The Highwood Pass is the highest paved road in Canada and right here in my backyard. The fall season is the best time to ride but bikers don't get much of a chance to look at the scenery unless they pull over.  It connects 4 highways: the TransCanada or Highway #1, Highway 541, Highway 40 and Highway 22 and takes one all 4 directions so that you can end where you started.

Musically, this song starts and ends in Am but as it turns out, it's actually in the Key of G, so it starts in the second position. Hopefully, I stated that properly. The song came immediately after opening my 12 string case. This guitar has been packed away since 2020 due to covid thus over 4 years.  I had tried to play it post-covid but found that my lack of playing had made my left hand incapable of holding the strings down, so I had gone back to playing a 6 string which I used for this recording. Good to know that the 12 strings still has some songs in it which it needs to share with me.  :-)

Words and Music copyright Rick Engler
Photo copyright Rick Engler
Mixed in Cuckos Reaper on a PC
Audio Input using a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd gen)
Vocals and Harmonica: Shure SM58
Acoustic Guitar: direct input using amp modelling VST

Rollin' - an original by BluesmanRick
------
[INTRO]

Goin' past Longview on the 541.
Heading for the 40, facing into the sun.
Just takin' my time. No race to be won.

  Motor hummin' Wheels a-rollin' ... a-long x2

Mt. Burke in sight but not goin’ there today.
Headin' for the 40 on a warm fall day.
Climbin' and turnin' . . . every which way.

  Motor hummin' Wheels a-rollin' ... a-long x2

My 750 whinin' at the Cat Creek turn
4th gear is it. For more I still yearn
Still a ways to go and precious fuel I burn.

  Motor hummin' Wheels a-rollin' ... a-long x2

Through the Misty Range along the Highwood Pass
Up 2200 meters and nobody to pass
Just longhorn sheep along there munchin' grass.

Motor hummin' Wheels a-rollin' ... a-long x2

Getting the shakes going over those Texas gates
Coming on down passing . . . Kananaskis Lakes
Eyes on the road, I can't afford any mistakes.

  Motor hummin' Wheels a-rollin' ... a-long x2

Fortress Junction comin' up on the right.
Many miles I've looked at my red fuel light.
Gearin' down. Front brakes not gripped too tight.

  Motor hummin' Wheels a-rollin' ... a-long x2

Highway 1 ahead as I continue my trek.
Then back to the 22 by the old bridge deck
Headin' back to Longview for a cold drink, I suspect.

  Motor hummin' Wheels a-rollin' ... a-long
  Motor hummin' Wheels a-rollin' ... a-long
  Motor hummin' Wheels a-rollin' ... a-long.

Rollin'

Rollin' (Original)

Take

Willow

I thought I'd create a dark themed Christmas track.
Various plugins were used to create this track from The Crow Hill Company, Spitfire Audio and Toontrack.

Image was generated by AI. 

A Christmas Ghost Story

We're All Loving The Wrong People

Movement #1

'Mind Games' Is an 'Ambient Fusion' Track. Reminding us that all original music composition or playing begins in the imagination, So Mind Games is the title.

The Three Ps

Mind Games

A new composition.......a bit of acoustic blues
Lyrics:

Before I was born, I was just a whisper
Floating through the ether, no pulse, no picture
After I die, I will fade like a dream
Caught in silence, or part of a stream

Born with a silver spoon, or a hand-me-down coat
Every thread of our story, a fragile little boat
We sail through the storms, in this ocean of time
Seeking the answers in verses and rhymes

So, in between, oh what must we do
The choice to be good or let darkness break on through
Are we lost in the shuffle, or dancing by chance
Is it fate that decides, or a scripted romance

Years rolled on, from zero to sixty-eight
Moments like sand, slipping through fate
We count every heartbeat, we measure each year
As the clock starts to tick down, who do we hold dear

In this tapestry woven of laughter and pain
Some say they seek purpose, while others just remain
In the fleeting existence, we search for the light
As we walk through the shadows, till the end of the night


So, in between, oh what must we do
The choice to be good or let darkness break on through
Are we lost in the shuffle, or dancing by chance
Is it fate that decides, or a scripted romance
Is it fate that decides, or a scripted romance

