As soon as I got serious about putting this playlist together I was afraid of missing something or someone from among the many wonderfully talented and supportive people here. And it can't be helped. So this is best described as a sampler of some tunes I really liked a lot, but it certainly isn't an exhaustive list. If I were David Geffen I'd be working on getting people the listening public they deserve. But in the meantime here's a list of great songs by you for you.

2023 Sampler  (not ranked)

Ventotene, a small island in the Mediterranean. Under a breathtaking starry sky, waiting for the dawn.
Thanks to @RosinDust for her gorgeous violins. I am always grateful for her willingness and enthusiasm.
In the last period I worked a lot on things written some time ago, so I had not composed anything new for a few months and, as always happens in these cases, I was a little afraid of having run out of creative vein. That's why, with this new piece, I'm happy and ready for the next time when I'm definitely going to ask myself, once again, "oh my god, is this over?" :)

Here the other collaborations with Tatiana:
soundcloud.com/francescocartocci/sets/grazie-tatiana

In the photo, of course, Ventotene.

Composition and all arrangements: Francesco Cartocci

It's almost dawn - with Rosin Dust

This piece is based on a traditional Scottish-Gaelic waulking song - a highly rhythmic song that would accompany the waulking (beating and finishing, or fulling) of woolen cloth. Though traditionally, waulking songs and other Gaelic puirt-a-beul (mouth music) songs would have been sung unaccompanied and in unison, we put together a little arrangement for SATB.
We hope you'll enjoy it.

soprano - Diane Roberts
alto - Abby Bryden
tenor - Angus Bryden
baritone - Rob Llewellyn 

words:

Hé mandu 
'S truagh nach tigeadh
siud gam' iarraidh
gille 's litir
each is diollaid
Hé mandu hì ri oró hó ro hù o
'S mise dh'fhalbhadh 
null thar sàile 
le mo leannan
's cha bhiodh dàil ann
Nam biodh agam
sgiath a'ghlaisein 
iteag an eòin 
spòg na lachainn 
Shnàmhainn na caoil
air an tarsainn 
An cuan Ileach 
's an caol Arcach 
Rachainn a-steach 
chun a' chaisteil 
's bheirinn a-mach 
as mo leannan 

translation:

It's a pity that what I want isn't on its way - a lad and a letter, a horse and a saddle.
I would go across the sea with my lover, without delay.
If I had the wing of a finch, the flight of a bird, the webbed foot of a duck,
I would swim the narrows, right across the Sound of Islay and the Orkney Sound.
I would go out into the castle and bring out my lover.

Hé Mandu (Scottish Waulking Song - SATB)

bass guitar, keys and stuffs by andrew salvner (aka lil' spaceman, pretzels malone)

speedbump

i saw 'em coming up over the hill

Original Fouglas.


Lyrics:

She’s living in a tomb
amongst the insects and ghouls
Fallen from earth
in a land beyond sleep and waking
Whenever she closes her eyes
she’s lost to the spirals
Spinning in a hex,
in an echo of truth,
in a dream that can’t die

Yet you carry her like an ache in your head
And as you walk through your days
just thinking and seething, 
though you know she never was
and never will be 
Gone, gone
Gone

She’s broken into fragments
of ugly scenes you must forget
You still feel her
and, of course, she still haunts you
Is she still buried out there 
in Satan’s junkyard 
‘neath the iron and rust 
and red rotting branches?

Yet you’re driving her like a nail in your coffin 
And as you swallow more pills
all wasted, sedated,
‘cause you know she never was
and never will be 
Gone, gone
Gone

Nail In Your Coffin

A quiet contemplative moment for Piano Day.  Piano Day takes place on the 88th day --this year March 29th--because of the number of keys on the instrument.  This is my own little celebration.  Thank you for your kind listening.

Song For The Morning | Piano Day 2023

Brand new video available on YouTube https://youtu.be/2aUqACWrHHs

*** RISE ***

Can you see the dawn arising
Can you see the light inside your mind
Can you feel it ?
Love will never die !

Be majestic like a phoenix 
You can be as golden as the sun
You can reach it
Nothing ever really dies !

RISE 
Shine like the sun
Make real your dreams
Realize it's all just make-believe 
Take time and take space
Shape with your hands
Your life's your own
Your master plan...

The universe it has no corners
There's no boundary 
You are not alone 
Are there edges to the oceans' waves ?

So the grass it may be greener
And the rivers may run clearer
So - How'd you know -
If you can't look to the other side ?

RISE
Shine like the sun
Wishes and dreams
And watching them all come true 
You'll see
That finding your way
Is all that it takes 
If you can wait for them to be...

