
I was struck by an article in the Guardian 10 years ago about a woman who used to hang out and work with the Rolling Stones in the 60s and the article was about adapting to old age while having nostalgia for such a potent time in her life. For this recording I had to change one word - 70 to 80. Musically it needed to be rhythmic but melancholic: something you got from major and minor seventh songs in the mid 70s as disco kicked in



YESTERDAY’S PEOPLE

Yesterday’s people used to party, party, party
Yesterday’s people were so cool so cool so cool

There was a girl her skin so fresh and fine
There was a guy as smooth as a dark red wine
They were out there in a happening era
Face to face so close and nearer
Photogenic and oh so bold
But that generation has all grown old

In 69 it was crazy zany time
In London town all that music going down
Young people travelling - free love happening
Beautiful people philosophizing
Mary Jane twilight in the Mediterranean
That generation they’ve all grown old

If you’re talking to an 80 year old guy
Remember he - was Mr cool way back in time
Try to imagine the face much younger
The yearning soul hormonal hunger
Suite Judy blue eyes young people dancing
That generation they’ve all grown old


Yesterdays People

(Written by Terry Reeves)
Terry Reeves: Vocal
Gary Reeves: Toms
Hans Albers: All other instruments, Arrangement & Production

Photo of Max from The Albers' Archive

What to say about Maximilian?
There are so many things to be told: a lifetime of 24 years, full of special moments, joys, fears, sorrows, worries, hopes, dreams, ups, downs, progress, regress, searching, finding, winning, losing, restlessness, peace...
His life had begun with an extremely difficult birth, almost as if the world didn’t want him. They told us he had a life-threatening infection, there were probably holes in his lungs and he obviously had no kidneys. In total, his chances of surviving were exceedingly slim. However, after endless weeks of both despair and hope, he overcame the infection, the diagnosis of holes in his lungs turned out to be totally wrong and they even discovered a kidney.  Just one maybe but at least it worked perfectly.  His journey into existence had begun.
As he grew, so did the never-ending nightmare of problems, challenges and battles, until we began to wonder what could possibly happen next.  Through it all, Max took every opportunity to accumulate extreme experiences - never hiding, always   seeking.  For that, we loved him even more…and even more it broke our hearts that we couldn’t help him find what he was looking for.
But suddenly, as the Summer of 2011 dawned, his troubles seemed to merely fade away.  Was he just arriving in life, coming of age, finding his place in society?  To be honest, we hadn’t the faintest idea.  But it was abundantly clear that, having always been an underdog, that same unwelcoming world had simply started to like and respect him.  He began to realise his many talents, enjoying his job as never before, finally becoming something he had never been - happy.
Fast forward to the gorgeous Summer evening of June 28th, the eve of a 4-week vacation to which he had been looking forward so very much.  A smile on his face, he said he was in the mood to go jogging, something he loved. Sometimes, he ran and ran for ages.  He’d been gone about 3 hours, quite a long time even for him, so Carina called his phone and he answered, cheerfully telling her not to worry and assuring her he’d be home very soon.  Seconds after the call, out of the blue, he collapsed.  A pulmonary embolism.  They told us he died instantly. 
Max, we have no words for what happened, nor for the eternal gratitude we feel for every single second of your life.  We do know we will never stop loving you.”
(Hans & Carina Albers)

Small chance of survival, words from the first day
Stretching all emotions not a single which way
Asking whys and reasons, a chance to breathe long
Heartbreaking moments, hopes remained strong

Such a short distance, but a life running miles
Bring every sensation, fear to a million smiles
Experience not forgotten, continuous hug of care      
Born with fighting spirit, giving back more to share

24 years of love, no single regret
24 years of love, never to forget

Every challenge building, inner muscles to be felt
Secret ways to be happy, never question hand dealt         
Complication of thinking to find a new sentence 
Pathways to friendships, dreams of acceptance

24 years of love, no single regret
24 years of love, never to forget

A vision full of truth with strength to admire
Finding a hidden talent, past helping to aspire 
No journey of distance could prevent direction
A phone call assurance became last connection

It’s hard to find words, express feelings remaining 
Deep down inside shell, empty, sad, self-complaining 
But we will never forget our boy hero from birth
Brought love and kindness, past and future unblurred

24 years of love, no single regret
24 years of love, will never forget
24 years of love…

MAXIMILIAN - CRIPPLE CLUB  (Please Read Description)

This a companion track to "Stay the F--k Out of Ukraine" uploaded in 2022) Let's not become desensitized to all the destruction and human loss at the hands of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Over 3 years of sustained violence with some of the heaviest drone and missile attacks being being  this week with attacks on civilian centres - Apartment Buildings, Neighbourhood playgrounds, Schools, Hospitals, Transportation centres/routes, Power generation . Wanton destruction. Mass graves. ICC, where are you?  Slava Ukraini. Putin could end it all as easily as he started this, faster than Trump claimed he could end it. LEAVE! and pay for all the damage in property and human lives wasted needlessly. Time for the Dinosaur of the old USSR  to go.