Music and Lyrics by Len Bennati FM Folk 2025

So In Between (Remaster)

A cover of the great Kitaro track Matsuri. Music from Kittarix Ft. Mike from 'falcon' on guitar

Festival

Cast of Characters:
Stonerjazz-- @user-911083679 -- narration of questions
Surfers Like Us– @user-411502040 –Artur– guitar
mistermark-- @user-432503709 -- Mark—synth effects, synth strings and flute, lyrics, and vocals
Llanpsych -- @llanpsych -- Tez – guitar and production
TexMex Shaman–@texmex-shaman –Stephen– guitar, banjo, slide, sitar, and production
J.J. Terrell–@j-j-terrell –electric piano, organ, synth, bass, drums, vocals, and production
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara -–Ken–drums, percussion, and vocals
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)–@josh-clary-1 –- guitar, bass, madolin, keys, banjo, lap steel, sitar, and vocals
Huge thanks, too, to the other featured musicians to whom we're very grateful to for sharing their music and talents with us this past year. They are the fuel that drives the EC into new musical realms. They include:

CGMANESS-- user-419254289-15129531
TEA R. SEA-- @tea_are_sea
STEVE'S PLANET-- @steve-vervaet
JOHN ANTHONY-- @john-anthony-871225464
ELPIVERSE-- @elpiverse 
SCOTTY (ONE MAN VERITY SHOW)-- @one-man-verity-show 
ROY ROY-- @user-967672349 
MARK FOSELLA-- @mark_f_2019 
FRANS BEELAARD-- @user-936947521 
THE MYSTERIOUS DECIBEL--  @themysteriousdecibel 
DAVID MARCONI-- @david-marconi-917184705 
RON LEWIS--  @ron-lewis-779503933 
JAMES TOBUREN (WITCHES OF THE ALAMO)-- @witchesofthealamo
 JEFF ROBERTS-- @jeff_roberts

  Well folks, it's that time of year again. It's time for the Eclectic Collective to take stock of the fruits of the year previous, and reflect on what making music together means to all of us. We hope you all take a chunk of time and indulge in our gift to you. We wanted to address every one of our SoundCloud friends with our voices as an intimate way to connect with each of you.
  This has become a tradition within the EC now that we've made it to our second (and a half) year of making music together. For the second time, JJ asked our friend and sometimes collaborator Jeff (Stonerjazz) to ask some interview questions of us. Then, we all came up with the answers and sent them to JJ to assemble the project.
  This mighty music machine we've created, that manages to release a new song every Friday, wouldn't mean anything if no one was listening to us. Which is why we want to extend our very sincere thanks to you for tuning in and supporting our efforts. If one other person gets joy from our music, that's such a huge accomplishment. However, it really feels like a bunch of people whom we really respect are digging what we're doing, which feels truly humbling and fulfilling. 
  With that, we hope you enjoy hearing us voice our thoughts over the highlights of our musical year as much as we enjoyed a year rich in music and comradery. Happy New Year!
 Here's a breakdown of the time stamps for each of our individual questions and answers, in case you want to skip ahead or want to hear someone more than once. 
1:28 TEZ Q1
2:20 TEZ Q2
2:37 TEZ Q3 
4:42 KEN Q1 
7:36 KEN Q2 
13:04 MARK Q1
18:42 STEPHEN Q1 
23:21 JOSH Q1
27:36  ARTUR Q1  
32:00 J.J. Q1

The 2024 Eclectic Collective Rockumentary

A phone call from my son

Stjärnsånger 1993

Kärlek i harmoni. 1268 ( 1993 ) Margareta Theorin - Eddy Mango ( Margareta )

“What makes a song is the singer, while what makes a singer is their dedication to music and their inner feelings.”   Dimash Qudaibergen

I have enjoyed music for as long as I can remember and cannot remember a day of not either singing or listening to music. I am self-taught when it comes to playing guitar but what I most enjoy is singing which I have been doing since around age 18. Now retired singing and playing the guitar is now just a hobby and something I do to help pass the time. Have always  loved the sound of a Martin guitar. Currently been playing a Road Series DR S2 for about 6 years. Thanks for listening. I also enjoy discovering the sounds of other talented musicians and singers here on SoundCloud.