Another fascinating ensemble composition. Love those spooky, distant vocals.

@user-936947521:  Hey Frans man, love reading you many accolades. Chris is an amazing producer, songwriter, composer, singer, and musician. I'm always very grateful when he shares some of his magic with the rest of us. Hey brother man, can't thank you enough for your friendly visit. Your attention means a lot to me.

Wow guys, what a great track, so much cool stuff going on

so nice to hear Nyla on here with all of you--Super tune brother:)

I really really like this one nice work :-)

Was having a listen to the pared-back version of this on JJ's page this morning and it stuck with me all morning, so felt it was only right to hear the complete EC version.  So pleased I did as I'd have missed a treat if I hadn't.  Another divine example of the kind of teamwork to which you all contribute.  Warmest congrats to all!

@z-t-ny-benk: Hey man, thrilled to hear that. Huge thanks for your ears and love.

A Song about having High Hopes for Life's Journeys !

In Scenes to Follow

Tonight

Dreaming in Colour

Going Home

So the bones of this came from Mobygratis.com. I changed it a good bit, there were no chords, so I added some and gave it a structure. I took away some things and added 3 guitars, some synths and percussion, and a fender rhodes. I could have stripped Moby out of it completely but I didn’t so now I have a collaboration with Moby! lol. I had a lot of fun with it, I’ve already picked out our next collaboration lol.

The original file was <<1960s house 2 at Mobygratis.com>>if  you want to check it out

i’m not the one, no  i’m not the one
i’m not a child of god, i’m a son of a gun 
there ain’t no halo on my head
i go where angels fear to tread
the fate of the world ain’t in my hands
i’m just an ordinary man

i’m not the one, baby, i;m not the one
It was a twist of fate, twists like a knife to the bone
i ain’t the light that leads the way
i’m the dark where your deepest fears are made
go lay your sins on some other man
i’m not your sacrificial lamb
  
lost in the shadows i came undone
then i woke up in the blinding sun
now the veil it feels so thin
was i redeemed or was i condemned

i’m not the one, just leave me alone
i’m not the one now go on home
just let me be
baby i’m not the one just set me free
there’s nothing that i can do
let me break it down for you

Not the one

Not The One

This song is actually more of a poem. But I only realized that when I tried to set the text to music after I had written it. 
"I count on you" is a song written as a heartfelt thank-you to the quiet companions in our lives — those who stand by us when times get tough. 
Sometimes, these are the people who understand us without needing many words. Sometimes, they are the loyal, four-legged friends who remain by our side through the years. And sometimes, it’s a spiritual presence that carries us through our darkest moments.

This song is about that steady, silent presence — the comforting feeling of not being alone. It reminds us how much strength can be found simply in being there for one another. Some call it friendship, others call it love — some believe it is God. Ultimately, it’s about connection, trust, and the quiet certainty: I can count on you.

A heartfelt thank-you to Andreas and Colter, who deeply inspired me in the creation of this song.

It would mean a lot to me if this song finds a place in your heart and uplifts you when you listen.



I count on you

When everything inside goes quiet,
and I don't know what to do,
when every step feels heavy,
somehow – there’s you.
You never asked for answers,
you just stood there by my side.
In a time that felt so broken,
you were my piece of light.

I count on you 
when the fire’s burning low.
When I feel like fading,
you’re the one who still knows.
I count on you –
not 'cause you're loud or strong,
but 'cause you stay,
when everything feels wrong.

You held my silence gently,
carried every flaw I had.
You saw the parts I couldn’t show,
and never said it’s bad.
You never needed big ideas,
you just showed up as you are.
And in the middle of the night,
you were my northern star.

I count on you 
when hope has gone to hide.
When the world gets smaller,
you still stay by my side.
I count on you 
no questions, no disguise.
You’re the quiet truth
in a world of little lies.

And if the day should ever come
when you can’t hold it all alone –
I’ll be the one who holds you back,
like you have always done.

I count on you 
And you can lean on me
We carry what the other can´t
And set each other free
I count on you 
and hope you feel it too.
Through every broken piece,
I’ve found a friend in you.


