Oh man Joe, for the second time in a short time you are addressing my actual problems. The week before last I got 2 wisdom teeth out (Still eat soup and soft-boiled noodles). Meanwhile, my hair is falling out 😃. I don't know if the comedian Mr. Bean is known in the States, but you should watch the episode: Mr. Bean at the dentist. Gracias por la hermosa canción 🙂‍↕️

I’m sure you could make a sketch out of this song. The Spanish pronunciation is really terrible, but it has its own charm…

Hey Joe man, I love this song for a number of reasons. First, your play it and sing it very well, and it has a melodic catchiness to it that is familiar to all your songs. Second, it reminds me of when I used to sing songs to my son as he was brushing his teeth, too. I would sing while he brushed and when the song was done, it was time to rinse. Love the intimacy of the story, too. Everything you write about seems to be totally relatable to me, brother man. Love it!

Hi Joe, Brusha, Brusha, Brusha!! Your Spanish is pretty good Joe! I understood it! Another excellent song!👍😎✌🏼

Fun and cool song Joe, great vocal as always 👌

I love this song❣️ Very melodic‼️

Great song Joe, nice idea! The mix is your best yet I would say - nice drum sounds! Reposted

Gracias! Every Dentist needs this playing in their office! Super fun way to convey dental care...I hope this saves a lot of mouths!  Excellent voice!  You've made an implant, without the screws! GOOD & cheeky! ;)  🤍🤍🤍🤍🥇🔁🖖🏼

so this is typically "joe wonderful". we get inspiration often from unexpected places but I am glad you took advantage of this one. say hi to your daughter

Related tracks: Left Behind

This is the lyrics version of my piano piece (https://soundcloud.com/konrad-spittelberg/the-clap-of-one-hand). (Roughly) same melody, but now with lyrics. 
If the melody left you puzzled about the title, maybe the lyrics will connect the dots. Hope you enjoy it — drop me a comment, I’m curious what you think!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Clap of One Hand - Lyrics
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The high priest looked the monk straight into the eyes 
“You search for wisdom, want to see through disguise 
Then hear the clap of only one hand, 
Imagine tasting the kiss of only one lip!”

The monk was puzzled, did not know what to make of this question 
His mind was racing without the slightest suggestion 
The meaning was hiding so deep 
He could as well go to sleep

And as he lay down he thought and he thought some more, 
And soon he’d snore a Monkish snore 
Deep in his dream he saw the cosmic law 
As it is and will be and has been before

To find the truth you need to see the world through different frames,
As place and motion, time and energy play Heisenberg’s games
The one single truth, the clap of one hand deceives the ancient lore

And then his dream shifted to our world
Where flags of dogma are unfurled
Where it’s en vogue to scorn the views of those 
Whose minds are differently curled

They yell their slogans convinced that it's only their kind who knows truth
They silence doubt and debate to keep everything smooth
They vote in blocs convinced others mean harm
They don't want to discuss they don’t want to disarm
They spit poison and phlegm - 
Them is us, us is them

The monk awakened quite surprisingly rested – and something like pride filled his chest 
The dream had opened his eyes and he knew the deep meaning that the koan expressed 
And so as fast as his feet could carry him he ran to the temple ground Requesting to see the high priest and as soon as he met him he told him the solution he found:

“Avoid the clap of one hand 
'Cause you can not understand 
The world in all its true colors if your mind cannot bend 

Every Current or Tide 
Must with others collide, 
A single stream is quite boring, nothing happens inside.

Seek out the voices that are not like your own – 
Don’t guard your comfort like a dog protects its chewed upon bone 
Be cautious if all of your friends do agree – 
You might discover greeater insights without cheap harmony

A field of only one crop may spark in sunlight like gold, 
But slight disease might turn these fragile monoculture to mold 
No coral alone can just survive with it’s kind – 
Reefs only thrive when hundredthousand curious creatures entwine

Don’t flatten the ground so that your pace can be faster –
'Cause if you don’t train your balance each false step means disaster 
All life, all vision needs to ripple and bend – 
Not frozen in uniformity but free to transcend”

The monk fell silent, his speech was complete - 
He wanted praisal, but the priest kept his seat. 
An awkard silence filled slowly the air, 
The priest just sat there with a calm, timeless stare

“I like your thinking—it rings wise, it rings bold, 
It has reason, it's crafted, it's gold. 
But, dear monk, there might be one subtle twist: 
There is one aspect that you seem to have missed.

