Bringing back a song I wrote nearly seven years ago. The American soul -- we like to tell lots of good stories about ourselves. Here's one that's not so good -- the account of the Moore's Ford Lynchings, in which a Black WWII veteran and his pregnant wife were murdered. No one was ever convicted of the crimes. How much of this same cruel spirit is still with us now?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_Ford_lynchings

there’s a tree in Georgia that never should have grown
it held the bodies upright they were tied with rope

I will be redeemed I will sing and shout
I will be restored just not now

Mae Murray was  twenty four heavy with a child
when her head had fallen down they cut the baby out

forty legs that walked away forty eyes that saw
twenty souls that never said a word to the Georgia law

1997 fifty years had gone 
someone came to find the place and mark the dead with stones

Spotify Link

I Will Be Redeemed

Music & Lyrics: Jan Schonander

EYES WIDE OPEN

The leaves are changing
There’s a chill in the air
So many people
Walking the same path

I hope they know
I hope they see

I chose a different road
I chose a different way
And now my eyes are open
My eyes are wide open

I’m on another hill
I watch as they pass me by
They seem to know
They have their destination

I hope they know
I hope they see

I chose a different road
I chose a different way
And now my eyes are open
My eyes are wide open

Such a wondrous time
So many colors
So many lives

All joined together
Some left behind
There’ll be another day
Another day

I chose a different road
I chose a different way
And now my eyes are open
My eyes are wide open

Eyes Wide Open

Cast of Characters:
E Ruizzo-- https://soundcloud.com/ruizzoidman21centurions --Manuel-- composition, lyrics, Squier Stratocaster electric guitar, vocals, mix, and production
J.J. Terrell-- @j-j-terrell—JJ-- piano, accordion, and horn
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen– Jose Ramirez nylon stringed flamenco style guitar, and mastering
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken–drums, percussion
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – four string Fender Precision Bass bass

This song began all the way back when Manuel was 16 and found love that summer with a girl named Carmen. He remembered her, though, and wrote this song about her all these years later. The title of the song means "Your name has the song," and the lyrics spell out the girl's charms using the letters of her name. Check out the lyrics and the translation below. 
  Using that inspiration, Manuel came up with the song structure and the vocal melodies to a rudimentary drum track with his electric guitar. He then asked Josh if the group would be interested in taking it on. Josh, never being one to refuse a challenging piece of music, and always on the lookout for interesting musicians with whom to collaborate, accepted his kind offer and created a project for the rest of the Eclectic Collecitve to join. He started the whole thing off by adding his bass, to which Ken added his innovative drums, to which Josh redid his bass, as is the typical process in the EC.
  Next up was JJ, who you'd think he'd grown up with Spanish music the way he added the horns, accordion, and piano. Then Stephen stepped in and added his psychedelic and intricate acoustic guitar to the stew. 
  It was all done, except for the mix at this point. Manuel did the honors, and did it very expertly. Stephen mastered it to give it more volume and dynamism, too, as he always does. 
  This was the first, but we hope not the last, time the EC has collaborated with Manuel, although we're all fans of the incredible music on his page. He was a true delight to work with, giving honest, encouraging feedback and helping us shape his song to meet his vision. We hope you enjoy listening to this song as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Original lyrics by E Ruizzo:

TU NOMBRE TIENE LA CANCIÓN  /  YOUR NAME HAS THE SONG

Qué es una lágrima en el desierto?  /  What is a tear in the desert?
Cae sin ruido, se evapora y se olvida.  /  It falls without noise, evaporates and is forgotten.
No tiene tiempo de brillar, su vida  /  It has no time to shine, its life
es corta y su camino tan incierto…  /  is short and its path so uncertain...

Ce del calor del desierto y su sol,  /  ‘C’ for the heat of the desert and its sun,
a del adiós por el que lloré tanto;  /  ‘a’ for the farewell for which I cried so much;
erre del río que forma mi llanto;  /  ‘r’ for the river formed by my crying;
eme de miedo, de magia y de amor.  /  ‘m’ for fear, for magic and for love.

E de esperanza, de espacio rosado,  /  ‘E’ for hope, for pink space,
de espina clavada, de suelta emoción;  /  for stuck thorn, for loose emotion;
ene de noche de un tiempo pasado.  /  ‘n’ for night of a past time.

Carmen, tu nombre tiene la canción  /  Carmen, your name has the song
de todo aquello que has significado:  /  of all that you have meant:
Carmen de luz, de sonrisa y de adiós.  /  Carmen of light, of smile and of goodbye.