RISE MAJESTIC 
RISE PHOENIX
YOU CAN BELIEVE IT !

RISE 
Shine like the sun
Make real your dreams
Realize it's all just make-believe 
Take time and take space
Shape with your hands
Your life's your own
Your master plan...

Rise

This one started out as 2 different incomplete projects (in different keys) after failing to fully actualize either I thought I'd fuse the 2 into one piece with lyrics that touch on longing and loss.  
All Rights Reserved 5/16/2023

Into the crystal light
a deep and satisfying sight
then I'm in your arms once more

Over the distant range
a tale that never wants to change
can you see it now, with me

Under a mystic spell
the ole familiar parallel
to be in your arms again

After the driving rain
the landscape never looks the same
now I'm back again this time

We will remember
never surrender
We will remember now

Once we discover
Love in forever
we'll make it through somehow

We will remember
never surrender
We will remember now

Into the crystal light
a deep and satisfying sight
then I'm in your arms once more

In Your Arms

Here With Me

lyrics:-
We're going back in time
Through the looking glass
To another paradigm
Before our History was cast

We're going back to our hidden past
The one they called
Tartaria , Tartaria

winkandwoo 2023

Tartaria

video on X

No title for this one yet,so all suggestions welcome.

Careless and immortal
Time goes drifting by
Turning full circle
No time to say goodbye

I foolishly imagined
We'd go on and on
I never knew what we had
'Til it was gone

Behold the gift of hindsight
If only we had known
Contempt for our birthright
Trouble is homegrown

I foolishly imagined
We'd go on and on
I never knew what we had
'Til it was gone

Project 27.05.23

When my songwriting friend Colin Macduff (find his beautiful debut album 'The Past and the Sky" here: https://www.birnamcdshop.com/product/colin-macduff/) shared his poem 'The Rope', I asked if he'd mind if I tried to put a melody to it.

I did. This is the demo version which I'm hoping to record in a studio soon. There's an accompanying video created with footage from my phone: https://studio.youtube.com/video/yhxZxWGo0wY/edit


The Rope

Coiled, crossed, entangled in a corner
Old and wise and silent, silent as a snake
Left aside beside the new, unwanted
You dream of hands, the touch, their grip, their shape

Once you ran the span and moored our vessels
Safe between the capstan, the capstan and the quay
Once you were the rope that held us steady
Once you were the rope that cast us free

The push the pull, the swing, lasso and ladder
The tug of war when we were in our teens
The give, the take, that bound us all together
The start, the end, the knot, the way and means

Life line, last line, frayed and poorly
In my hand your strands so soft, soft and slack
In my dreams you’re running on beside me
With me all the long way – the long way out and back
With me all the long way – the long way out and back

© C Macduff & S Barr 2023

The Rope - Demo

Lyrics

Lessons learned in borrowed time
Sudden change with a blink of an eye
Where did it go? 
Swallowed by fortitude?
Where has it gone as the day breaks?
Mostly lost in a foreign land
Surrounded by the pull of sinking sand
Dreaming of life
Grieving in solitude
When will it end as the ground shakes?
Why does the ground shake?
Why?
Sailing on the sea of regret
Playing with the hand that you're dealt
Not giving up is a human art
Fighting on when you feel you can't
Don't say you can't when you know you can
Believe you can
Don't stick around in the cold despair
Don't make it up you can make it there
Don't say you can't when you know you can
Believe you can
Another set of winding stairs
That lead you to a truth that you cannot bear
Looking down from the precipice 
Embroiled by the thoughts of nothingness
Silent screams from a whisky jar
That hit you with the force of a speeding car
A flicker of light, a drizzle of rain
Impaled by the force of all life's pain
Why is there so much pain?
Why?
Sailing on the river of guilt
Playing with the hand that you're dealt
Not giving up is a human art
Fighting on when you feel you can't
Don't say you can't when you know you can
Believe you can
Don't stick around in the cold despair
Don't make it up when you make it there
Don't say you can't when you know you can
Believe you can

Believe You Can

My friend Jeff Roberts did an incredible remix of this humble song and turned it into something really fantastic, more than I thought possible! He is also responsible for the  bass and drums, and additional guitar, keys and all the other cool things in the mix. He is a talented musician as well as a  great producer/engineer. Thank you Jeff!

We Finally Found The Rhythm <<Jeff Roberts REMIX>>

A tune about possibilities. 
Music, all instruments, programming and production: Steve
Lyrics: Lydia Mathewson
Vocals: @Roger Stankovic
Image: Dreamstime

Fly High

Originally this was going to be a sing-songy track, but then my fingers couldn't stop strolling in the deep end deed-tales, and now we're all entangled by yet another instru-mental.