You see the truth where opinions compete, 
That wholeness only grows where none is complete. 
But if no single view should stand out alone 
Then even your own view must be overthrown

You praise duality, the joining of two - 
But what if your view in itself is not true? 
What if the world isn't built as you claim? 
What if we’ll never know the rules of the game?"

Hear the clap of one hand 
Avoid the clap of one hand 
Hear the clap of one hand 
Avoid the clap of one hand 
Hear the clap of one hand 
… Reflect on the clap of one hand

The Clap of One Hand (Piano Poetry)

I started making this piece with the intention of it being a set of songs that could stand on their own as well as being an open collaboration, but then it took on a life of its own, and things just got out of hand from there, lol! 

But I still managed to control myself and didn’t add too many samples though, haha! 

I was listening to 1985 and 1986 hip hop singles when making this so….

You can download this for free as well as some of the unmixed stems on Bandcamp. The lyrics can also be found on Bandcamp since SC didn’t provide enough space in the song info. I reached my description limit!

Feel free to treat it as an open collaboration if you like. The song list, BPMs, and time signatures are listed below. 

I Like To Sample Old Drums Bandcamp Link: 
https://musiciselation.bandcamp.com/album/i-like-to-sample-old-drums

Funny we are now moving to Portland. Bye, bye Hillsboro. I guess this is now a farewell song. 

Track Credits:

The Couch King: Lyrics, Vocals, Production
https://musiciselation.bandcamp.com
Russell Sinfield: Mix and Master
https://soundcloud.com/russell-sinfield

I Like To Sample Old Drums
Rap Attack: 112 BPM 4/4
Take The Max Down To Hillsboro: 189 BPM 4/4
Peach ’N Plum: 132 BPM 3/4
What, Would, When: 112 BPM 5/4
I Like To Sample Old Drums: N/A
This One Goes: 101 BPM 4/4
Bllll: 92 BPM 4/4
The Couch Can’t Help It: 87 BPM 4/4

Here are the lyrics just for: 

Rap Attack

I will
Put you in a tourniquet
Bleeding there’s no stopping it
Got a pimple 
I be popping it
Tripple nipple
Don’t be knocking it
I be chopping it off
Now blood is slopping  
I ain’t mopping 
You be dropping
When you slippin’ in it 
Finna sit and watch as I scoff
Maybe lickin’ ice cream soft serve, huh
What cha sayin’ I can only seem to catch ya gurgling brah
Nah, No one can hear you scream 
When you got a severe stream of
Foam bumbling, bubbling from your mouth, tumbling gravitationally south
Bro, i’m feeling bad for your health
See you reeling keeling over looking so sad 
had I know your noncongealinkg slow at healing
I might have
Not tried to put you in a tourniquet 
Tried to put you in a tourniquet
Tried to put you in a

I Like To Sample Old Drums

Bandcamp

Russell Sinfield and the Couch King -I Like To Sample Old Drums

Sharon In The Summer :  Copyright SCRT  Records

An original song by J.J. Terrell

Left Behind

It’s really about the nights we shared
Underneath all the stars

Now that we’re apart, it’s hard to breathe
Thinking of the love, the dreams we weave.

Oh babe I need you back, it’s true

Memories linger, they haunt my mind
Every lonely moment, I’m left behind
I see your face in the setting sun
Without you here, I’m all but done

Time keeps passing, but the ache won’t fade
Our song still plays, in every serenade
If you could hear me, would you find your way
Back to my arms, where your heart should stay?

Ohhh babe, I need you back

Memories linger, they haunt my mind
Every lovely moment, I’m with you
I see your face in the setting sun
Without you here, I’m all but done

Oh babe, I need you back
It’s true


Left Behind

Sci-fi nerd alert! A song inspired as much by author Liu Cixin as it is by Massive Attack.

Also, h/t to the bass octave pedal. You da best, mate!

The Dark Forest Hypothesis

Torbjørn: vocal, instrumental and vocal composition https://soundcloud.com/tobbenv
Oddrun: vocal and vocal composition
Mastering: Njål Frode Lie
Poem: William Blake
"Ah! Sun-flower" is a poem by William Blake, published in his collection Songs of Experience in 1794. The poem explores themes of longing, weariness, and the human desire for something beyond earthly existence, using the sunflower as a symbol. 

A big thank you to you Torbjørn, what a great joy to sing this beautiful poem.

Poem: William Blake

Ah! sunflower, weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the sun,
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the traveller’s journey is done;

Where the youth pined away with desire,
And the pale virgin shrouded in snow,
Arise from their graves and aspire;
Where my sunflower wishes to go.

