My 20-string one-of-a-kind electric/acoustic dulcimer is all by itself here describing a haunted stroll through an ancient catacomb.

. Catacomb

This tune features a 1939 Rickenbacker lap-steel slide guitar, washtub bass and percussion.

Best Thing On Earth

My tribute to, and a longing for, a world run by women. Goosebumps!

FLORA, GODDESS OF FLOWERS

Pushing out the pain that dwells beneath anger. Raw blues no doubt. Ken Leger, does the incredible blues guitar solo early on. I'm doing percussion, one-string bass, my 20-string thing, flute, vocal and piano. My sister, Donna Poitras, does some harmony here & there.

YOU'LL ALWAYS BE WITH ME

TRUE: Dave Brubeck liked this instrumental tune the most on my album recorded in the late 1980's. Dave said it reminded him of his famous tune called 'Take Five'. It's my brush with fame. I'm playing my 20-string thing, one-string bass, drums and a 30-dollar keyboard with a pipe-organ sound. The middle part is designed to take your mind & soul into a state of ecstasy.

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THE BURNING DOWN OF A FAMOUS NIGHTCLUB

A simple samba-like instrumental tune showing off my obsession with a clay ocarina, and my one-string bass & percussion.

Unknown Album (4/2/2007 9:17:36 PM)

CHASING THE WIND

My instrumental prayer to women; is that soon they'll run the world!
I'm playing my 20-string thing and bowing it like a violin & cello, track after track. One-string bass and percussion were added.

WATER WOMAN

Seemingly endless grief that heads toward hope. Emotions transcend our monkey minds---the price for being alive! 
I bow, pluck, and strum my 20-string electric/acoustic dulcimer.

FAREWELL IN E-FLAT

It's fun to complain sometimes. Greg Moore is playing the guitars, I'm singing, playing one-string bass and drums, and laughing at my dumb self.

Unknown Album (2010/06/03 8:35:03)

STUPIDITY

Hope, anxiety, and longing for my daughter, Grace, to be born in 1976. I was waiting for her ship to come in! All my original music is emotionally based. I'm playing here on my 20-string electric/acoustic lap-style dulcimer---no overdubs.

AWAITING GRACE

I paint with musical instruments a foreboding autumnal storm. Darkness and thunder approach and the tension is released in sorrowful sheets of warm rain. Trees sway with grief and the wind, sad leaves are shed. There is peace after all.
All string sounds were produced on my 20-string electric/acoustic lap-style dulcimer and my one-string bass. Master of drums & percussion are by Jeff Sussmann.

AUTUMN STORM

A spy movie soundtrack. My 20-string electric thing is put to the test. My creepy silver flute is layered in, along with an electric bass and some percussion.

CLOAK & DAGGER

Composed & recorded decades before the Harry Potter craze. 
I multi-tracked my 20-string electric lap-style dulcimer. I'm also bowing it like a violin, and my one-string bass was added last. Also, the amazing Jeff Sussmann is pounding away on percussion.

WITCHES & WIZARDS

Folks in costumes invade night neighborhoods. The blues are cold but fun too. Life's full of changes. Don't be scared!
I multi-tracked my 20-string electric thing, then I added percussion.

MEAN HALLOWEEN

Some tunes are rehearsed & performed hundreds of times, yet perfection remains elusive, hence I polished this diamond until it shined, at least a little bit. This is my 20-string electric lap-style dulcimer all by its lonesome self.

POLISHING THE DIAMOND

Lyrics most of us can relate to. Overwhelmed by the blues ain't a good thing---but every dark cloud has a silver lining. Look for it.
Greg Moore is on guitars, I'm vocal-moaning and playing my one-string bass, drums, and subtle keyboard.

BORN WITH THE BLUES #2

Sister, Donna Poitras, does her best harmonizing here. Paul Luria plucks his magic banjo. I'm on my 1939 lap-steel guitar, one-string bass and percussion. The character that's singing doesn't resemble me whatsoever---yeah right.

MY NAME IS SINNED

I layed down 4 tracks of a double-reed horn from India on top of some heavy hand drums and my wash-tub-bass. Toward the end, a strange keyboard sound interrupts the monotony. Dancing along with this tune will allow you to merge with it.

SNAKE DANCE

Iraq got scapegoated for 911 when "smart bombs" rained down on it.
My angst against this, and war in general, created this song. Gary Iannuzzi is on bass, I'm doing all the other stuff. John Girouard helped out with the arrangement and blasted away on his harmonica. Hang in there, there's a rockin' climax at the end.

SMART BOMBS

My interpretation of this old blues tune is embellished with Grandpa's jaw-harp & funky fiddle. Also, I'm playing percussion and my earthy washtub bass.

ROLLIN' & TUMBLIN' #2

A rock chant transcending all religion. Buddhist non-thought. I survived Catholic school just to create this damn song. As usual, I'm playing all of my weird instruments, pump organ included.

FINAL DAY

It's a country holler about disheartened love. I'm hacking away on an old fiddle, using a brass slide on my 20-string electric dulcimer, plucking my one-string washtub bass, beating on some drums and screamin' and crowing about how life is unfair. Sister Donna groans in harmony on the chorus.

Unknown Album (2010/04/19 18:26:34)

DEEP WATER WALTZ

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A BEACH PARTY! 
I'm playing Turkish drums, 20-string electric dulcimers, and silver & ceramic flutes.

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GATHERING PLACE

I'm bowing my 20-string dulcimer like a cello/violin and using a slide on it too. Nick Despo is gracefully playing his acoustic guitar and I added my one-string bass. It's a beautiful walk in the woods.

WALKING THE WOODLANDS

Keyboard frolic with Mid-Eastern percussion and sand-piper wings.

DESERT BALLOONS

20-string lap-style dulcimer riffs over rollicking jungle beats, flutes, and one-string bass.

SAFARI SO GOOD

Violin & cello sounds made on my 20-string dulcimer---chords and lead work too. A huge American Indian drum pushes the strange heartbeat along.

DARK GROTTO

Images of imperiled horses in a dream, their freedom threatened.  Created via layers of 20-string dulcimer, flutes, percussion, and keyboard. The image is a photo of one of my artworks.

GHOST HORSE

Performed & rehearsed a thousand times, WISHBONES made my dream come true in that at least one of my instrumental compositions, created on my 20-string dulcimer, was mastered & captured. Percussion and one-string bass were added later. I got to perform this live, with a jazz band backing me up, at the famous Band Shell in Boston around 1994.

WISHBONES

I've been a self-taught surrealist artist & innovative musician for most of my 73 years. My 20-string electric lap-style dulcimer and one-string bass are unique, one-of-a-kind instruments. I've never taken a music lesson yet, all my compositions are 100% original and express every human emotion under the Sun and Moon, from intense sorrow & grief, to love and laughter, plus every shade in between. I began recording on tape and then digitally from 1980 until 2015 when carpel tunnel made it hard to continue. My artwork can be viewed on Facebook by searching for Dennis Poitras. Friend-request me. Thanks!

Lefty17

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