Distant Waves

“Apricity Serenade”  by Luke 

The word Apricity ..means  “the warmth of the sun in winter” first used in 1623
It’s been a long cold winter up here in Canada 🇨🇦 
one day the Sun came out inspiring me to write this piece

Keys & Piano & Synthesizer & Viola & Violin by Luke
Created & Composed & Produced by Luke
Music & Track & Album Photos by Luke
Photography & Ai photo by Luke
Beats by Luke©️
S c h ü ß m a n n©️

“Apricity Serenade” by Luke

Cast of Characters:
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – Warwick four string fretless bass, Sigma acoustic guitar, PRS SE semi hollow body guitar, composition
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken–drums and percussoin
J.J. Terrell-- @j-j-terrell—JJ-- organ 
Mistermark-- @user-432503709 -- Mark – VST horns - trumpet, bone, & sax, latin drum ensemble, and editing production 
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen– Production, mix, and mastering


This song began in the dead of winter on a cold night with Josh sitting in his studio with his acoustic guitar playing along to a looper beat. He loves bossa nova music and wanted to write a song in that style. Of course, he wrote it with the Eclectic Collecive in mind. 
  Josh also came up with the bass line to the looper, but changed it once Ken weighed in with his perfectly suited drum kit. He also added the funky main percussion you hear throughout. Then JJ got involved and laid down that wonderfully melodic organ part you hear in there. Josh, having not laid down a lead guitar part yet, used JJ melodic idea for the first verse, too, because it's so strong. Mark was last to the trough, but added several really stunning parts that added a lot of depth to the whole thing. He's responsible for the horn arrangement that accompanies JJ's organ solo, as well as the horn arrangement and entire break section at the end, which he not only drumed on, but edited and inserted seamlessly, as well. He also added percussion to Ken's percussion throughout the entire song, as well. He still gets paid the same as the rest of us, though 
  This is an example of us Josh introducing an unfamiliar type of music, and it being picked up on and carried through expertly as a group unit. We all love a challenge in the EC, and this fit the bill. We hope you enjoy listening to this song as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Meet the New Bossa (Eclectic Collective)

Cast of characters:
Jonathan Beckenstein — @jonathan_beckenstein — acoustic guitar, composition
Cgmaness – @user-419254289-15129531 – Chris – bass, vocals, and lyrics
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken–drums, percussion, and vocal harmonies
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – Roland FP-10 piano and Collings mandolin
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen– Tom Anderson custom T slide guitar, production, mix, and mastering
Mistermark-- @user-432503709 -- Mark – harmonica, edited fiddle samples, and jaw harp
This song began when Jonathan wrote it on his acoustic guitar several months ago with the intention of developing it into a larger song. When Josh approached him about doing a collaboration, Jonathan thought this one would fit the bill. I should say at this point how much we all admire Jonathan and enjoy his music. On the unlikely chance you aren't already familiar with his music, I suggest you go hop on his page and check it out. 
  All that to explain the level of excitement that ran through Eclectic Collective when Josh shared the project with the group. Chris was first to jump on it, coming up with his intricate bass line even before Ken added his moving drums, although they went back and forth a couple of times to create the rhythm section. Josh jumped on right after that part was complete, adding his mandolin and piano to the mix. Steven was next up, adding his howling slide throughout. Last, but certainly not least, Mark came up with the driving harmonica and twangy jaw harp, and the raspy fiddle, adding them all to complete the instruments. 
  At this point, we had a pretty good instrumental song on our hands. However, Chris decided to give it the extra kick by adding the vocals, the lyrics for which he wrote himself. Our multitalented drummer, Ken, added the vocal harmonies shortly after, too.
  Now that it was in the bag, we needed some production for it. So, we turned to Stephen, who mixed and mastered it in his alwasy expert fashion. 
  This song is a real treat for everyone in the band, as I mentioned earlie. We are all very grateful to Jonathan for sharing this song with us, and had a wonderful time helping bring it to life. We hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed creating it.
Original lyrics by cgmaness:
 Come on now let's break a leg,
We've got it made in the shade.
One more day, go out and play.
I guarantee we've got it made.
Oh, we've got it made.
Happy to be with my friends today.
Fill up your drink whatever it may take.
I guarantee we've got it made.
~Gibberish~
Don't need a reason,
Or wait for the seasons to change.
That's what I claim.
Go out on this limb with me,
And realize, we've got it made.
We got it made in the shade.
Can't you see we got it made?
Oh, we've got it made.
Happy to be with my friends today.
Fill up your drink whatever it may take.
Can you believe that we've got it made?
Come on now let's shake a leg.
We've got it made in the shade.
Don't need a reason,
Or wait for the seasons to change.
That's what I claim.
Go out on this limb with me,
And realize, we've got it made.