Ah! Sun-flower. Torbjørn Vagle. Oddrun Eikli

Electric Horizon

Simple music made in GarageBand :)
Lyrics & vocal by me

Lyrics:

I'm a little different, not like everyone else
But I'm happy with that
I have nothing to prove
And I don't need a common groove

I walk around with a smile on my face
You may think, Is there something wrong
Well, I am just a satisfied woman
Living life, singing this song

So I´ll toast to a happy life
It can be challenging for sure
But if you get through it with a smile on your face
Can you ask for more? 

There is comfort in getting to live
It's not a given for me
Spend my life doing what I want
Allow myself to dream

I walk around with a smile on my face
And you may think, is there something wrong
Well I am just a satisfied woman
Living life, singing this song

So i´ll toast to a happy life
It can be challenging for sure
But if you get through it with a smile on your face
Can you ask for more?

If you get through it with a smile on your face
Can you ask for more?

A Happy Life (Original)

The Snow Queen – Gerda Searches for Kay – Feat. Melissa Rood
August 2025
Duration: 2:40
Listen to more music from the Snow Queen ballet at: https://soundcloud.com/bruce-klepper-1/sets/the-snow-queen-music-for-danse
Vocals: Melissa Rood https://soundcloud.com/novembersoundmusic
Recording: Bill Rood
Mixing and production: John-Marc Ventimiglia https://soundcloud.com/john-marc-ventimiglia
The Snow Queen has taken Kay and Gerda is sad for the loss of her frend and is looking for him in Winter. 
Music for Danse Etoile Ballet (www.danseetoile.org) who will be performing The Snow Queen Ballet January 2026 in Colorado.
For voice, strings, piano, bells and percussion

The Snow Queen - Gerda Searches for Kay - Feat. Melissa Rood

Zombies Never Sleep

An electro Nu Jazz atmosphere with a bit of bossa at a chill 85 bpm

Composed digitally MIDI to DAW via VST instruments, all original, no AI, made by a human

In ATL where I live, rainstorms have arrived for the next few days as Hurricane Erin has moved inland. Yet, even on the rainiest of days, the afterglow of music created around firelight lingers like the smoky scent of burnt hickory. In my world, that “firelight” is a computer screen, although in the past I’ve noodled an acoustic guitar around a campfire. Who hasn’t?! 😀

Today, I feel fortunate to enjoy the immense talent and camaraderie of SoundCloud friends. So a song of thanks. Pretend we’re gathered around a campfire for a toast — Here’s to humans making music 🥂🍻 To the goosebump factory! as friend @TheBeautifulDark calls it  ✨🪄And to its afterglow! 🍾 🙏

AFTERGLOW DEFINITION (Translation by DeepL)
1. A glow that remains after a light has disappeared 
1. Ein Leuchten, das nach dem Erlöschen eines Lichts zurückbleibt
1. Une lueur qui persiste après la disparition d'une lumière
1. Een gloed die blijft bestaan nadat een lichtbron is verdwenen
1. Un resplandor que permanece después de que la luz ha desaparecido
1. Un bagliore che rimane dopo che una luce è scomparsa
1. En glød, der bliver tilbage, efter at et lys er forsvundet
1. Hehku, joka säilyy valon katoamisen jälkeen
1. En glød som blir igjen etter at et lys har forsvunnet
1. poświata, która pozostaje po zniknięciu światła
1. Záře, která zůstává po zmizení světla
1. 光が消えた後に残る輝き
2. A pleasant effect or feeling that lingers after something is done, experienced, or achieved
2. Ein angenehmer Effekt oder ein angenehmes Gefühl, das nach einer Handlung, einer Erfahrung oder einer Errungenschaft zurückbleibt
2. Un effet ou une sensation agréable qui persiste après avoir fait, vécu ou accompli quelque chose
2. Een aangenaam effect of gevoel dat blijft hangen nadat iets is gedaan, ervaren of bereikt
2. Un efecto o sensación agradable que perdura después de haber hecho, experimentado o logrado algo
2. Un effetto o una sensazione piacevole che permane dopo che qualcosa è stato fatto, vissuto o raggiunto
2. En behagelig effekt eller følelse, der varer ved, efter at noget er blevet gjort, oplevet eller opnået
2. Nautinnollinen vaikutus tai tunne, joka säilyy sen jälkeen, kun jotain on tehty, koettu tai saavutettu
2. En behagelig effekt eller følelse som henger igjen etter at noe er gjort, opplevd eller oppnådd
2. Przyjemny efekt lub uczucie, które utrzymuje się po zrobieniu, doświadczeniu lub osiągnięciu czegoś
2. Příjemný účinek nebo pocit, který přetrvává poté, co je něco vykonáno, zažito nebo dosaženo
2. 何かを成し遂げた後や、何かを体験した後に残る、心地よい効果や感覚。

