Well, this unusual track started with the rhythm guitar part, and each time I added something it took another left turn into the cosmos (hence the title). I wrote the melody with a synth sound I wasn't planning on keeping until I added a vocal...and suddenly I felt Star Trek theme vibes. (Or maybe SC's own Admiral Krank and His Mighty Spacemen https://soundcloud.com/user-766619428). So I created the layers of vocal harmonies using EastWest Sound's "Voices of Soul" which features midi samples of C.C. White (you're definitely going to be hear more of her on future projects!).  I'm playing all of the guitars, bass, keys/synth, and I cut the drum loops. I hope you enjoy this comic trip into the unknown.

Left Turn at Andromeda

Cosmic Plant

Cast of Characters: 

Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – Warwick fretless four-string bass, Paul Reed Smith semi hollow body electric Guitar 
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken -- drums
J.J. Terrell– @j-j-terrell – organ and triangle
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen — production, mix, and mastering

This song, in case you're not familiar, was written by Medeski, Martin, and Wood with guitarist John Scofield, and performed by them on an album eponymously named A Go Go. Josh has always been a huge fan of both MMW and J.S., and has always wanted to play more of their music, as he used to cover a couple of their songs in one of his main old bands. 
  Josh laid down the bass and after going back an forth a couple of times with Ken and his thrilling drums, they established the rhythm section. Soon after, Josh added his jazzy guitar, as well. We needed someone to play John Medeski's part, too, of course. So, we asked JJ if he'd do the honors, which he did in grand fashion. He also added some triangle hits you can listen for, that add a little bit more pizzaz to the whole thing. 
  Once it was all laid down, we needed a good mix, and no one is gooder than Stephen, so we asked him to mix it for us, which he did in his always pro manner. 
  This was a lot of fun to record, and we hope that comes through. This is a stripped down Eclectic Collective collab, where most of what we're all doing is improv. We hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed making it.

A Go Go by Medeski, Martin, Wood and Scofield (Eclectic Collective cover)

Cast of Characters:
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – Warwick fretless four-string bass and Fender Stratocaster
J.J. Terrell– @j-j-terrell – electric piano 
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken -- drums
Mistermark-- @user-432503709 -- Mark –- percussion, VST flute, and production editing
Llanpsych -- @llanpsych -- Tez – Fender Stratocaster electric guitar
The Beautiful Dark -- @thebeautifuldark -- Carl --  vocals and lyrics
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen — production, mix, and mastering

This song began more than a year ago, when Josh created a song out of a looper beat with his four string fretless bass. It sat on the shelf until a few weeks ago, when he shared it with JJ, who was in creative mode one Saturday evening. Josh had actually forgotten that he'd added a bass line to it, and thought he was just passing on a looper beat for JJ to play with. 
  However, JJ heard it, and was so excited that added his magical electric piano part, making it sound like a real song, instead of just drums and a bass. Ken also heard some magic in here, because he came up with his own brilliant beat to replace the looper that was used in for the seed. Mark was next to throw in, adding the striking drum pattern breakdown, and the thrilling flute solo, as well. Tez came in shortly after, adding his thrilling guitar to the mix. After everyone had added their parts, Josh came back and added two guitar parts, the simple low end line, as well as the high strumed triads. At this stage, Mark did some editing, as it is in his skill set, and made it less dense and easier to listen to. 
  Now that the song was musically complete, out newest member, Carl, dropped the amazing vocals you hear, singing his original lyrics. After Carl was done sprinkling his magic in it, we needed an able producer to bring out the magic of the recordings. Good thing we have a trained producer to do the job in Stephen, who mixed and mastered it superbly, as always. 
  This is Eclectic Collective's first fore into the afrobeat genre, although a few of us are really big fans already, and Josh has a few other originals in this genre buried on his page, as well. As always, we all enjoyed the process of hearing this one come together. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed making it.
Original lyrics by The Beautiful Dark:Juice our Jah
Chalice of chime
Shooting star
Great rhythm
There's blood in the brine

Suture Sun
Grand heaven high
'Some clan gone cruel
Needing collective eye

Eclectic host
Hoist our hale
Mused healing feast
Musical breeze as gale

Afro beat
Oh melody sweet
Beat afro
Show us where to go

Kalakuta Kingdom (Eclectic Collective)

Illusion

Some thoughts that have been percolating in my mind lately (cover photo:  photo of my halloween skeleton edited with a not to scale termite and silver spoon: adobe stock images)

***
Copyright 2025
Vocals , Chords and Lyrics by Joe Stroffolino
Organ (playing my midi keyboard with sound from Logic Pro BeBop Organ)
Single Strum track  (playing my Taylor 114ce)
Second fast strumming track: PG music real track
Bass: PG Music real track
Piano:  EZ Keys2 (with sound from Native instruments Piano uno)
Drums: EZ Drummer 3
***
They say that life is a test but not everyone’s dealt the same hand
Some are born into privilege, while others struggle through quicksand
We play the cards we’re dealt as we try to find our way,
Doing our best to keep our heads above water as we go about each day.
People born with a silver spoon in their mouths, they’re rich and the die is cast
Other’s get a wooden spoon, which the termites eat, and it’s struggle not to finish last
They say money can’t buy you happiness, but it’s hard to put a smile on your face
When the game is rigged and you can’t even get to first base.
How many billions do you have to accumulate before you’re just running up the score
At what point do you decide that you don’t need anymore
Telling rags-to-riches stories, so the common man believes it’s true,
“Keep those taxes off the billionaires cause someday that might be you.”
 People born with a silver spoon in their mouths, they’re rich and the die is cast
Other’s get a wooden spoon, which the termites eat, and it’s struggle not to finish last
They say money can’t buy you happiness, but it’s hard to put a smile on your face
When the game is rigged and you can’t even get to first base.
 Politicians smiling and acting like they share your blues,
But they’d collapse in a minute trying to walk a mile in your shoes.
Lottery tickets selling hope, though the odds are that you’ll never win
You’ve got a better chance of being struck by lightning than ever cashing in.
You’ll be paying off those loans for the rest of your life from that useless college degree
As the corporations implement AI trying their best to replace you and me
 The universe is billions of years old; we come and go in a flash.
We spend our short lives obsessing over cash.
 People born with a silver spoon in their mouths, they’re rich and the die is cast
Other’s get a wooden spoon, which the termites eat, and it’s struggle not to finish last
They say money can’t buy you happiness, but it’s hard to put a smile on your face
When the game is rigged and you can’t even get to first base.

Life Is a Test

Every Now & Then

The world was still asleep in the quiet moments before dawn when a polite knock interrupted the silence. When she reached the door, the only sign of a visitor was the faint sound of a carriage disappearing into the distance. On the porch was a single, ornate invitation, its wax seal still intact. As she broke the seal and opened the envelope, she felt a sense of curiosity and mystery. What lay inside was not simply an invitation, but a message that might just change her life forever.

Piano improvisation for a short story scene. 😊

The Invitation

je continue des essais mélodiques et harmoniques basés au piano sur l'exploration des intervalles en mineur  mélodique

Au fond de soi

Moments in Time

The Dream

Celebrate(3)

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.