We've Got It Made (Eclectic Collective with Jonathan Beckenstein)

I always wanted to make a sonic companion to the last song Bitzone, Frawstakwa, and I made together, “What Difference Does It Make.” I finally got my chance. This one came together real fast. Bitzone sent me a raw beat, I asked Frawstakwa to kick it off, and then I made some arrangement adjustments and laid down my lyrics and vocals based on Frawstakwa’s. Bitzone then finished it up and bada-boom, gotta move, gotta shake!

Massive thanks to Frawstakwa for bringing the fresh ideas and original verse and chorus vocals. And big thanks to Bitzone for always make the tracks more vivid than I could imagine. 

May there always be at least a little time to bounce in your week! 

Track Credits:
Bitzone: Music, Production, Arrangement, Mix, and Master
https://soundcloud.com/bitzone
https://www.bitzones.net/
Frawstakwa: Verse and Chorus Lyrics and vocals
https://soundcloud.com/frawstakwa
the Couch King: Verse Lyrics, Vocals, and Samples
https://musiciselation.bandcamp.com
Intro: Louis Bloomfield

Lyrics: 

Hold up
Lemme tell you
What I’m talking about
To the beat
With a breakdown
That can make you bounce 

Here we are
Coming through
With whatever it takes
Full force
On these fools
All up in your face 
Show and prove
Break it down
To the drum 
And the bass
That good old
One two
Gotta move 
Gotta shake
Bada-boom
Something 
That you can feel
But wait
If you could feel 
Anything at all
Feeling great
Letting it flow
Mind body and soul
On my way
That’s how it goes
So the people them know
See you later

Hold up
Lemme tell you
What I’m talking about
To the beat
With a breakdown
That can make you bounce 

I’m just your everyday reverie of an emcee
You see
I’m but a memory of the way 
You say it be
On this beat 
You project the street 
On the hit of the kick 
The click 
Boom, respect it’s the fire of the heat 
It’s the sweat dripping from the meat 
You expect flowing from that bass 
That slow tempo that’s got you feeling 
You on the creep, you on the chase
Brace fo the bounce putting you in the some headspace 
Race everyone to hear every ounce so tie up yo shoelace 
And let’s go 
Yo, lettin’ the people know

Hold up
Lemme tell you
What I’m talking about
To the beat
With a breakdown
That can make you bounce

The flow is
Summoned 
On command
Dig deep
Within 
Without a plan
Improvise
And
Ka-blam 
That is called conviction
Can you understand
The definition
What is your religion?
Damn
It takes blind faith
To hope that one can trust
In what is true 
What is real
For real
So what it do?
We are here to
Be seen
Be heard
Be who
We truly are 
Hold up then
Please
Tell us
Who are you?
 
