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Having a bit of fun on my take on traditional blues.
Playing guitar, bass and harmonica. Hammond sound and drums played/created with midi keyboard through Studio One daw.

My friends they all say, I’ve got to pay my dues.
I’ll never be no guitar man , till I’ve played the blues
They say rock is fine and it can get you by
But you gotta dig deep inside for those words that make you cry
And then and only then, can you call your self a real blues man.
But these are Not Quite the Blues

Got me a pen and paper to write down what I’d say
Picked up my guitar and thought I’d play in the key of A
But I just drew a blank, and the words just wouldn’t come.
Maybe the mood just wasn’t right, so had me a shot of rum.
That was a big mistake,  now I can’t even play my guitar.
But these are Not Quite the Blues

I’m thinking maybe, I may of had it easy.
Nothing too troublesome, and nothing to drive me crazy
Life has been pretty good, really can’t complain.
So many have had it bad and can tell you all about the about pain.
Take a look around you and you’ll see you’ve had it pretty good.
But these are Not Quite the Blues

Got my rhythm down but I have no words to sing
Seems you got to pay the price, for the blues to be your thing
Lose your girl, lose you job and maybe even lose your mind.
Words will start to flow, when you’re down and out you’ll find
And then and only then, you start to sing the blues.
But these are Not Quite the Blues

Not Quite The Blues

I thought I'd give it a try and write something smooth and relaxing. Very different to what I would normally do. Hope you enjoy it, and of course share and repost.

Guitars and flute: Godin Xtsa - Roland GR-55
Electric bass
Strings, synths and recording: Studio One 4 (daw)

Mindful Serenade

This is where my latest idea took me.  A bit of a message in the lyrics. 
 Not sure what genre it is, but was pretty cool to do.  Always a challenge to do something different and most certainly quite rewarding.  Hope you enjoy it.
Artwork by Michael Whelan.

Planet in Peril

What’s it gonna be,
Will we blame the past,
Or take a stance,
And make it right,
Fix what’s wrong,

What’s it gonna be,
Will we blame the past,
Or take a stance,
Disgrace and guilt,
The time to act has come.  

The decline of the Earth’s natural life-support systems,
So many species threatened
Habitats neglected and destroyed.
Freshwater resources being depleted or polluted. 
The human footprint so large leaving little space for anything else.

What’s it gonna be,
Will we blame the past,
Or take a stance,
Accept our crime,
Give life a chance

What’s it gonna be,
Will we blame the past,
Or take a stance,
Change some habits
Give the planet, it’s right.

What’s it gonna be,
Will we blame the past,
Or take a stance,
Stop the abuse,
Sow seeds of life.

What’s it gonna be,
Will we blame the past,
Or take a stance,
Hand in hand,
We can make it change.

Natural ecosystems have lost half their area.
Rain forests desiccating into savannahs
A million species at risk of extinction
All largely a result of human actions
Nature is being destroyed at hundreds of times higher than the average over the past 10m years 

What’s it gonna be,
Will we blame the past,
Or take a stance,
Return the gift,
This planet earth.

What’s it gonna be,
Will we blame the past,
Or take a stance,
Only time will tell,
If we did enough

Planet In Peril

Everybody has had a Jelly Belly sometime in their lives.  They come in all kinds of flavours and colors.  What if each flavour was an instrument?
This is a fun song with a funky/jazzy/bluesy beat.  Hope you enjoy it.

This is my first time using drum loops.  I don't think I could have pulled it off with two fingers banging on a midi keyboard.

Jelly Belly Jam

Teamed up with Santi-Caballero (https://soundcloud.com/santi-caballero) to do another take of Jelly Belly Jam with Santi-C on tenor and alto sax.
Nothing like the sound of live saxophones.
Thanks Sam. Brilliant work.

Jelly Belly Jam Take 2 (ft. Santi-Caballero on sax)

Regeneration picks up where Planet in Peril left off.  A sequel of sorts.  Touches on neglect and abuse, effect of Covid-19 and leaves off with a message of hope.  Stick around till the end.

You can ignore the facts,  and make up your own
Mislead the masses,  for personal gain
This changes nothing, nothing at all
Avoid and neglect  exasperate the need
We need to act, and need to act now.

There is no denying,  we must be better
So much at stake,  a lifetime to lose
We can make a difference, and foster a better way.

Daily life on pause,  traffic ground to a halt.
Social distancing hinders, our most primal needs.
Basic activities,  now a challenge to all.
Pollution dissipating,  and waters clearing
An invisible threat, at our very doorstep.

There is no denying,  we must be better
Our world is so fragile,  we all have a part
A little pain today,   wake up to a brave new world

Instrumental

We must do better,  or risk it all.
Too much at stake,  to stand idlely by.
This too shall pass,  and good times return.
We bear the burden,  to take control
Change our habits,  to shape the future.

The is no denying,  we must be better
A frightening time,  a wake up call to all.
A worldwide effort, a regeneration.

Planet In Peril - Regeneration

I've been busy working with a band. But I will post something really soon. 
This is a great music community that supports  and encourages others. I urge you to do the same for your fellow artists.
I thank everybody for your precious time.  It means a lot to me.
If you have a moment or two, listen to some tracks, leave a message  and please repost if you like. After all, music is meant to be heard.  Thank you for dropping in.

All the nickels and dimes I make on my songs will go to children charities (tbd).  Thank you for your support.

I love listening to tracks on SC and will certainly repost, but I only repost what I actually listen to.
Influences or artists I simply really like.
Jeff Beck, David Gilmore, Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher, Adrian Belew, Mark Farner, SRV, Hendrix, Steve Vai, and the list goes on.

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John Carusone