℗© Copyright Ian Stokes. All Rights Reserved
Recorded, mixed and mastered in Logic.
Guitar played: Taylor 714CE in standard tuning 
Photography: Thanks go to Nigel and Libby Hume at Hume Photography.
Song Notes and Lyrics:
This song imagines one of those occasions when you by chance find yourself in a place where there is some great live music that somehow just seems right.....
Lyrics:
Somewhere in New York City
Or was it down in New Orleans 
Could have been in San Francisco
Or maybe it was all a dream
I was walking by an old blues bar-room 
When I heard somebody playing with some style
So I bought myself an ice cold beer
And listened for a while

Looked like he’d lived a whole life-time
Beard gone silver grey
The people in the place seemed spellbound
Happy just to hear him play
At home on stage under the spotlight 
Keeping time with his heel on the floor
I bought myself another beer
I stayed and Iistened some more 

He wore a fine silk waistcoat
Jacket on the back of his seat
Hat pulled down to his cheekbone
Boots tapping out that beat

He played until the bar-room closed
Right sound right time right place
He walked off into the night
With his old leather guitar case
Never knew his name
Don’t even know if he still plays
But I’ll picture that stage and hear that sound
For the rest…of my days

He wore a fine silk waistcoat
Jacket on the back of his seat
Hat pulled down to his cheekbone
Boots tapping out that beat

Fine Silk Waistcoat

My last child became 18 and has left for University.  He is off to study Music production in Leeds University hopefully.  You never know one day he might fix my songs. Meanwhile life has flashed before my eyes and they are all gone.

Postcards From An Empty Nest

This track all started with the bass guitar and I built everything else around it. 
I wanted to keep the track as raw as possible with two guitars, bass and drums. 
I called it Serpentine because the bass is weaving and pulsing throughout the track.

Guitars used:
Yamaha Revstar Standard, P90's (left speaker)
Gibson Les Paul Studio (right speaker)
Fender Precision Bass (centre)

Plugins used:
Guitars - Neural DSP Mesa Boogie MKIIC+ Suite
Bass - Line 6 Helix Native 
Drums programmed using EZ Drummer 3 

Cover photo generated using an A.I image generator

Serpentine

Sessions bei Kulikslinas & Apfelgünthers Party

Apfelblues - Petra Köhler (FL)

My Strange Night Stories

Image created by me.
https://www.deviantart.com/leehon/art/I-m-Sick-Of-Being-Abused-1012054968

Floccinaucinihilipilification

I had a holiday in Sweden in August and went on a steam train.  This is what it felt like to me.

Where The Steam Trains Go

Here is a demo with added vocals recorded today 4 Sep 2024 by myself, of my song LOST IN THE LIGHT.
 I used to sing and play the piano many ages ago jazz standards and Evergreens at my gigs and events, Hey! I even had some concerts!

     However, this is after 40 minutes of rehearsing only, and I recorded sitting with my laptop on my lap with my Airpods :) 

Here's a challenge! Because I know I like a good challenge! 😉

I have a list of people who want to sing this song,

So here's your chance to send me your demo. You can forward it here on SoundCloud. (You can find the track of the piano from this recording here on SoundCloud)

And then we will see what's going to happen.

Thanks 

Enjoy!  😊


( I've done some mastering on the vocal track, I am currently a rookie but I am a fast learner But for the 4th, or 5th time in my life doing that, it doesn't sound the worst I guess. 😁😁😁

Lost In The Light Piano + Voice Demo.

Cast of Characters:

Llanpsych-- @llanpsych -- Tez – foundational acoustic and electric guitars, distorted electric guitar, and the seed idea
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen– 5-string banjo solo, electric guitar
Mistermark – @the user-432503709 – Mark – vocals, lyrics, high organ, toy piano, percussion, sound effects, production, editing, mix
J.J. Terrell-- @j-j-terrell—JJ-- low organ, piano, synth flute, sound effects
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken–drums, percussion 
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – 4-string fretless bass
Composition – The Eclectic Collective