Hold up
Lemme tell you
What I’m talking about
To the beat
With a breakdown
That can make you bounce 

I got the feeling the bounce is appealing
Now that the ceiling’s been breaked
We got the unwilling to denounce appearing 
How it is that they never been waked 
Allow the revealing of the fake
Watch out we congealing as we get baked 
Take out that sponge cake, make no mistake 
It got that spring, there’s no remake 
Can feel the earth quake 
The beat is shaking
The bass is rumbling
So deep you feel your belly ache 
What’s at stake 
You gotta know
It’s that flow state 
We on a roll 
So slap on the butter baby
We gravy 
Grab a plate and
Before you go

Bounce
Bounce
To the boogie
The bang
The beat
Box
About
To bring it back
The breakdown
For the block
For my people
I see you
Gimme a pound
Tell me how
Have you been
For now
The breakdown
I’m here for you
Hear me loud 
And clear
We are responsible
For where we’re 
Bound
The breakdown
Heading out
Gotta beat the crowds
To get home
Put my feet up
While I eat on the couch
The breakdown

Hold up
Lemme tell you
What I’m talking about
To the beat
With a breakdown
That can make you bounce

Break Down The Bounce

Bitzone, RS Frawstakwa & the Couch King - Break Down The Bounce

I wrote this song 15 years ago for close friend and guitarist Elmer Stone. Elmer and I have collaborated on three songs on Soundcloud but this one is purely a tribute to him and the friendship we have shared for the past thirty-plus years.  It is also a memorial for his wife Bonnie who he lost two years ago. She was a core contributor to his music, life partner, and his best friend.
I am indebted to Mike Fox and Axel Meningen for taking my rough demo of the song and making it a broadcast quality production.  Thank you gentlemen for your time, talents, and belief that the song could be more than I could ever make it on my own.  Hear more of their amazing music @michael-fox-925325997 and @axel-m-501052973  
Good Ol' Boy
Lyrics:
He's a good ol' boy with his good ol' toys,
He likes a beer now and then.
He picks a guitar and dreams of going far,
Don't know the how, or the where, or the when.
The boys in the band play as hard as they can.
And they hitch their wagon to the star,
Of this good ol' boy, this good ol' boy.

He keeps house with his wife, the love of his life,
The kids are all grown and gone.
By the gray in his hair you can tell he still cares
'bout the things that are right and wrong.
And the question comes does it get better than this,
A hard days work and a goodnight kiss,
For this good ol' boy, this good ol' boy.

Bridge:
Well it hasn't been easy, no it's never been easy
But he keeps on keepin' on.
And what hasn't killed him he finds a way
To put into a song, 'bout this good ol' boy
This good ol' boy.

Instrumental break, repeat bridge.

He's a good ol' boy with his share of joys,
And his share of the cares of this world.
When it's all said and done, and his race has been run,
And he rests in the arms of the Lord
Of this good ol' boy, this good ol' boy.
Instrumental to the end.

Good Ol' Boy (Mike, Axel, David)

Composed by Michele Ansani (2025).
Saxophone and female vocals (reworked) are courtesy by Daze of Nostalgia and Cinematic Vocals.
Cover picture: René Magritte, The Art of Conversation (1963).

Posted on SoundCloud:  2025 June 1.

Talking about our lifetime

Well hello. Here’s some rustic Mountain Blues, played on extremely oxidized guitar strings, with me hollering from the mountain top. Hahahaha. The song hints at a personal authenticity, and the experience of possibly unraveling any prior conditioning (Pavlovian or otherwise) that may constrict our lives in some way. It’s also about the different personas we portray to the outside world. How we may act at work, or on a first date, or with our spouse, or kids, friends, enemies, those who hurt us, even our stage personas comes into play…. So this song is asking a lot of us. In other news, right now in June, the mountains are snow covered and it froze last night. That is late spring, early summer here. Gardenwise, this year, I am planting a lot more Brassicas: Kale, Cabbage and Broccoli, and they are growing well. I am going to try to fence off the carrot/beet beds, as the voles always eat more carrots and beets than I ever do. Onions, leeks and garlic have been growing since March. I transplanted 50 lettuce plants I grew from seed that I saved from last year’s lettuce. The berry bushes and fruit trees have really blossomed this year. There are squash, cukes, tomato and pepper plants inside by the window, to be transplanted outside next week, quite a mess… all of which keeps me busy…. Hahaha. Thanks for dropping by, hope you’re well, Mark

'Round Here'

'keep everything'

note: I recently found this old journal and this riff was played live on my phone upon my front porch during a rain storm this evening. This particular entry was from June 18, 2014.