Soar-y.

In The Weeds, Fingers Entangled Firmamently

I bought a used accordion in 1993 at a thrift store, greatly upsetting my college roommate when I brought it back to our shared dorm room.  

More recently, I'd been wanting to dust it off and use it in a song, and I tried playing it rhythmically along with a funk guitar riff I had. I had also been wanting to write a song in Spanish, so I decided to incorporate some rhymes en espanol I wrote. Thirdly, I had been looking for some new types of rhythm loops to use in my music, and I randomly tried a cha-cha loop. These three elements together gave this song a latin feel that wasn't intended when I began this song. I hope you enjoy it.

Dime lo que quieres
Que sea un poco de mi
Y esos placeres
Si estoy loco por ti

Dime lo que tienes
Dentro del corazon 
Dime que sueñes
Con mi acordeon 

Dime, dime, dime
Dime otra vez

Capto el sentido
De tus palabras
Esta bien entendido
De que tu hablas

Quieres que yo sea
Participante 
No me parece fea
Ser tu amante

Dime, dime, dime
Dime otra vez

Music and lyrics by David Wagoner

Dime Otra Vez

I am grateful that Steve entrusted me with the wonderful guitar track that became this song. It was a real pleasure to write and sing over his fine playing.  I was apprehensive when he suggested we publish my first rough vocal, no fx and all, but then Steve did some mastering and blessed the tune with his lovely deep voice on the chorus parts. and I must say, I love how it came out!  Thank you for listening.

You Might Know Better

Music, Backing Vocals - Steve Vercelloni @Steve-vercelloni

I’ve got secret apprehensions
Things I think that I don’t mention
But I say you know best for me

I’ve heard lies that I won’t swallow
Rules that I don’t want to follow
But I say they’re okay with me

‘Cause you might know better
You might know better

I’ve been told that I’m a handful
But you don’t seem to notice so
I know that you’re the man for me

Must be times I’m unappealing
Times I’m bouncing off the ceiling
But you’re right there for all of me

And you make me better
You make me better

I’ve got secret apprehensions
Things I think that I don’t mention
But I say you know best for me

I’ve heard lies that I won’t swallow
Rules that I don’t want to follow
But I say they’re okay with me

‘Cause you might know better
You might know better
You might know best

You Might Know Better - with Steve Vercelloni  (first of three)

I DON'T WANT ANYMORE OF YOUR COFFEE

When I ask you
you want to run away

You talk a lot and then
You can't fulfill

Do not tell me anything
What do I know about you...

And I don't want... more coffee... from you...
And I don't want... more coffee... from you...

There will be no more ruin
I want my life
I spent it away from you

days of bitterness
Forbidden laughter
Only when
I think of you

I don't want any more of your coffee
I don't want any more of your coffee

when I love you
you pass by me
Everything planned
Says a lot about you

And I don't want... more coffee... from you...
And I don't want... more coffee... from you...

There will be no more ruin
I want my life
I spent it away from you

days of bitterness
Forbidden laughter
Only when
I think of you

I don't want any more of your coffee
I don't want any more of your coffee
Coffee…

Ya No Quiero Más De Tu Café

Get That Train

From the Album: "The Curse Of A Good Looking Ghost" (2023)
Lyrics:
It's a nitroglycerin bomb sniffing skirt
That's a lollipop night stick
She only hits you where you need to hurt
A Marie Laveau shotgun shack
Don't ya know there's gambling in the back?
In a shotgun shack
I'm reading the tea leaves  by the smoke stack
We've all been bitten by the maharishi's baby teeth
It's hotter than a Sacramento summer
(And I don't mean that as a bad thing)

I'm gonna have to lay real low for a while
My trouble follows me
I'm waist deep in the marsh
That's been thickened up with
Gumbo voodoo mule skin starch
I hear the Hellhounds on my tail
And I don't know what their motivation is
Maybe it's the Mississippi hog maw fizz?
If you think you know me
It's because I'm the guy that shows up
And all the trouble begins
Hotter than a Sacramento summer
(I don't mean that as a bad thing)

I'm down at the racetrack
I'm sleeping on a mattress made of blister packs
It's hotter than a Sacramento summer
(I don't mean that as a bad thing)

Oh, I'm up on the rack
The executioner is sharpening his ax
He says: the world is ruled by fools
"And I'm sorry, man, but I don't make the rules."
It's hotter than a Sacramento summer
Wherever I'm going
I'm looking forward to what the cool weather brings...

Hotter Than A Sacramento Summer

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.