Live Reflexion#035

With many thanks to Cecilia for this open collab!!

call for peace

underground

There's a heat wave going on in Norway...  I made the music in GarageBand.  Maybe I add some vocal eventually.... :)
Thank you for listening!  🎧😊

Heat Wave (Instrumental-Original)

Another try at a more electronic vibe for this month’s song. I’ve actually mixed this one with headphones in mind. If you get a chance to listen in this way you might hear more of the more subtle effects I’ve worked into the song. I’m trying something different here from the last few songs so I always welcome  your feedback on how successful I’ve been. 

Hooked

Cast of characters:
The Beautiful Dark -- @thebeautifuldark -- Carl — Ovation guitar, lead vocals, lyrics, and compostion
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken -- drums
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – Warwick fretless four-string bass
Mistermark-- @user-432503709 -- Mark –- VST timbale, production editing
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen — Tom Anderson Custom T electric guitar, production, mix, and mastering
J.J. Terrell– @j-j-terrell – electric piano and synth
Llanpsych -- @llanpsych -- Tez – Fender Telecaster HSS electric guitrar
This song began as Carl's tribute poem to our drummer, Ken. Carl came up with the chord progression and started a project, to which he invited the rest of us. This is the third song Eclectic Collective has done that is a tribute by Carl to one of our members.  We couldn't feel more honored than to be the subjects of his wild and boundless creativity.
  Fittingly, Ken was first in line to add his magnificent drums. Once we had drums, Josh had something to work with to add his bass, which he did shortly after the drums were up. Mark paid the project a visit next, helping out with a bit of production editing, and dropping in a mad percussion solo using his VST timbale drums.
 Stephen jumped in soon after, adding the melodic electric guitar riffs that appear throughout. Not to be outdone, JJ added some sonically thickening electric piano, as well as the throwback psychedelic synth that pops up towards the end. Finally, Tez came along and added the electrifying solo that appears about a third of the way in, as well as the one at the end. 
  Once the recording was finished, we turned it over to Stephen to mix in his always professional manner. 
  This song is all about our very talented teammate and brother, Ken, and it is well deserved, too. As mentioned, this is the third song from Carl about one of us. It's hard to describe the feeling of having someone who you respect take the time and energy to think about you in such a positive way as to produce a song about you. Then to have all your buddies join in to amplify it to a solid song is just mind-blowing. We are all very grateful to Carl for not only sharing his music with us, but for his thoughtful consideration of each of us as subjects. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed creating it.
Original lyrics by The Perfect Dark:
Karakoram human
You decorate good future
As many lose their Gods
You stand tall as suture

Rhythmic mountain maestro
Each day, graft, working hard
So kids can eat
Bruised back sees very best of yard

Still, beats get born of evenings
Deep love finds joules to jam
May generation X soothe meaning
Let's teach the younger pussies what we can

To Ken, from pen, to page, to Music
To friends, Now is when, Good sage soup soothes us
Honest and brave, To Jesus he save
Kudos our maestro of percussive wave

Karakoram human
You decorate good future
As many lose their Gods
You stand tall as suture
Sticks in hand
Cymbals a floating
Snare and bass backbone gland
Tom'ed Ringo Star man keep quoting
Keep life steady paced by hand

To Ken, from pen, to page, to Music
To friends, Now is when, Good sage soup soothes us
Honest and brave, To Jesus he save
Kudos our maestro of percussive wave

Rhythmic Mountain (Eclectic Collective with The Beautiful Dark)

So what now?

The pieces are set,
The board is occupied,
The main actors have taken their positions.

The inevitable is coming,
Fear fills hearts and minds.

Will what many predict come to pass,
Or will fate turn in our favor?

The core of our beings has been seized by the machine.
The art that defined us is being smothered by a flood of perfect artificiality.

Simulation of emotions, simulation of art, simulation of humanity.
Where do we belong?

Where is my place?

And what now?

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This is a piece I improvised on March 23, 2025. I was surprised at how well it turned out. However, I didn't know what to do with it. I couldn't think of anything more, so I'm publishing it as is, with minor tweaks (I literally added six notes in three places).

With this piece I am starting a series in which I will be posting rather uncomplicated, short pieces, created out of the need of the moment, under the impression of something specific.

To compose it I used only 3 plugins/sounds
Spitfire LABS Autograph Grand (piano) (free)
Spitfire Originals Intimate Strings x2 (in octave)
And one patch from truly amazing synth from Arturia: Pigments

I hope you like it at least a little bit.

Picture Freepik: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/woman-portrait-with-blue-lights-visual-effects_26813733.htm

And What Now?

