Voice of the nation

This is a collaboration: The highly talented and groovy Californian Bruce @conover supplied the fab backing track which I cut up, rearranged and constructed a song over. We conversed throughout, whilst I added the melody, vocals, lyrics, all the brass and the trumpet cadenza, extra percussion, strings, re-arrangement, mix, et al, all inspired by the backtrack and discussions with BC.

Don’t Look Down (Don't Slow Up)

Down, down, down, down...

Don’t look down
You can see all you want from here
Don’t look down
It’s just your feet and a can of fear
And if you fall...
The water’s warmer on the far side of the bay

Don’t slow up
The world will never let you get off
Don’t slow up
It's just a spin on a fairground ride 	
And if you do...
The circus moves on to another little town

[Spoken]: “Run, rabbit run. Just keep on running, you don't have time to look back and see if everyone else is coming…”

Don't look down
[Trumpet cadenza]
Don’t cry out
Do you think you’ll just disappear?
And when you cry
The lights are going to shine so brightly on your face

Don’t look down
You can see all you need from right here
Don't slow up
They won't let you hide away for a day...

Don't look down
You can see all you want to hear
And if you do
The world will never let you get away again 

Don’t look down
Don't look down 	
You can see all you need from right here
Don’t slow up 		
They won’t let you hide away for a day
Don’t look down 	
Don’t slow up 		
Don’t cry out 

© Oct 2014  Phil McWalter - Bruce Conover

Don't Look Down

Listen here↓
 https://linkco.re/YummYAza

Sierra Maestra

Original demo recorded: 2015
Remaster: 2025

The Twists And Turns Of Youth

Another great tenor solo from My mate Georg !!!

BRUTAL w/ Georg Boehme

Level 12

Tom Régnier https://soundcloud.com/tom-r-gnier approached me with a beautiful piano piece and with the words 'Kiss Me Goodbye' to ask if I could make a song lyric out of this. After receiving my short sung part and having superb contributions from Jussi Welin https://soundcloud.com/juswel (Guitars and guitar arrangements) and Georg Boehme https://soundcloud.com/georg-boehme (Flute & Horns), Tom described it more as a journey than a song and I think he is right.
Painting by Paul Cézanne.


Kiss me goodbye
Now is the time
For us to part
Let it show
With all of your heart
Kiss me goodbye, let me go

Kiss Me Goodbye - Tom Régnier & Friends

'keep everything'

note: I recently found this old journal and this riff was played live on my phone upon my front porch during a rain storm this evening. This particular entry was from June 18, 2014.

I was stagnant at work this evening and ventured outside to catch some air and to stretch my legs. The air was thick and stuck to my skin, leaving a glassy resemblance, caught by mine eye, while vainly glimpsing at my reflection in the moonlit window of a fellow employee's sedan. With literally hours until my next deadline, I opted to put some kilometers behind me, and make my way, by foot, towards the local University. 
While venturing through the streets inhibited by, both, students, and families, I found myself drawn to a well kempt bungalow, lit dimly by lamplight, with the sound of classical piano fluttering imperfectly through the screened windows, out into the quiet, darkened street.
Stopping dead in my tracks, I stood, admiringly, for what seemed like several moments, staring dumbfoundedly at the house, only picturing, within my head, the scenes that may be taking place within.
Something about the modesty of practiced, yet, un-perfected art struck me as beautiful and elegant. Perhaps it is because it is something I, myself, can relate to in my endeavors, whether it be sport, music, painting, writing, or anything else I've indulged in within my life.
Nonetheless, something about this moment inspired something within me, and, as I pulled myself away from the scene and continued my evening walk, my inner dialogue began dancing frivolously in my brain. So often these thoughts want to be blurted out by voice, finger picked on guitar, or bled out of a pen, but my anxiety, and utter refusal to let loose my inner creativity, my personal experiences, my soul, has previously crushed my desire to even remotely achieve some sort of self-satisfaction. 
Although words have been written, melodies have been played, and songs have been sung, from now on, there will be no filter. Journals will be kept, rather than torn out and thrown away, edited or deleted. Keep Everything. Every thought. Though, initially, they seem irrelevant, irrational, erratic...anything...they still are the soil from which an idea may grow from, flourish, even. So, even now as I carry on aimlessly, rambling, carrying on...I must say thank you to the pianist for airing my embers with their beautifully imperfect notes.

keep everything

A cold day and a quickie of one of my many favs from the master songwriter Gordon Lightfoot.........cheers for having a listen


Cold On The Shoulder By Gordon Lightfoot

All you need is time All you need is time time time to make it bend
Give it a try don’t be rude put it to the test and I’ll  give it right back to you
It’s cold on the shoulder and you know that we get a little older every day

Take it around take it to town Try to defy what you feel inside You better be stong your love belongs to us 
It’s cold on the shoulder and you know that we get a little older every day

All you need is is trust  All  you need is trust trust trust to make it show
I don’t want to know everything you’ve done if you get a tip then tell it to the eskimos 
It’s cold on the shoulder and you know that we get a little older every day.