This song began its life as a hauntinly exquisite guitar chord progression that Tez came up with and shared with the rest of us. He also stacked a couple of other guitar tracks in there for good measure. Ken was first up, adding his drums, then later his pots and pans percussion. As he was doing that, Josh was coming up with his bass line, and they did their little dance of back and forth until the rhythm section was set. Mark came in around the same time, though, and added his unique, Waitsian vocals with the lyrics that he wrote for it, too. He also added some really amazing organ parts, a toy piano which you can hear right after the bajo solo, and percussion that add a solid foundation for his voice and add magic throughout the song. Stephen followed shortly after with the big stroke guitar chords, and also came up with the amazing banjo solo you hear in there, too. Last, but not least, JJ came in with his organ and electric piano to seal the deal with the melodies and ambience. Then he and Mark added the cool sound effects you hear throughout, too.
  Every great song needs a great producer, and Mark filled the duty on this one. He has proved himself to be a masterful editor, producer, and mixer, and we are lucky to have him as part of the team.
  This one is an homage to Tom Waits in a deliberate way. We're all big fans, and tried to do something in his unique style. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed creating it.
 
Original lyrics by Mistermark:
I got something hidden in my closet 
that I don’t want you to see 
A little like a shady deposit
And it’s bound to incriminate me

Well now some might call it a skeleton 
Like a raincoat filled with bones
See I been hangin’ it there since I don’t know when
And I just can’t leave it alone

Me and Bill rolling bones in a gambling hall 
I threw snake eyes but Bill counted three
I took his accusation just a little too far 
Then everybody went quiet as they stared at me

Now the finger bone’s connected to the trigger
And the hand bone’s connected to me
And every day my secret’s gettin’ bigger
Soon enough I’ll be swinging from a tree

Coz I got something hidden in my closet 
that I don’t want you to see 
I done made a shady deposit
And it’s bound to incriminate me

Well now some might call it a skeleton 
Like a raincoat filled with bones
See I been hiding it there since I don’t know when
And I just can’t leave it alone
(repeat)

Bones - The Eclectic Collective

«Всё от Него и к Нему»

An unnecessarily long song with no true chorus (thank/blame R.E.M. haha!) and, for the first time ever in the whole Behold the Sludge catalogue, no kind of rhyme structure whatsoever. Taking cues from everyday life, the title simply comes from me and my wife telling my daughter to stop mumbling so much. 

“Mumble”

If I told you where I’m going 
Would you say you’re on your own 
And if I knew what I was doing 
I swear I’d let you in 
If the thoughts all made some sense 
I’d tie it all together  
To try and explain the madness 
In one package  

But I never could quite fathom 
Just what they all were chasing 
It never seemed within our reach 
kept drifting farther away 
Through solace and dumb comfort 
The safety was a mirage 
It torched our sanctuary 
Exposed it for what it was 

Mumble, mumble away....

Embrace the aftermath 
The end of the saga 
Whatever comes after 
We still won’t understand it 
So much to comprehend 
Ignorance of common sense 
A voice beneath the surface 
You can’t escape the beast (relent)

And sometimes things just happen
We will never understand 
Put our hands on the glass 
And squeeze it til it cracks 
In our nature was a fear 
Magnifies the gaping void 
Dwells on the blunt trauma 
Brings the motion to a stop 

Mumble, mumble away 

If I told you where we’re going 
Would you even see it through 
No sense of understanding 
Just bleed until it’s all dried up 
No purpose in all that tragedy 
Not one single point 
A hatred of the unknown 
Falling into that hole...

Rise up and shine bright, kid 
This ain’t gonna be a grave 
If the sludge was such a friend 
Why’d it leave you behind?
Below the surface is a bruise
It’s defined you too many times 
Never even got the point 
Just gave up even trying 

Mumble your life away 
Mumble, mumble 

Uploaded with AudioShare app - http://kymatica.com/audioshare

Mumble

Magical Maybe is Steven Parry who lives in Chorley Lancashire.  He writes songs in his spare time and  in his studio under the stairs. The original idea was to produce music for fun and that's exactly the same idea today. Ideas come in many shapes and forms and if anything gets done of any valve then maybe that is the magic. If anyone ever wants to use the songs for any reason please just reach out.