Delight

I have been using a CPAP machine for several months.  I am sleeping much better and I decided to take a stab at writing a song about it.  
***
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is a common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. A CPAP machine uses a hose connected to a mask or nosepiece to deliver constant and steady air pressure to help you breathe while you sleep.
***
Copyright 2025
Vocals, Lyrics and Chords: Joe Stroffolino
Guitars:  Joe Stroffolino: Taylor 114ce (two guitar strumming tracks) and Fender Squire Picking track
Drums:  Programmed using EZ drummer 3
Bass:  Pg Music Midi track with .vst sound from Native instruments Rickenbacker
Organ: Joe Stroffolino: Playing Midi Keyboard with vintage B3 Organ sound from Logic Pro
***
Cover art:  Real (Non-AI) Photo of a Halloween Skeleton wearing my actual CPAP mask  (I was going to take a picture of me wearing the mask but believe it or not, the skeleton looks more attractive) 
****
CPAP Lyrics: 
I was snoring, so I had a sleep study, and they gave me a CPAP machine
It took a bit of getting used to, it was uncomfortable at first, but now it’s part of my nightly routine
When I first put on that CPAP mask, I tried to pretend I was like Darth Vader, part man and part machine, but actually I look more l like Jason in that hockey mask on Friday the thirteenth
The doctor said if I don’t wear that mask, I’ll be gasping for breath all night long and I know I’d better keep wearing it, if I want my heart and brain to stay strong.  I just wish I looked a little bit more sexy while I was wearing it.
Every night when I go to bed I wear a mask that covers my mouth and my nose and on the top of my head, connected to the mask, there’s a big, long hose.
They say when it comes to romance, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover 
 But something about that CPAP mask makes me thinks it’s goanna be hard to find myself a new lover.
The doctor said if I don’t wear that mask, I’ll be gasping for breath all night long and I know I’d better keep wearing it, if I want my heart and brain to stay strong. I just wish I looked a little bit more sexy while I was wearing it.
Sometime you gotta try to put things in perspective
Sometimes you gotta try to be a little bit more objective
Sometimes you just gotta put function over form
Sometimes you gotta be willing to deviate from the norm
The doctor said if I don’t wear that mask, I’ll be gasping for breath all night long and I know I’d better keep wearing it, if I want my heart and brain to stay strong.
I know it’s very important to follow all the proper medical advice and I have every intention to keep using my CPAP device.  I just wish I looked a little bit more sexy while I was wearing it.

CPAP

This piece started again, as often is the case, with me experimenting on the organ. My daughter was intrigued with it when she heard me playing with it, and said it has film noir vibes, which influenced the rest of the composition as it gave me a target, a clear vision of where it was going.

Another version will come, hopefully soon, as a collaboration with some of my friends whom you may already be familiar with from other songs on my channel, which will replace some of the virtual instruments you will hear in this demo version with real instruments, namely, drums and bass, and probably add some additional surprises.

Releasing this version was not in my plans, but after hearing from three separate people that this version should not change, it is done, I have decided to release this one separately from the coming collaboration, so you can hear it exactly as I originally imagined it. Of course, I fully expect the collaboration will be better still, as it always is when bringing multiple talents together, instead of just me in an echo chamber.

I hope you will enjoy listening, and thanks as always.

A Study In Neon

Produced by Mark Xenophontos 

Lyrics by Mark Xenophontos 

------------------------

I swear I'm gonna marry you...
My supergirl...

I swear I'm gonna marry you
My supergirl breaking through
Flying high above the fear
Every doubt just disappears
We'll wage war on every fire
Rising up, we're climbing higher
With armor forged in love divine
Your hand forever holding mine

You lift me up when I'm breaking down
You're the only voice, the only sound

You're my greatest gift, the one I trust
When the night falls down, you raise me up
Every breath I take, you're the air I need
In the storm or sun, you're everything
You're everything to me

Everything, everything
You're everything to me

Got an old ring I'm making new
Setting diamonds bright for you
Blessed in His holy name
A sacred vow, an endless flame
Dancing in the kitchen light
Your eyes that night, they held me tight
You're the one I'll always choose
Together we've got nothing to lose

Every minute that we're apart
Feels like forever in my heart

You're my greatest gift, the one I trust
When the night falls down, you raise me up
Every breath I take, you're the air I need
In the storm or sun, you're everything
You're everything to me

Everything, everything
You're everything to me

May the Lord guide us onward
May He light our winding path
We'll run this race until the end
And never be apart

We won't bend, we won't break
This is the promise that we make!

You're my greatest gift, the one I trust
When I'm falling down, you raise me up
Every breath I take, you're the air I need
Through whatever weather, you're everything

You're everything (yeah!)
Yeah, you're everything (oh!)
My supergirl, you're everything
You're everything to me

I swear I'm gonna marry you (I swear...)
My supergirl, forever true (forever...)
Flying up into the air (yeah...)
We'll meet each other there

My Supergirl

"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