Great project you guys.  Enjoyed this one. Really fresh open sound.  The lyrics are fantastic. I’ve made that trip a few times if memory serves

From the wonderful entry to this end so full of gorgeous twists and just beautiful vocals Mark...Three Owl Magic from you all!

Mark! Phenomenal! Venezuela? I lived there @ 13 to 14! Amazing country and people!  Wow!! This has a definite @ Moody Blues vibe!  Excellent collaboration.. all of you!! 🕺🏼🕺🏼🕺🏼💎💎💎🏆🏆🏆💯💯💯🙏🙏🙏

Loving these opening vocals and melodic lines....

Without it being derivative it brings the late & great Brian Wilson to mind...poetic and elegiac

wow, kind of a power trio of talent on this one! love seeing (and hearing) two lead lyricists and singers; brings some added variety into the arrangement, which is pretty unique already. What a dreamy song, and thaks for introducing me to the Cuatro. Hadn't heard of that guitar before.

Astral collab. I love that melodic style.

Always this very 70s prog ! It makes me feel a bit nostalic :)) nice composition.

Some long distance collaborations I have been fortunate to work on with Dick (Netherlands) and Régulo (Venezuela).

Collaborations with Oorlab (Dick Vestdijk) and Régulo Tortolero

Any Road (George Harrison)

Three Owls:
Mark Bennett: Vocals
Oorlab: Violin, Bass, Piano and Backing Vocals
Régulo Tortolero: Drums and Cuatro venezolano

Recorded and Produced by Three Owls 
Art Cover: Mark Bennett
Photography: R.T. © 2020
All Rights Reserved by the Owner
For educational purposes only

Any Road

Any Road (George Harrison)

Three Owls
I'll See You In My Dreams (Isham Jones / Gus Khan)

Mark Bennett: Vocals
Oorlab: Piano, Violin, Backing Vocals
Régulo Tortolero: Cuatro venezolano, Bass and Brushes

Photography by Eduardo Chacín on location Saint John's, Antigua and Barbuda © 2018

I'll See You In My Dreams

I'll See You In My Dreams (Isham Jones / Gus Khan)

I have again the pleasure and honour to share with you a piece by my good friend Philippe Blanc! I told him I like his piece which is part of his album "Les 16 Ans" but would like to add some extra notes in the left hand, which he has allowed me to do....
Thank you Philippe!
I hope you will enjoy listening to this piece....
Thank you for listening....
for more music by Philippe Blanc
@philippe-blanc-546541169

Comme un Prélude by Philippe Blanc

As the title mentions, this piece was composed on impulse.....

Art picture is by randy-lisciarelli on unsplash....

l'Impulsion

Three Owls are
 Régulo Tortolero: Drums, Bass, Cuatro Venezolano and lyrics 
 Oorlab https://soundcloud.com/oorlab : Lead Vocals and Backing Vocals, Piano, Strings and lyrics
Mark Bennett: Lead and Backing Vocals and lyrics

Recorded at NoHum Studio, El Limón - Venezuela and Oorlab Studio, Amersfoort - Netherlands and Edinburgh, UK 2025. Mixed by: R.T. ©® NoHum Records 2025  All Rights Reserved

Recorded and Produced by Three Owls 
 Art Cover: Mark J Bennett

Régulo (AKA @kings-of-manguareo) in Venezuela started this project a year ago with a piece called ‘Al Paso C’.
After several evolutions involving Dick (Oorlab) and myself, then the new title was suggested by Régulo and we ventured into space, with a ‘Musical Consequences’ scenario. I started off the lyrics, then Régulo added some lines and finally Dick completed them. Soundcloud is a great place for experimentation. Many thanks to my collaborators and also to you for taking part by listening, Mark

Am I the follower?
 Pleiades am I bound? 
Pleiades I am bound,
 I am the follower.

Aldebaran, Aldebaran, Aldebaran, Aldebaran… 
Never going, never going… coming back!

The fiery eye of Taurus,
 Trains its gaze upon, 
Orion’s shiny belt 
And it's perfect triad
 Over all of us
 For all eternity…

As long as the sun will shine
 And the magnetic field  
Stays well aligned 
The World will keep itself  
On course.

The long night will turn around
 Winter solstice is here 
Aldebaran will rise
 The ice will disappear

Aldebaran by Three Owls

'Dont Smudge The Ink' is an easy listening laid back track and soundscape.

Dont Smudge The Ink

This track is my very personal take at the Koan "Hear the Clap of your Hand". My lyrics version (https://soundcloud.com/konrad-spittelberg/the-clap-of-one-hand-pp) might make things clearer. (yes, this is my sneaky strategy to guide you from one song to another :-))

Compositionwise, the track is roughly split into two equal parts. The first part introduces its cinematic theme in the very beginning, taking it thereafter up several times with slightly different accentuations and rhythms which gives it a fresh feel with different highlighted nuances in each repetition. Several interludes contribute to the cinematic feeling. 

