many, as we welcome them into the EC family. They all have some wonderful music on their pages, too, so do yourself a favor and check out all of them, as well. We hope you enjoy listening to this song as much as we enjoyed creating it.

The Siege (by David Marconi featuring Elpiverse, Ron Lewis & The Eclectic Collective)

'supplicant' (Falsestart cover)
https://www.instagram.com/one.man.verity.show/reel/DCx2shRuRig/
note: a live whatsapp voice message to the very man himself.

words and music: Falsestart
https://m.soundcloud.com/falsestart_fahy/supplicant

supplicant (Falsestart cover)

Mirror

A blend of symphony, alt rock, and hip-hop.

Velvet (Instrumental)

Thank you for stopping by 😊
Born in 1972
Agricultural equipment salesman by day, musician by night!

Members of The Eclectic Collective :
The Beautiful Dark -- @thebeautifuldark -- Carl — vocals and lyrics
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 – bass
J.J. Terrell-- @j-j-terrell—JJ-- organ, electric piano, synth, lyrics, some vocals, song writing
Llanpsych-- @llanpsych -- Tez – electric guitar, mixing, production
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken– drums and percussion
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen– acoustic and electric guitars, production, mixing, mastering
Mistermark – @user-432503709 – Mark –keyboards, effects, piano, some lyrics and vocals.

If you've read this far then I am indebted to you forever. Thank you 😊. Happiness cannot be sought directly. It is a bi-product of love and service to others. 

J.J.