Dedicated to the memory of a dear friend whose “heart was a valley deep” and “mind was a mountain steep.”  There are many references in this song to the play “Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett, which I directed in the 90’s. In that production my friend embodied the character of Estragon perfectly and taught the world something through his presence both on and off stage. His big heart, intelligence, and laughter forever lives my heart and the hearts of many.

This piece was created during a Fredericton Arts Alliance Residency. Guitar music composed and performed by Bryan McDaniel.

Mountain Among All Men

Inspired by films, people I know and the  love of a three chord song :)

I Wanna Know

Blastoid (Loop) 140

Supernatant

Bandcamp

Abiogenesis

So much of humanity is lost to drug addiction. Most who come in contact with it turn their faces away. It's ugly. Why don't these people quit? Don't they want to? But if it was that easy don't you think they would? Don't you think they know they are dying? Withdraw is harder than dying. Some drugs you can quit, but do you think the craving just goes away? Once an addict,  always an addict.  We have to try to find better things to get addicted to that are good for us. 

There is a new drug in town and it's horrible.  People are getting addicted not knowing it is being mixed into what they are already using.  It's called TRANQ. There is no such thing as heroin anymore. You can no longer buy it on the street. Heroin you can detox from and you have a chance of staying sober.  But the addiction is still there. Then Fentanyl was mixed in.  It was cheaper to make and there was more profit to be made for the dealers. It is 50-100x stronger than heroin but you went into withdraw faster and had to inject more often. The craving was more intense. Many tens of thousands of people OD'd. Do you think they deserved it? It was their own fault because they are the ones who tried drugs in the first place? Maybe you tried cigarettes or alcohol? Do you still drink or smoke - ever? Can't quit? People drink to get a buzz. It's the same,  looking for an altered state of reality. 

The lucky ones who OD'd when it was only opiates were saved with Narcan and it pulled them out. But many people can't make it through detox. There aren't enough resources or rehabs. Then Tranq was added - a horse tranquilizer. The addicts didn't know. It isn't an opiate.  Narcan won't help them. The addiction is brutal.

In areas of cities across America, blocks are covered with people who are lying on the sidewalks or standing bent over at the waist. They have decaying sores all over their bodies. They wake up in horrendous withdraw. OD's have been doubling every year from the previous year. This year will be much ppworse.  These people are still human beings with family who love them. Not enough is being done. There is no media attention, while Tranq is reaching across America looking for its next victim. 

I have not heard one word by ANY politician openly addressing what is happening. They would rather harp on illegal immigrants bringing drugs across the border,  but immigrants are not doing THIS. The problem is much bigger than the border.  Is there no help, or does everyone think these people deserve it? Did you know many are only in their teens and come from good families in average rural towns?

I wrote this music for them.  My heart hurts. No matter what part of society you live in,  rich,  poor, middle class, educated with degrees, business owners,  teachers or even someone given pain meds for surgery but the pain didn't go away. No one is safe.  Put the word "tranq" into YouTube and watch. . . then find a way to help. Please.

Shadows Of Humanity

DON’T WANNA BE HERE
I WANNA BE THEN
DON’T WANNA BE NOW
I WANNA BE THERE 

I’M A PRO CRASCINATING MAN
COS I GOT SO MUCH TIME ON MY HANDS
NEVER MIND THE TICKLING OF THE CLOCK
I COULD WALK TEN MILES AROUND THE BLOCK

TIME TAKES TIME SO DO I
WILL ANYBODY EVER TELL ME WHY 
NOT 
TAKE 
TIME

I’M A PRO NON- PROACTIVE MAN
WHY SHOULD I 
THE LORD IS AT COMMAND
YES IT’S ALL SO MUCH UNDER CONTROL
GROWING OLD THEN TAKING A LITTLE STROLL

TIME TAKES TIME SO WHY NOT I
WILL ANYBODY EVER TELL ME WHY 
TIME
TAKES
TIME

I’M A PRO CRASCINATING MAN
AND I GOT SO MUCH TIME ON MY HANDS

DON’T WANNA BE HERE
I WANNA BE THEN
DON’T WANNA BE NOW
I WANNA BE THERE 
DON’T WANNA BE HERE
I’M A PRO

I'M A PRO (lyrics)