Lyrics:

Dinosaur 

Сволочь (You B******d)
Stop your shooting…Mr Putin…stop your shooting…( now!)
I bet you were a lonely child
Pulling legs and wings off flies
You cannot hide the dead behind your eyes
I bet you got no love from Mummy
Never even loved a woman
What you gunna get you will deserve
With malice towards none and charity for all  (Lincoln)
But you got malice towards all and charity for none
Stand your citizens in a line
They believe your every lie
“Tactical manoeuvres?” …my ass!
You wanna shell every woman and child
Then you threaten to vaporise
Leave them just shadows on the wall
You’re a dinosaur (x6)         …you should be extinct
You’re just a school-yard bully
Out of state and out of Country
And if we say the word “war”…ya gunna slap us all in chains
Stop your shooting…Mr Putin…stop you’re shooting now! (x4)
прекрати стрелять  (stop your shooting) 

Wigmore: Music and Production, additional vocals
Allen : Lyrics, Guitars, Bass. Vocals:

Wigmore Allen Gibbons - Dinosaur (Stop Your Shootin Mr Putin)

This is a fun little experimental jam that I got started and then looped in STONERJAZZ @user-911083679. It had been a little while since I collaborated with him-- it's always a blast and stretches my creativity in new directions!

Bassfingers

Cast of characters:
Llanpsych -- @llanpsych -- Tez – Fender Telecaster electric guitar, mix, production, and composition
Mistermark-- @user-432503709 -- Mark – synthesizer, vocals, and lyrics
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
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen– Tom Anderson custom T electric guitar, sometimes with an ebow
J.J. Terrell– @j-j-terrell – synth (bridge sections)

This song began as an idea Tez came up with on his guitar while on holiday not far from his home in Wales. It had such a punchy 80's rock sound that inspired Mark to write lyrics and come up with vocal melodies within a few days of hearing it for the first time. The two of them have written several songs like this, making them a solid songwriting source for Eclectic Collective. 
  Once the song had a more solid form, Ken added his dynamic, driving groove drums to it. As soon as Ken had the drums down, Josh took his turn, adding the fretless bass and solidifying the groove. Now that the basic framework was done, Stephen added some trippy electric guitar. Next up was JJ, adding his dancing organ and the really cool, psych synth lead part in the bridge sections. Mark also added some 80's sounding backing synth in the chorus parts. To wrap things up, Tez also dropped in the hot guitar solos towards the end and outro.
  Once we had it all in the can, it was time to turn it over to Tez for his expert production and mix. He came up with the idea of adding reverb to the drums, as well as some other compression tricks, which he employed with subtle style. 
   This, as mentioned, is a great example of what Eclectic Collective can do in house with the composition and songwriting skills of Tez and Mark. The rest of us really had fun working on this one, too, of course. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed making it.

Original lyrics by mistermark:

There’s something I’m seeking that I’ve never found
but the seed that you planted went deep in the ground 
there’s a journey that I’m on but the path is uncertain 
the magic fades when you pull back the curtain 

Wherever you go I will follow
there’s always another tomorrow 

There will never come a time when I do you harm
cause my soul is steady when I’m in your arms
and never have I heard music like your Voice 
when you call me to you I have no choice

Wherever you go I will follow
there’s always another tomorrow 

Like a puzzle on the table all the pieces fit
like I’m standing in the dark and a match is lit 
and what it all means man I just don’t know
but it’s a Powerful feeling and it’s starting to grow

Wherever you go I will follow
there’s always another tomorrow

Wherever U Go (Eclectic Collective)

Cast of characters:
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – Warwick fretless four string bass, Collings mandolin, Rogue banjo, Roland electric piano, and composition
K2 and the Three [and the Four]-- @k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken — drums and percussion
Llanpsych -- @llanpsych -- Tez – Fender Stratocaster electric guitar
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen– Tom Anderson custom T model electric guitar, Taylor T5z acoustic guitar, production, mix, and mastering
This song began with Josh coming up with it on his electric piano and fretless bass, to which he added some banjo, then mandolin. Once he had a solid basis for the song, he shared it with the rest of Eclectic Collective for them to add their parts. 
  Ken was first up, adding his drums in an such a creative way that matched Josh's bassline perfectly. It was originally recorded to a looper disco beat, but that was blown out of the water by Ken's creative drumming. Tez jumped in next, adding his thrilling guitar to the second half of the song. Not to be outdone, Stephen batted clean up, adding his textural and melodic guitar to the first half. He also added some subtle, but brilliant acoustic guitar to the first half, too. 
  This is a great example of Eclectic Collective coming up with an original band sound out of one of Josh's seeds. We're always pushing boundaries and trying to find fun and exciting ways to build a song. Lots of teamwork in here, too, of course. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed making it.

The Plot Thickens (Eclectic Collective)

Vocals https://soundcloud.com/couch-king-presents

Production https://soundcloud.com/rizlix


Here's a collab with the soundcloud legend https://soundcloud.com/couch-king-presents


You can hear his original work here;

https://soundcloud.com/couch-king-presents/i-like-to-sample-old-drums




Couch King Presents x RiZLiX - This One Goes

Cast of characters:

The Beautiful Dark -- @thebeautifuldark -- Carl — Ovation guitar, lead vocals, lyrics, and composition

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, not only editing it to fit the cool drum and strings bridge, but supplying the VST timbale drums, as well. 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 w/ The Beautiful Dark

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

Lyrics: David L. Graham
Music, vocal, instruments & mix: PJ

Had Love A Time Or Two

Written, Arranged, Performed, and Produced by Kyle Bolan
art by Kyle Bolan

Lyrics:

Salt air
Land locked shore
Clipped hair
Clipped hair
Dusting the floor

When the reason's her
When the season's here
Not stuck anymore 
When the reason's her

Going stir
The voice of an Age
Cut off
At the fur
At the fur
Red apple rage

Windowless her
Windowless her
Nausea I could not 
assuage

Tongue tied blur
Tongue tied blue
At the hopelessness
of the page
All the hope I have/hold 
of you

Windowless her
Windowless her
            April 24, 2025

Windowless Her

"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

The Plot Thickens (Eclectic Collective)

Entheogenic Psychonaut (Josh Clary)