All you need is faith All you need is faith faith faith to make it nice
Kick it around don’t be rude if you gonna make a mistake don”t you make it twice 
It’s cold on the shoulder and you know that we get a little older every day.
It’s cold on the shoulder and you know that we get a little older every day.

Cold On The Shoulder (Gordon Lightfoot)

Take Flight (mix #1)
Step into the sonic slipstream with Three Photons as they unveil "Take Flight"—a soul-drenched journey through warm tape hiss, vintage textures, and melodic uplift. This isn’t just a track—it’s a moment suspended in analog air.


Written and Recorded by TJG May 2025
Written in B-flat Major 😉
Trying for a vintage sound jazz composition. Thanks for listening. 
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Technical Details:
Rhythm Guitar: Gibson ES 175
Lead Guitar: Gibson ES 335
Guitar Amplifier: Fender George Benson Hot Rod Deluxe
Fender pedal board: Line 6 delay
Bass Guitar: Fender Squire recorded with API 505 DI
Mics: a pair of Royer r10 ribbons on guitars
Mic: AEA R44 vocals
Mic preamps: API 312
Spatial effects: analog reverb
Mixer: API 32 channel summing mixer (8200/7800)
Stereo Bus processing (API EQ and API compressor)
Final mix down to a MARA MCI JH110 1/4inch 2-track at 15 ips using ATR Master Tape.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Take Flight

Take flight, you’re on your way tonight
Take time, you’re always on my mind
You’re always on my mind

Dark night, we can’t see stars or light
We can’t see stars or light
We can’t see stars or light

Star light, I’m on my way tonight
I’ll be there, at first light
At first light

Star light, I’m on my way tonight
I’ll be there, at first light
At first light

Take flight

TIMELINE / Open collaboration from IPG1
IPG: Vocals and Verses
https://soundcloud.com/ipg1/timeline-vocals-97-bpm
Backing Track : Paploviante
https://soundcloud.com/paploviante-and-friends/enigmatic-paploviante-open-collaboration-offer
Lillithe: Arrangement and Production

Timeline   Open Collab from IPG1 with Paploviante

!!!HOT NEWS!!! New Valuable Friends vinyl album and CD available! See link below. Pre-order now for release on 12th Aug! (Release has had to be moved back from 7th due to unprecedented demand!)

Composer/Guitarist/Producer

Songs: We find them unpainted in our hands, throw them up into the air of our imagination, turning them in the colours we see after we close our eyes until they feel just right, and sometimes we catch them perfectly, without blemishing them...

My music is on most platforms for your ease.

Wow!!  417K+ plays and 4,000+ valued followers and friends on SC alone, that provide lots of wonderfully helpful comments that fuel the next track! Really big thanks to the SC community for listening and providing such brilliant feedback and support. It means so much to myself and my collaborators - huge thanks.

I work in different styles, as the inspiration, dreams or bubonic plagiarism comes! I use Logic Pro X on Mac.
 
I write, produce and play all my own stuff (unless otherwise stated), play vintage Tokai Strats mainly, PRS Torero, Steinberger, Gretsch G2627T, Classical, Fender Dreadnought, Yamaha and Rickenbacker basses, keyboards and sax. I use Native Instrument's Komplete, Omnisphere 2 and my own organic samples.

I mix on Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's and HD 650's (closed and open headphones) when not making a bigger noise through my Yamaha HS8 studio monitors. I use Focusrite Clarett 2Pre ThunderBolt and Apogee audio interfaces, Neumann & iSK condenser & AKG dynamic mics. 

Hardware: Feb 1978 Marshall JMP 50W Combo, BOO & BOSS stomps

I love collaborating with other musicians and will compose with, play guitar for, produce, arrange, master or even just hum along with other SC musicians. Please ask!

P.S. I am a long standing member of the Performing Rights Society and PPL through my old TV and theatre work as well as my record and publishing deals.