Sonic Structures and Silent Stretches a.k.a. Jo Richter (@sonic-textures) wrote a series of 13 poems or cantos collectively titled Departure. He shared the texts with me, Stonerjazz, and Re-Evolution Cafe Orchestra and we have been working on the project of bringing them alive with music and soundscapes. We are hoping more SC artists will join us! Please reach out if you're interested in doing a reading. Check out the full playlist of Cantos so far here: https://soundcloud.com/sonic-textures/sets/departure-a-long-poem-in

On this track, the poem is read by Jo. He also created much of the soundscape. I contributed the bassier and more synthetic sounding parts.

poem / copyright jo richter

How long he stayed, he could not tell.
He worked ferociously, sounding all
existence that had touched upon him into
being: the smell of meadows, the curl of
ripples, the calm that centers in a storm;
the timbre of voices, the straight lines of buildings,
the aloofness of announcers on the radio.
His desk was cluttered, his mind strove clear.

When he did not write, he‘d read up on
the origins of his ancient art: Vergil and Dante,
Marlow and Shakespeare, Homer and Joyce,
Ovidus, Cervantes, Rabelais and Wieland.
He felt the linguistic seeds, blown from foreign
stems, grow filaments deep in his native soil, he
saw them ripen, flower profusely, yielding
their beauty to ever-changing mentalities.

And as his insight widened and he gained
perspective, the rows of encyclopedias
and dictionaries that lined his shelves
slimmed down, as he gave up consulting
English for French and German, these for
Latin and Greek, those for Persian and Sanskrit,
until he only referred to Indo-European roots.
His desk turned clear, his mind became uncluttered.

Eventually, he also slept and dreamt
whenever the veil sank upon him.
Guarded by the spire‘s safe walls, he would
awaken slowly, remembering outlandish
lore, scribbling notes and poems of bizarre
truthfulness and penning recollections of his
archetypal ties. Some of his realistic verse de-
rived from fragments of prolonged poetic trance.

His muse meanwhile taught him to cook, the
art of mixing individual ingredients to bring about
a taste all of its own that nourishes both mind and
physicality. The painters tend to fixate on surface
and colour, she said, the musicians on timing
the process, whereas the poets never get anything
done, enchanted by words like ‚ginger‘ or ‚yeast‘.
All of their dishes taste awful.

Departure: Canto IV w/ sonic structures and silent stretches

Tan seguro como mañana - Written by Jeffrey Lasky;
Thank you Duff in your help in production;

All Rights reserved to Jeffrey Lasky.

Tan seguro como mañana

MIX: Jack Holston

LYRIC
Turn a blind eye to the world
It won’t be looking back
Find yourself a moment’s peace
Before the next attack

Meet me when tomorrow’s here
Today had to postpone
Yesterday came really near
But never made it home

We’ve got time to dance around the truth
There’s always time to dance around the truth

When the music starts to play
The mice all run outside
They’ll take their chances with the owls
Those mice still have their pride

Make way as we dance around the truth

Dance around, dance around the truth
Dance around,  dance around the truth
How time drags in our eternal youth
Dance around, dance around the truth

Refreshments may be running low
The punch bowl’s down to dregs
But we won’t ever have it said
We’re on our last legs

Excuse us while we dance around the truth

Dance around, dance around the truth
Dance around,  dance around the truth
Hosannah, verily and forsooth
Dance around, dance around the truth

The cemetery’s dark and cool
Perfect for a romp
If we see our own shadows
You know where we’ll stomp

Join in as we dance around the truth

Dance around, dance around the truth
Dance around, dance around the truth
Pour the gin, have a whiff of vermouth
Dance around, dance around the truth

Sexagenarian 1

Dance Around

Thank you for stopping by this truck.
Today, November 20th, is the International Children's Day.
Many lives are born and nurtured around the world. New life, new mission! Everything has a shine.
I feel anew the purity, innocence, and pure compassion that we have forgotten.
Here is the video
I hope your imagination will be enriched.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gh11MGNjgQ

Embracing

Electronic track with suiting and calming tones. Slightly gipsy color and feeling of discovery.

Tan seguro como mañana

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