Tu Nombre Tiene La Canción (with The Eclectic Collective)

Soul Searching

URBAN SOULS. is a mix of genres,Jazz and ambient, a walk through the maze of streets where each one reveals its soul....

URBAN SOULS. 🎧

So many of you have told us that our new AI videos give the songs a whole new meaning. We'd love to hear what you think! Head over to our YouTube channel Antinar and let us know in the comments which video is your favorite and why. 
Watch the video on YouTube click here: https://youtu.be/x9PqYo1QuJU
If your on your phone the link is in the Bio👊😎
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. Psalms 42:11
Verse 1
Cold the world is numb
Hands of God are gone
Restless is my soul
Feeling Heavens call
This warriors beaten down
No where else to roam
Chorus
Somethings coming
 in the distance 
here somehow
Lost in between
All we have right now 
is Your promise 
and Your calling
Pull me close
 lead me home
 I’m homesick 
Verse 2
In their depraved minds
Made themselves a god
Standing in the way
Of the ones He’s called
Opposition screams
Try to stop the truth
His proclamation for
the Kingdom of God
Repeat Chorus

Homesick

I might as well 
be made of clay
behind closed doors
I hide away 
Hide away
https://open.spotify.com/album/4COtd8lAfsZKpAlg8ri41k?si=bAieCzHtQOWk2fPX0fuOKg

HideAway

Goodbye L.A.

Greetings to the SoundCloud community! Gratitude to you all for your artistry and culture of kindness. 💕 

Due to life circumstances, I've had to step back from singing, but have decided to pull this song from the vault. 

I've been sitting on this one for more than a year, held back by the usual crippling perfectionism. I've decided life's too short to waste time hiding art, when it might possibly bring joy to someone else, so here it is in its imperfect glory. All vocals sung by myself - but I take no credit for the wonderful writing and arranging - please see credits below:

This is an amazing SATB choral arrangement of "I Love You" by Billie Eilish. Credit is due to both Billie Eilish O'Connell and Finneas O'Connell for the words and music, as well as Julia Dollison and Kerry Marsh for the choral arrangement. I came across it years ago, while working with a (fabulous) high school jazz choir. I fell in love with the crunchy harmonies, but had trouble deciding what colours I wanted for the instrumental part, which is part of the reason why it's sat in the vault for so long. 

In this particular choral arrangement, the instrumentation calls for piano, but here, I split it into a digital electric bass line, and electric piano. I kind of liked the funky, ethereal sound of it, but I wasn't sure if there was something else that might sit better against the SATB vocals. I'm curious, and open to hearing suggestions for other instrumentation options. Folks who know me know that I've got some experience with singing, but I am out of my league when it comes to arranging and recording, so I know there's always room for improvement.  

In this era of auto-tune, I would encourage listeners (and myself!) to embrace the imperfection of real, un-corrected vocals. Art doesn't have to be perfect to have value... right? I hope to convince myself...  🙃

Lyrics: 

It's not true
Tell me I’ve been lied to
Crying isn't like you, ooh
What the hell did I do?
Never been the type to
Let someone see right through, ooh

Baby, won't you take it back?
Say you were trying to make me laugh
And nothing has to change today
You didn’t mean to say "I love you"
I love you and I don't want to, ooh

Up all night, on another red-eye
I wish we never learned to fly
Maybe we should just try
To tell ourselves a good lie
Didn't mean to make you cry, ooh

Baby won't you take it back?
Say you were trying to make me laugh
And nothing has to change today
You didn't mean to say "I love you"
I love you and I don't want to, ooh

The smile that you gave me
Even when you felt like dying

We fall apart as it gets dark
I'm in your arms in Central Park
There's nothing you could do or say
I can't escape the way I love you

I don't want to, but I love you
Ooh

I Love You (Billie Eilish cover - SATB choral arrangement)

un monde meilleur

Im Such A Mess

There is so much talent and variety here, and most of the people are pretty cool too. I love being part of this community. Listening to your music and being heard in return is enough.

Still reading? OK I'm gonna muse a bit. It's hard to fully convey how much this forum has meant to me. There are people I've never met that feel very much like old friends -- and in a very real way they are.
If I follow someone I make every effort to listen to and support their efforts. It's certainly not a transactional relationship but I do tend to limit my follows to people who engage in mutual listening and engagement. If you listen and leave a comment I always try to listen to *your* music when responding! If you follow at random without any feedback I hope you get something out of that too... ; )

I Will Be Redeemed

Jeff Roberts