I was stagnant at work this evening and ventured outside to catch some air and to stretch my legs. The air was thick and stuck to my skin, leaving a glassy resemblance, caught by mine eye, while vainly glimpsing at my reflection in the moonlit window of a fellow employee's sedan. With literally hours until my next deadline, I opted to put some kilometers behind me, and make my way, by foot, towards the local University. 
While venturing through the streets inhibited by, both, students, and families, I found myself drawn to a well kempt bungalow, lit dimly by lamplight, with the sound of classical piano fluttering imperfectly through the screened windows, out into the quiet, darkened street.
Stopping dead in my tracks, I stood, admiringly, for what seemed like several moments, staring dumbfoundedly at the house, only picturing, within my head, the scenes that may be taking place within.
Something about the modesty of practiced, yet, un-perfected art struck me as beautiful and elegant. Perhaps it is because it is something I, myself, can relate to in my endeavors, whether it be sport, music, painting, writing, or anything else I've indulged in within my life.
Nonetheless, something about this moment inspired something within me, and, as I pulled myself away from the scene and continued my evening walk, my inner dialogue began dancing frivolously in my brain. So often these thoughts want to be blurted out by voice, finger picked on guitar, or bled out of a pen, but my anxiety, and utter refusal to let loose my inner creativity, my personal experiences, my soul, has previously crushed my desire to even remotely achieve some sort of self-satisfaction. 
Although words have been written, melodies have been played, and songs have been sung, from now on, there will be no filter. Journals will be kept, rather than torn out and thrown away, edited or deleted. Keep Everything. Every thought. Though, initially, they seem irrelevant, irrational, erratic...anything...they still are the soil from which an idea may grow from, flourish, even. So, even now as I carry on aimlessly, rambling, carrying on...I must say thank you to the pianist for airing my embers with their beautifully imperfect notes.

keep everything

Feels good to upload another song! I recently moved into an old house, close to a river, it has character, I love it cause I put my old baldwin on it's original wood floors it has in the living room, love the acoustics especially with higher ceilings, I'm so thankful:) A new beginning. 

I recorded this live take late last night, close to 2am, got it my first full take, which is always nice!
I wrote this song back in 2021. An experience definitely inspired this song. Things can sure feel like heaven for awhile, then there's that tough surprise, after giving and sacrificing so much. I hope you enjoy this song, thanks so much for listening!:) 

Driving With The Moon

You couldn't sleep
I'm driving with the moon to see you 
Up your driveway
My headlights are turned off they can't see
Park along the backside through the gate cross the deck like before
Thunderstorms inside of me every time you crack open the door
And there you are
My lucky eyes

And all is better now 
You opened my heart
Somehow somehow
All is better now 
You opened my heart
Somehow somehow

Right before the dawn
I don't wanna leave but I know I have to
One more hand squeeze I finally gotta let go it hurts me
Looking back at you again that beautiful silhouette oh I adore
Driving home the world is gone one track mind there's nothing I want more
And there you are
Perfect daydream

And all is better now 
You opened my heart 
Somehow somehow 
All is better now 
You opened my heart 
Somehow somehow

Instrumental 

And I am ready now
You closed up your heart
Somehow somehow
Oh God, save me now 

All music written and recorded by 
© Daniel Colter Valentine

Driving With The Moon (Original Song Live)

Tajo Maijo Love

"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

Meet the New Bossa (Eclectic Collective)

Entheogenic Psychonaut (Josh Clary)