Lyrics/Vocals/Music: Axel Menningen

I Count On You

Cast of Characters:

Cgmaness – @cgmaness – Chris – acoustic guitar, composition, production, and mix

K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken– drums
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 – Warwick four string fretless bass 
J.J. Terrell-- @j-j-terrell—JJ-- piano and lead synth
Mistermark-- @user-432503709 -- Mark – VST cello, strings, clarinet, flute, and synth pad
Nyla K-- @user-162163879 -- vocals and lyrics
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen–  Gibson Earle Scruggs banjo

This song started as many of our best do, with Chris coming up with it on his acoustic guitar. He shared it with the rest of us shortly after, and we were all very excited to tuck into it. 
  Ken was fist at the trough for this one, adding his jazzy, expressive drums. Josh came in as soon as he had a beat to work with, adding his signature fretless bass to the mix. Not long after that, JJ broke out the hauntingly melodic piano and Shine On You Crazy Diamond timbred synth you hear throughout. 
  Once it had a good structure to it, Mark came in and added the dynamic cello swells that open the song, some subtle strings, the melodic clarinet and flute, and a bit of synth pad near the end to spice up the soup a bit. He also had the great idea to ask Nyla to add some vocals, which she did in her typically dynamic and expressive way using her original lyrics. Last, but definitely not least, we convinced Stephen to add some of his perfectly mood-setting banjo. 
  Once it was all in the can, it actually sat for several months before being revived by Chris, who also did the production and mix, expertly, as always.
   This song is an example of Eclectic Collective coming together to bring another one of Chris' brilliant songs to life. You should check out his new albums on Spotify, which you can find by following this link. https://open.spotify.com/artist/0RmKLMyiXe4eVeXa032MDV?si=L0PZPN1FThy8C7mRVZMu6A
  Also, this is our first time collaborating with Nyla K. We wanted to find a way to include her talents on this one, and her vocals here are magical. You can hear a lot more of them on her page if you follow the link next to here name in the credits, too. We hope you enjoy listening to this song as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Original lyrics by Nyla K: 

I once overheard 
a hushed up conversation 
'tween the fishes coming home 
and thank god for a holiday
yea
making the bull frogs sing for joy
as they awake
yea
...and this... is what they had to say

Spanish moss and bullfrogs
cattail cotton in the wind
yea...
and won't U take me to the river
yea...
take me on down to the river
and U better not say...

Better Not Say (Eclectic Collective by CGManess, with Nyla K)

Sailing Away

Cast of Characters:
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 – Sigma acoustic guitar, Collings mandolin, Roland piano, vocals, vocal harmonies, and arrangement
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen– Gibson Earle Scruggs banjo, arrangement, production, mix, and mastering        
This song is a Phish song written by Trey, Page, Fishman, and Tom Marshall, who wrote the lyrics. Originally, on their album Hoist, it's just Trey playing and acoustic guitar and singing. Stephen and I wanted to give it our own flavor though. After I asked him to play banjo on it and produce it for me, we started spitballing ideas about how we could add something more to it. Originally, we both played every instrument, guitar, banjo, mandolin, and piano, through the whole thing, except the first and last verses. Then we decided to trickle the instruments in for maximum effect. I also sang the harmonies throughout. Finally, Stephen came up with the idea to wrap the last verse in a mono effect, giving it a detached feel. He mixed it brilliantly, too.
  This song has always had a special place deep in my heart. Sometimes you hear a song and recognize such truth in it, it feels like it was written about you. This is such a song for me. Plus, it was written by my favorite band, Phish, so it has even more meaning for me. We hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed making it.