…………….
85 bpm
Fm, E6 with a short C7 transit in the middle 

DAW: Apple Logic Pro X
MIDI: Akai Professional Keyboard

E-INSTRUMENTS:
Concert Grand
Ambient Lead
Analog Phaser Pulse
Lunar Chords
Session Strings
Breathy Keys
Acoustic Guitar
Dark Bass Sweep FX
Studio Upright Bass
Deep Round Synth Bass
South African Singers
E-PERCUSSION:
African Kit
Latin Kit
Pop Kit
Studio Brush Kit
Drum ’N Bass Remix

LOFI AUDIO of fire igniting from a matchstick was recorded live on August, 15, 2025, and birdsong was recorded live on May 19, 2025, both via iPhone.

COVER ART is original CGI by SUNNYBECK using a composite derived from original and AI-generated images rendered by the DaVinci app, then altered, retouched, and designed in Photoshop.

August 21, 2025, 11:11 PM ET 
Released on SoundCloud
All Rights Reserved
………………….
.

Afterglow

My daughter is now eleven but when she was 4 or 5 years old, I was trying to learn Spanish (but then life got in the way) and as we brushed our teeth every night, I would sing a silly song “Abre la boca, lava tus dientes blancos blancos muy limpios”.  I’m sure it’s a terrible translation but recently the song popped into my head and this weekend, and I thought it might be fun to attempt to turn it into a complete song.
***
Copyright 2025
***
Instruments 
Guitar Strumming Track:  Taylor 114ce
Guitar (Playing Midi Keyboard) Native Instruments Electric Mint Celtic Castle Melody Guitar
Organ (Playing Midi keyboard): Logic Pro Classic Rock Organ
Native Instruments Electric Keys Diamond (Playing Midi Keyboard)
Drums EZ Drummer 3
Bass PG Music Midi track played with Native Instruments Rickenbaker Bass 
***
Cover photo: Adobe express stock image.
***
When I was a kid, I really wish I’d listened to my parent’s advice
They said brush your teeth carefully or someday you’ll pay the price
I was trying to learn a little bit of Spanish, so I thought I’ d write my daughter a little song
I’m not sure it’s grammatically correct and I bet the pronunciation is wrong
Abre la boca, lava tus dientes blancos blancos muy limpios
Open your mouth, wash your teeth, white, white very clean 
I know you’re just a little kid and it’s hard for you to comprehend
But if you don’t brush your teeth every day, there’s lots of Novocain around the bend
I really hope you take heed of the lessons that I’ve learned 
If you eat too much candy like Icharus flying to close to the sun, you’ll get burned
Abre la boca, lava tus dientes blancos blancos muy limpios
Open your mouth, wash your teeth, white, white very clean 
First you need a filling and then you need a crown
Every year your dental health keeps going down
You sit in that chair, and it’s drill baby drill
The candy tastes good but it’s a bitter pill
They say in the future we’ll regrow our pearly whites
But until that day comes, you’d better take my advice 
Abre la boca, lava tus dientes blancos blancos muy limpios

Abre La Boca (Brush Your Teeth)

Giving and Taking (open invitation for a collaboration from IPG1) 
https://soundcloud.com/ipg1/giving-and-taking-vox-90-bpm
Paploviante: E-Bass, Music, Composing, Arrangement, Mix and Mastering
Lyrics IPG1:
Cloud Stepping (Chorus) Life is relative, 
to the one that’s living it Inside outlook, 
to giving and taking it 
Experience god’s works, all senses 
We were given just a little bit 
We couldn’t handle it all  the few we have 
can nearly fit the few 
we have can nearly fit
(Verse1) 
If we knew it all, and all, and all 
Then nothing would matter It’s all a puzzle to be solved 
We have always been the answer 
The plan of god without reward 
Evolves in different ways 
We are all awake in different dreams 
To let the devil play
(Verse2)
 Who amongst us hear the screams 
Of millions of lives lost,  and don’t look on it as savagery
 And wonder what’s the cost 
What’s the worth, and what’s the cost 
Are we listening or not 
Are we listening or not
(Chorus)
 Life is relative, to the one that’s living it Inside outlook, to giving and taking it Experience god’s works, all senses 
We were given just a little bit 
We couldn’t handle it all  the few we have 
can nearly fit the few we have can nearly fit