The second part, starting @1.53 starts by a more Jazzy version of the main theme. However, from 2.20 onwards, it is very restricted in its harmonies - only two harmonies are used from thereon until the end, C major and C# major. The tension arises purely from the rhythmic changes (such as the shift from 4/4 to 3/4 @3.17 and back), climaxing at the end.

The Clap of One Hand (Piano Miniature)

I had posted a year ago the row version of this track recorded back in 2015 (https://soundcloud.com/michele-ansani/bosque-redondo)
I thought that, after all these years, it was time to remake it, without altering the melody or the atmosphere.
Regarding the context evoked, see for example here: https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/navajo/long-walk/long-walk.cshtml

Composed by Michele Ansani (2015-2025).
Bansuri is courtesy by Aahro.
Cover photo: Navajo girls at Fort Sumner, Bosque Redondo era, New Mexico, 1864-1868(?). Palace of the Governors Photo Archives, negative number 038208.

RePosted on SoundCloud: 2025, June 16

Bosque Redondo (final version)*

Some years ago I had posted this piece, some of you might remember it.... and to my surprise just recently Benjamin Rößler (YurOb) has let me listen to what he had done with it....
I hope you will like listening to it as much as I do….

To listen to more of his music
https://soundcloud.com/yur0b

A video link to my original piece….
https://youtu.be/c1u-mhzvoZU?feature=shared

Les Hirondelles by Elisabeth Dicker and YuRob

For every child who’s been told they’re “too much” or “not enough”
This is the story of life in a world that won’t slow down.

A neurodivergent mind trying to survive the noise, the lights, the looks, the labels. Misunderstood by teachers. Isolated by classmates. Always one step behind, or three steps ahead, but never quite where the world expects.

Until one quiet moment, and in my case, the sound of a clarinet.
It didn’t fix everything, but it gave my chaos a rhythm, and my mind some space to breathe.
(It won’t be the answer for everyone, but it helped me begin to find my way.)

This track isn’t perfect, neither am I.
But it’s honest. And sometimes, that’s enough. 💙🎵🕊️

This track is for the kids who feel everything.
💙 For the ones masking to fit in.
💙 For the ones melting down inside.
💙 For the ones still searching for a safe place to just be.

You’re not broken. You’re brilliant.
And your rhythm matters. 🎵🕊️

****Lyrics****

They said, “Use your words,”
But mine don’t come when I need them
They said, “Pay attention,”
But I already was, just not the way they wanted
I don’t talk much in class
But my head never stops
I see things they don’t
And they call it “wrong”

It’s too loud, too bright, too fast
And I’m trying, I promise, I really am
But I don’t fit in their lesson plan
So they call me “difficult” again
I’m not broken, I’m not bad
I just need someone to understand
It’s too loud, too bright, too fast
And I’m doing the best I can

The lights flicker hard
And the questions come too quick
They say “just be normal”
But don’t say what that is
I like quiet corners
They call that “hiding”
But I call it breathing
When the noise keeps rising

It’s too loud, too bright, too fast
And I’m trying, I promise, I really am
But I don’t fit in their lesson plan
So they call me “difficult” again
I’m not broken, I’m not bad
I just need someone to understand
It’s too loud, too bright, too fast
And I’m doing the best I can

I wish they’d stop asking me why I’m like this
And just ask me what I need
They might find I’ve got answers
They’ve never even seen

Then one day they handed me a clarinet
Said, “Let’s see what happens”
And I did
I held it close
Like something that understood
One steady breath
And the chaos moved

It’s still loud, still bright, still fast
But I found a way to hold it back
Through every note I find my pace
In every sound, I carve some space
No, it didn’t fix everything
But it helped my heart to sing
It’s still loud, still bright, still fast
But now I know who I am

I am not naughty
I am not wrong
I just needed
My own kind of song
And if you’re someone who stands beside us
When the world feels too sharp to explain
Who waits through the silence
And stays through the strain
If you've helped us breathe
When the noise felt too wide
If you’ve shown us our value
Instead of making us hide
Then thank you
For seeing the spark
For hearing the thread
For loving us gently
When others just fled

🎵 Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast

Made in June 2025.

Video; https://youtu.be/76WrcXQxL6I

Horizons

A heartfelt duet of piano by Roberto Guerra and voice by the luminous Oddrun Eikli, composed by Francesco Adornetto.

In a world that often trembles under the weight of conflict and noise, love remains our quiet rebellion.
A gesture, a word, a melody — sometimes that’s all it takes to remind someone they’re not alone.

