Out of the night that covers me,
      Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
      For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
      I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
      My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
      Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
      Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
      How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
      I am the captain of my soul.


Invictus (A poem by William Henley)

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 cutom T electric guitar, sometimes with an ebow
J.J. Terrell– @j-j-terrell – organ and synth

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 solid form, it 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 even more solid form, Ken took added his dynamic, bouncy-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 his thrilling electric guitar. Last, but certainly not least, JJ added his dancing organ and the really cool, psych synth lead part in the bridge towards the end. Mark also added some awesome backing synth to it, as well, filling out the sound. At the very end of the process, Tez also dropped in the hot intro and outro solos, as well.
  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 listenig 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 and 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

Inner Circle

I was on a Virginia recently (DC and Virginia Beach were great) and instead of writing an online review, I was compelled to write a musical review of a less than stellar experience I had at a hotel. Recorded on my iPhone using GarageBand with the vocal song using the basic iPhone earbuds.
I stepped into the hotel. I noticed an unpleasant smell. It was a combination of old cigarettes and mildew. 
I went into my room. I could feel a sense of doom. As I took off my shoes and socks and my bare feet touched the grimy floor. 
Things are not the best at the Best Western, they’re going downhill fast, and I’m trying to pretend the glass is half full. I’m trying really hard to have a nice stay at this hotel. I’m trying not to lose my cool.
There was a peloton in the gym, so I sat on it and tried to login, but the bike wouldn’t work because the Wi-Fi wasn’t connected .
I went back to my room for a shower, and it was like I had a special superpower because when I reached for the handle to turn on the water, it came off in my hand .
Sometimes you can have a little bit of bad luck when you book a cheap room and try to save a buck. You can get angry and sit around and stew or you can break out into a song and write a musical review.

A Musical Hotel Review (GarageBand)

Vedran - Louder Than the End of Time

AI cover of original song with original lyrics.  Song made to go with an AI video. Link below. 

Video Link: https://youtu.be/lCTOmHIoND4

Rowing in the Dark
Music and Lyrics by Mike Krath

Lyrics

There are times someone shows you the right way to go,
But you ignore them and head for the common flow,
Preferring to be caught up in the stormy gale,
While waves batter against you to keep you still,
And then you only cry for help when you are sure no one is near,
A futile calling when there is none to hear.

Many times you’ve acted like you’ve wanted someone by your side,
Walking toward you on the water to make your storm subside,
But it was only pretend as you stayed on the wider route,
So you could row here and there and all about.

Rowing without direction is your preferred way,
To keep your lack of peace as a summer’s day,
And you ignore the waves flooding your boat as the end draws near,
Then have the audacity to sink with the look of fear.

Rowing in the dark is what it is all about,
Rowing in the dark is where your mind is at.

You row with no direction to go.
In a river that’s wide to make it so,
No rock in sight to keep you secure,
And even if seen, you always make that quick detour.
Rowing in the dark until the bitter end.
Rowing in the dark with your so-called friends.

Rowing in the Dark (Remix)

Rob Olsson lyrics vocals bass drums mixing 
Single Use guitar

Lyrics:
Ceiling over my head, only thing I see
Door to open sky is closed tight

In a sad way these four walls come closing in
Nail pops in the drywall pushing out

Anticipate the hour freedom arrives
Anticipate open sky

Pour into ceramic cup
Water over magic bean
Roast by angry fire
Grind up like bone
Sky without limit

Bearing focused toward my destination
Targeting door to open sky

Anticipate the hour freedom arrives
Anticipate open sky

Where imagination is
The only limitation

Reaping the harvest, bringing all of it in
Claim another hard earned milestone

Anticipate the hour freedom arrives
Anticipate open sky

Where imagination is
The only limitation

Coffee Is The Sky

Remix of a Romeo void song never say never

I Might Like You

Improvised electronic sounds for your ears
Well - Track foundation and synths and beats
Llanpsych - Guitars and mix

https://soundcloud.com/llanpsych/tracks

MERCURY

Night Flowers

Ricercare In Armonia

I’m a song-writer who enjoys creating music of any genre.

My son recently introduced me to A.I. and taught me how to do covers of my previously released non-A.I. music. Since I've never considered myself a performer (except playing with worship bands at church or solo-piano at a rehab center) using A.I. is right up my alley.

Since I've  exhausted using my previously released music for A.I. covers, I now compose music in a DAW, rip to a wave file, and make an A.I. cover of this wave file. I then write lyrics to the A.I. music. It takes around 100 A.I. iterations to complete the lyrics and get a style I'm happy with.  

Brief Bio: Lived more than a quarter of my life overseas (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan). Each country gave me an appreciation for different types of music plus probably why I get bored easily in sticking with one genre or another.