Giving And Taking IPG1 and Paploviante

Recorded in Modesto, Ca.  Featuring Sarah Golding on Vocals. Fender Bass. Roland Synthesizer Bass. Steinway & Sons Acoustic Piano Rhythm. Gibson L5 Electric Guitar Rhythm. Alto Saxophone solo. Gibson 335 Electric Guitar solo. Trumpet solo. Acoustic full Drum kit set. Percussion Tree chimes, Cow Bell, Congas, Bongos, Ago Go Bells, Timbales, 22" Zildjain Ride & Crash Cymbals.

Carmel

I'm Walkin'

A little bit of a different flavor of Texas Tea collaboration for me and Stephen, @texmex-shaman ... this is the first time I sent him something that had guitar from me already in it. If you listen carefully my guitar parts are the very simple repeated 4 measure loops that kind of stack up on top of each other, mostly background elements. Stephen added some crazy cool low end atmospherics as well as some distorted wailing guitars on the higher end and of course the awesome meandering lead part that ebbs and flows through this piece. I created the beat and all the synth elements.

After sending his parts back to me, Stephen mentioned it kinda gave him a David Lynch vibe. Turns out we are both huge fans of Twin Peaks and pretty much all of this great artist's work, so had to tip our hats to him, but maybe only other fans will catch the references in the title and cover art.

Listen to all our collabs on the Texas Tea playlist: https://soundcloud.com/texmex-shaman/sets/texas-tea-sea

Photo by Bdelisle at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15816231, edited for color and contrast by me.

Got A Light? (A Texas Tea Production)

Strumming Guitar track (playing my Taylor 114ce)
Organ: (playing my midi keyboard) using Logic Pro Grand organ sound
Bass: PG Music Real track
Drums: Ez Drummer 3
MK1 Keyboard and piano  Ez Keys 2
****
Every night at ten o’clock, before I go to bed 
I doomscroll on my phone, and I see stories that fill me with dread
I know I should put down my phone and read a book, but I can’t control the urge
Things get stuck in my brain that I really wish I could purge
It’s a fine line between staying informed and doomscrolling
And it’s so hard to put down that phone once you pick it up and start that ball rolling
There’s a constant stream of bad news that never goes stale
Why can’t the world be more like a fairy tale
Forever chemicals in the water, pollution in the air
Global temperatures rising, and the oil companies don’t care
Russians making nuclear threats and our leaders they just shrug
Some nights it feels like I’m in a hospital bed and they‘re about to pull the plug
It’s a fine line between staying informed and doomscrolling
And it’s so hard to put down that phone once you pick it up and start that ball rolling
There’s a constant stream of bad news that never goes stale
Why can’t the world be more like a fairy tale

Microplastics your body
It’s bad to sit too long in your in your chair 
They say you can go sterile if you wear tight underwear
There’s an object heading towards us from deep in outer space
They say it might be an alien spacecraft on its way to destroy the human race
Too much information in the palm of your hand
Can make you just want to bury your head in the sand
Sometimes you’ve got to accept there are things beyond your control
Whatever will be will be.  You play an insignificant role 
It’s a fine line between staying informed and doomscrolling
And it’s so hard to put down that phone once you pick it up and start that ball rolling
There’s a constant stream of bad news that never goes stale
Why can’t the world be more like a fairy tale

Doomscrolling

Heavy Punk Rock 'n' Roll band turns into Synthwave nowadays! Brand NEW album "Ultraviolet Cosmos" available NOW!
https://shockthealgorithm.bandcamp.com/album/ultraviolet-cosmos

Songs with a twinge of humor (and some a bit more serious).  
I do not use AI to create my songs. 
https://linktr.ee/joe.stroffolino
Recently I have had the urge to pick up my guitars (Taylor 114ce and Fender Squire) and I have been trying to use more guitar in my songs.  
My go to .vst plug ins are  EZkeys 2, EZ Bass and  EZ drummer 3) and my DAW is Logic Pro 11. 
I welcome your comments and enjoy listening to all the great music on SoundCloud. 
All songs are originals and copyrighted.

Abre La Boca (Brush Your Teeth)

Joe Stroffolino

Recent comments

Dave Orestes 1

ElectroTrek

heart house and the new kindness.

THE BOY

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