These tender lines, written and sung by the beautiful soul of Oddrun Eikli, carry that reminder — and borrow from the timeless words of Emily Brontë, who left us far too soon, yet gifted the world with her poetry:

“He’s more myself than I am.
Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.
If raindrops were kisses, I’d send you showers.
If hugs were seas, I’d send you oceans.
And if love was a person, I’d send you me.”

Let’s keep sharing love — through notes, through silence, through presence.
Because love is the only thing that grows when it’s given. 💙


#HarmonyOfLove #OddrunEikli #FrancescoAdornetto #RobertoGuerra #EmilyBronte #NewMusic #PoetryInMusic #PianoAndVoice #Neoclassical

Harmony Of Love (vocals by Oddrun Eikli)

My love is a star
That shines on the road ahead
And guides you back home
On this dark, dark night

As I look through my window
And watch the snow fall
I pray for your return
On this dark, dark night
------------------------------
Into the night
Flies a crow
With a broken wing

I watch his shadow
I’m a shepherd 
I am not a king
------------------------------
Heed the call
She is not helpless any more
She don’t need you
Like before
Like before 
------------------------------
I‘m not scared to admit it 
I know nothing at all
Even though I’m older now
And I’m supposed to know it all
(The truth is) I know nothing at all
------------------------------
Her love is a star
That shines on everything
It guides her through the snow
On this dark, dark night


A Shepherd, Not A King

Kings of Manguareo Present:
If (Pink Floyd's Cover)

Three Owls are:
Mark Bennett: Vocals
Dick Vestdijk: Slide Guitar, Piano
Régulo Tortolero: Cuatro venezolano, Bass, Percussion, Field Recordings

Recorded February / March 2018
- Vocals were recorded in Edinburgh, Scotland by Mark Bennett
- Slide Guitar and Piano were recorded in Amersfoort, Netherlands by  
   Dick Vestdijk
- Cuatro venezolano, Bass, Drums and Field Recordings were    
   recorded in El Limón, Venezuela by Régulo Tortolero
  
Mixed and Mastered at NoHum Studio (El Limón, Venezuela)
Sound Tech: R.T.

Photography: ©® 2018 Capt. Eduardo Chacin (Mexico City, Mexico)

You all can also listen to the excellent work of Mark's and Dick's here:

Mark Bennett
https://soundcloud.com/markjbennett

Dick Vestdijk
https://soundcloud.com/oorlab

All Rights Reserved ©® 2018

Songs From The Hunger

If (Roger Waters)

Kings of Manguareo Present:
El Manguareo by Three Owls 
Music by: Régulo Tortolero and Dick Vestdijk (https://soundcloud.com/oorlab)
Lyrics by: Mark J Bennett 

Three Owls:
Régulo Tortolero: Bateria, Bajo, Cuatro, Maracas, Clave
Dick Vestdijk: Piano, Slide Guitar
Mark J Bennett: Lyrics and Lead and Backing Vocals
Recorded at NoHum Studio, El Limón - Venezuela and Oorlab Studio, Amersfoort - Netherlands, May 2018 and December 2019 and Edinburgh, UK January 2020.
Mixed by: R.T.
©® NoHum Records 2020 
All Rights Reserved

My very good friend Régulo (AKA https://soundcloud.com/kings-of-manguareo) in Venezuela asked me to write a lyric about 'El Manguareo', which means prevarication. I am very happy that he liked it as I was a bit nervous writing and singing in a very different genre. 
Photo of San Sebastian de La Gomera by Douglas Corrance (used with kind permission)

El Manguareo

Why would you do today, 
When you can put off ’til tomorrow?
You think that I’m being lazy, 
I’ve got all day, You’re just crazy
So why all the hurry,
Why do you scurry 
Around all the time?
This ain’t lethargy,
It’s my kind of energy

They call me 
‘El Manguareo’,
A sight to see
‘El Manguareo’

So what if I look rough?
My beard ain’t hurting anybody.  
Where is my need to put on a show,
When I’ve got nowhere at all to go?
Give me the incentive
I’ll be inventive,
Bang right on time.
Some motivation,
I’ll race to the station    

‘El Manguareo’

Why would you do today, 
When you can put off ’til tomorrow?
You think that I’m being lazy, 
I’ve got all day, You’re just crazy
So why all the hurry,
Why do you scurry 
Around all the time?
This ain’t lethargy,
It’s my kind of energy

Vocalese outro...

El Manguareo by Three Owls

Dear listener, Feel free to leave comments and I'll try to reply.

I've been making music for around 16 years now but because of the wonderfully generous community that is SC, I have learned so much in a short time. I look forward to learning even more by collaborating. 
I suppose my strengths are in lyric-writing and singing. I feel fortunate to have been able to work with some stunning compositions by some very talented SCers.

My very best to you, Mark

Some links to recent Continental Collision streaming sites, etc are available below:

Aldebaran by Three Owls

markjbennett

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