Dog Faced Boy by Phish (with Texmex Shaman)

Spending summer by the lake in the forest


Forest Lakeside

The Silent Guillotine of Midnight

"Magic is what we do. Music is how we do it." -- Jerry Garcia

Welcome to my page, my peers, associates, friends, and musical family. I'm a lifelong, multi-instrumentalist musician who records prolifically and joyfully. You'll hear me play guitar, bass (regular four string, and four and five string fretless), mandolin, banjo, keys (piano, organ, synth), lap slide, sitar, and sing on my recordings here. I've been in a few dozen bands in my life, playing everything from bluegrass, jazz, rock, jam band, reggae, funk, afrobeat, Middle Eastern, traditional Irish, singer/songwriter, pop/covers, to experimental/avant garde. 
  Since I found SoundCloud a couple years ago, I've found many talented, creative people with whom to create music. However, in the summer of '23 I formed a band called The Eclectic Collective with some of my favorite musicians I've met through here. It started as a loose collective of musicians and coalesced into a core group of musicians who find other musicians with whom we'd like to make music, then run their songs through our process, and in effect add a full band. That core of The Eclectic Collective includes Tez (Llanpsych), J.J. Terrel, Ken (K2 and the Three), Stephen (Texmex Shaman), Chris (cgmaness), and Mark (mistermark). A couple of other musicians are frequent collaborators, as well, including Artur of Surfers Like Us, and Steve Vervaet of Steve's World. More recently, we've been joined by Carl of The Beautiful Dark fame. 
  The magic of music is amplified exponentially by each person adding to it. So, we really try to add our sorcery all kinds of music from all kinds of artists. Sometimes, we keep it within the group, but a lot of what we do is collaboration with other artists. Therefore these days, 100% of what I do is collaboration, within the group or with other artists on the side.
  I, and we, are also available for hire if you have a song or lyrics and you really want to add bigger instrumentation or a band and good production to it. 
  A small sampling of the artists whom I consider primary influences, and whom you will hear coming through my fingers include Phish, The Flaming Lips, The Grateful Dead, Radiohead, Rye Cooder, Steve Earle, Miles Davis, Fela Kuti, Arcade Fire, Mikey Dread, Yellowman, Purpleman, The Meditations, Michigan and Smiley, Lee Perry, Dillinger, Django Reinhardt, Impossible Recording Machine, The Allman Bros Band, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Bela Fleck, Les Claypool, Sam Bush, David Grissman, John Prine, Talking Heads, Beastie Boys, MMW, Moe., Morphine, Ween, Steve Lukather, Michael McDonald, John Abercrombie, Dave Holland, John Scofield, Victor Wooten,  Cannonball Adderly, Thelonious Monk, Flea, Parliament Funkadelic,  Frank Zappa, Prince Paul, Pete Rock, Thievery Corporation, Amon Tobin, Chet Baker, Joao Gilberto, Stan Getz, Astrud Gilberto, Carol Kaye, Tame Impala, Mumford and Sons, Japanese Breakfast, LCD Soundsystem, Beach House, Sean Lennon, and Billy Strings, but of course there are many more. I also really like and am influenced by traditional Iranian, Palestinian, Indian, Sri Lankan, Sudanese, Mauritian, Somalian, Egyptian, West African, and Syrian music. I welcome anyone who plays non-western music to contact me for a collaboration, too.
 I'm overjoyed to have found my community on SoundCloud. This is a truly unique forum where everyone is sincerely trying to build each other up. The profoundly supportive and positive SoundCloud community has really opened up an exciting new world of collaboration for me. That is the main reason I'm in the Cloud, actually, to connect with other musicians and make music that I enjoy listening to, and hopefully others do, as well. I am ALWAYS looking to collaborate with interesting musicians, mostly though BandLab, which is where I record almost exclusively. It's a solid, free digital audio workstation hub where you can share recording projects, even if it's not where you make your recordings.
  Everything I do is live instrumental, not programmed, and using no computer beyond my phone. That's not to say that I would be opposed to using that kind of tool, it's just not my preferred medium with which to paint. If you like my music, please share it. If you want to collaborate, my BandLab handle is @bingo_pajama. Feel free to contact me at cornbreadband@hotmail.com, as well, even if you aren't on BandLab.
  If your music is primarily AI, please don't come around my page, as I'm not at all interested in complimenting a machine.
  Here's a link to music I've recorded live with a group of musicians here in Pittsburgh called The Northumberland Street Ramblers.
Check out The Northumberland Street Ramblers on #SoundCloud
https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/fU4Me

Better Not Say (Eclectic Collective by CGManess, with Nyla K)

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